Rent The Last American Hero (1973)
3.3 of 5 from 55 ratings
1h 31min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Elroy 'Junior' Jackson (Jeff Bridges) is a kid full of attitude who helps his bootlegger father run their homemade whiskey. When Junior crashes into a police blockade, they arrest his father who's looking at a lengthy prison stretch. Junior needs to raise some fast cash to get him released and hits the demolition derby circuit. His natural skill behind a wheel sees him swiftly move on to stock car racing and finally a chance to make it big on the famous 'Nascar' circuit.
- Actors:
- Jeff Bridges, Valerie Perrine, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ned Beatty, Gary Busey, Art Lund, Ed Lauter, William Smith, Gregory Walcott, Tom Ligon, Ernie F. Orsatti, Erica Hagen, James Murphy, Lane Smith
- Directors:
- Lamont Johnson
- Producers:
- John Cutts, William Roberts
- Writers:
- Tom Wolfe, William Roberts, Bill Kerby
- Studio:
- Second Sight Films Ltd.
- Genres:
- Drama, Sports & Sport Films
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Motor Racing Films, A History of Films Inspired by Magazine Articles, People of the Pictures, Remembering: A Spring Special, A Brief History of Film...
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Reviews (1) of The Last American Hero
All Revved Up, Nowhere to Go - The Last American Hero review by griggs
Mark Cousins screened this as the final Moviedrome entry, which set expectations the film couldn’t quite meet. It’s hard to fault on craft: natural light, lived-in locations, a real documentary feel. Jeff Bridges is already showing that loose, unhurried screen presence he’d build a career on — you can see why people champion the performance.
The trouble is, I spent most of it watching Junior’s life rather than getting pulled into it. It keeps promising that something bigger is coming, then mostly delivers another episode. The racing is handled well, though it never exactly had me gripping the armrest.
I kept thinking “this is good” without feeling much. Understated and underpowered aren’t the same thing. The film occasionally forgets that.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.