The Fast and the Furious (1954).

Review #1388: The Fast and the Furious.

Cast: 
John Ireland (Frank Webster), Dorothy Malone (Connie Adair), Bruce Carlisle (Faber), Iris Adrian (Wilma Belding - Waitress), Marshall Bradford (Mr. Hillman - Race Marshal), Bruno VeSota (Bob Nielson - Truck Driver), Byrd Holland (Doctor), and Larry Thor (Detective Sergeant) Directed by John Ireland and Edward Sampson.

Review: 
"You can make a movie about anything, as long as it has a hook to hang the advertising on."

When it comes to film entertainment, one cannot deny the attracting power of American International Pictures. The company was formed on April 2, 1954 by James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff as American Releasing Corporation with the intent to distribute films on an independent level. There would be numerous people that found themselves involved in AIP, such as cinematographer Floyd Crosby, screenwriter Lou Rusoff, producer Herman Cohn alongside Roger Corman. They were given their first chance to distribute with this film, picked by Corman over other companies while also being offered money to help Corman make further films. This was the third film that Corman was involved with, having made his contributions to Highway Dragnet and Monster From the Ocean Floor with story and producing the previous year. Along with producing, he also work as a bit actor and stunt driver while also making deals with a local dealer for Jaguar cars and utilizing stock and filmed footage from the Monterrey racetrack. Shot in nine days at a cost of $50,000, it is no wonder that this was a fair hit for audiences of the time, who must've been big on jailbirds on the run with fast cars and women to go with a thin plot directed by its star Ireland and Edward Sampson, an editor in his lone directorial credit. It was the work that Corman did here that made him want to become a director, which he would soon get the chance to do with Five Guns West the following year.

It sure is a shame that this is such a plain affair, one that moves with a quiet roar for 73 minutes that seems fitting of being put on the back end of a double bill than anything. Ireland and Malone don't really seem to have much chemistry with each other beyond a few quips that beg for more vulnerability and charm, since these characters seem thinner than a fuel gauge in characterization. Most of the time is spent on them with only a few glimpses into the chase for them alongside the race they happen to come across, as if trying to be a crime film isn't enough to latch onto. One needs a third presence stronger than someone like Carlisle to really counteract the main duo to make things seem more urgent to care about. By the time the film races to its conclusion, it doesn't even seem like a real ending, reminding me more of Quicksand (1950) than anything, and one might not even remember that the main character is supposedly innocent to begin with because of how casual things seem. The racing aspects are decent, but nothing too special to follow along with. On the whole, while this movie isn't particularly good by most standards, it is at least a modest curiosity that could  pique interest on a boring day with access to the public domain, filled with quick thrills that could reach an audience that could then inquire further into the library of American International Pictures for further, better features to look into.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.