Vanishing Point (1997 film)
Encyclopedia
Vanishing Point is a 1997 television remake of the 1971 cult film.
The film stars Viggo Mortensen
, Jason Priestley
, Peta Wilson
, Christine Elise
and Keith David
and the same model 1970 Dodge Challenger
R/T as in the original, and was directed by Charles Robert Carner.
The remake originally aired on the Fox television network on January 7, 1997.
veteran and former stock car racer, works as an automobile restorer and delivery driver at a shop in Idaho. He takes an assignment delivering a 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner to New Mexico to pay his wife's mounting medical bills. While in New Mexico
, he is offered another job, delivering a 426 Hemi
powered 1970 Dodge Challenger
R/T to Salt Lake City, Utah
. On the way, he's informed that his wife's already-difficult pregnancy has taken a turn for the worse and continues to head back home to Idaho
, refusing to stop for police when flagged down for speeding.
An interstate chase develops. Throughout the rest of the journey he is pursued by a relentless Utah sheriff
and an FBI agent who, while trying to make a name for himself and the organization after the incidents of Ruby Ridge
and the Waco Siege
, becomes convinced he is either running drugs
or is a domestic terrorist. Kowalski is aided in his flight by a radio shock jock
called "The Voice" (Priestley), a libertarian
DJ with a Gadsden flag
in his studio
, who is constantly giving homilies on things such as income tax
es and government oppression
. The Voice, intrigued by Kowalkski's run across country sets out to find the truth about Kowalski. As he does so, he discovers the truth of Kowalski's "drug run" and that he is really rushing home to be with his wife and her now dangerous pregnancy.
Along the way, Kowalski runs into the desert
where he gets lost, blows a tire
, and spends the night in an Indian reservation
. He finds his way back onto the road where he continues on his way to Idaho, tricking the FBI into going the opposite direction of his intended path. However, as the day rides on he falls asleep and drives into the salt flats. A woman on a motorcycle
finds him just after he wakes up and informs him that he has damaged his oil pan. He follows her to her hideout where he meets her boyfriend who is at first suspicious that he is from the government. He is hiding from the IRS. After the girl and Kowalski convince him he is 'one of them', he offers to ride 30 miles to try and locate a replacement oil pan. He arrives back after successfully finding one but also warns Kowalski that the roads and intersections are teeming with police and agents. After they help Kowalski fit the pan they offer to help him with a plan to run a roadblock
.
Kowalski successfully gets through the roadblock by having flashing police lights mounted on the roof and rushing at the roadblock; in the dimming light the police think its another police car and hurriedly let him through. However an officer fires a shot at the retreating Challenger and blows out the rear screen. Afterwards Kowalski shuts off his headlights and vanishes into the woods
, using night vision goggles he bought from the guy with the scanner. The police helicopter has infrared detectors but Kowalski evades being seen by hiding the car under a large piece of tin. He wakes up from a nightmare
about his wife at 7:19 a.m., finds a phone booth and calls the hospital
, speaking to the same doctor as previously.
Kowalski then drives down the road to where the movie began. Upon seeing the roadblock, he stops where we first see him in the beginning. A flashback reveals that his wife died at 7:19 a.m. after her kidneys failed. He then drives his car into the roadblock at full speed. An epilogue
by "The Voice" reveals that although the authorities claim he died in the crash, the body was never found and that some witnesses claim he bailed out just before the crash and escaped authorities with the help of sympathetic onlookers. A scenario is given where his former Mexican friend finds his tags and shows he is now living in the wilderness with his newborn daughter.
power to speak with Kowalski through the radio
but instead seeks the truth about Kowalski's sketchy past. The Kowalski in the original actually drove for the pure love of speed borne out of a personal quest for freedom and to escape the ghosts of his past experiences. The remake however, gives Kowalski a more clear and socially accepted background and reason to drive fast. The Kowalski of the 1971 movie was an archetypal antihero, set against the backdrop of the fringe-dwelling people of the 1960s and early 1970s. The 1997 TV remake replaces the lead character's ambivalent image with a simpler and more palatable, wholesome lead character and motivations, in particular eliminating all references to drug use, rebellion or sexuality, all of which were hallmarks of the 1971 film. The remake makes much use of symbolism: pure vs corrupt, right vs wrong etc
The film stars Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
, Jason Priestley
Jason Priestley
Jason Bradford Priestley is a Canadian-American actor and director. He is best known as the virtuous Brandon Walsh on the television series Beverly Hills, 90210, a role which catapulted him to recognition in the early 1990s....
, Peta Wilson
Peta Wilson
Peta Gia Wilson is an Australian actress and model. She is best known as Nikita in the television series La Femme Nikita.-Early life:...
, Christine Elise
Christine Elise
Christine Elise is an American film and television actress.-Personal life:Born Christine Elise McCarthy in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of artists, she graduated from the Boston Latin School in 1983...
and Keith David
Keith David
Keith David Williams , better known as Keith David, is an American film, television, voice actor, and singer. He is perhaps most known for his live-action roles in such films as Crash, There's Something About Mary, Barbershop and Men at Work...
and the same model 1970 Dodge Challenger
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler.The first generation Dodge Challenger was a pony car built from 1970 to 1974, using the Chrysler E platform and sharing major components with the Plymouth Barracuda. The second...
R/T as in the original, and was directed by Charles Robert Carner.
The remake originally aired on the Fox television network on January 7, 1997.
Synopsis
Jimmy Kowalski (Mortensen), a Gulf WarGulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
veteran and former stock car racer, works as an automobile restorer and delivery driver at a shop in Idaho. He takes an assignment delivering a 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner to New Mexico to pay his wife's mounting medical bills. While in New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, he is offered another job, delivering a 426 Hemi
Chrysler Hemi engine
The Chrysler Hemi engine, known by the trademark Hemi, is a series of V8 engines built by Chrysler with a hemispherical combustion chamber. Three different types of Hemi engines have been built by Chrysler for automobiles: the first from 1951–1958, the second from 1964–1971, and the third...
powered 1970 Dodge Challenger
Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Challenger is the name of three different generations of automobiles marketed by the Dodge division of Chrysler.The first generation Dodge Challenger was a pony car built from 1970 to 1974, using the Chrysler E platform and sharing major components with the Plymouth Barracuda. The second...
R/T to Salt Lake City, Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
. On the way, he's informed that his wife's already-difficult pregnancy has taken a turn for the worse and continues to head back home to Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
, refusing to stop for police when flagged down for speeding.
An interstate chase develops. Throughout the rest of the journey he is pursued by a relentless Utah sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
and an FBI agent who, while trying to make a name for himself and the organization after the incidents of Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge
Ruby Ridge was the site of a violent confrontation and siege in northern Idaho in 1992. It involved Randy Weaver, his family, Weaver's friend Kevin Harris, and agents of the United States Marshals Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation...
and the Waco Siege
Waco Siege
The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, a property located east-northeast of Waco,...
, becomes convinced he is either running drugs
DRUGS
Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
or is a domestic terrorist. Kowalski is aided in his flight by a radio shock jock
Shock jock
Shock jock is a slang term used to describe a type of any radio broadcaster who attracts attention using humor that a significant portion of the listening audience may find offensive. The term is usually used pejoratively to describe provocative or irreverent broadcasters whose mannerisms,...
called "The Voice" (Priestley), a libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
DJ with a Gadsden flag
Gadsden flag
The Gadsden flag is a historical American flag with a yellow field depicting a rattlesnake coiled and ready to strike. Positioned below the snake is the legend "DONT TREAD ON ME." The flag was designed by and is named after American general and statesman Christopher Gadsden. It was also used by the...
in his studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
, who is constantly giving homilies on things such as income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
es and government oppression
Oppression
Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, and...
. The Voice, intrigued by Kowalkski's run across country sets out to find the truth about Kowalski. As he does so, he discovers the truth of Kowalski's "drug run" and that he is really rushing home to be with his wife and her now dangerous pregnancy.
Along the way, Kowalski runs into the desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
where he gets lost, blows a tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
, and spends the night in an Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
. He finds his way back onto the road where he continues on his way to Idaho, tricking the FBI into going the opposite direction of his intended path. However, as the day rides on he falls asleep and drives into the salt flats. A woman on a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
finds him just after he wakes up and informs him that he has damaged his oil pan. He follows her to her hideout where he meets her boyfriend who is at first suspicious that he is from the government. He is hiding from the IRS. After the girl and Kowalski convince him he is 'one of them', he offers to ride 30 miles to try and locate a replacement oil pan. He arrives back after successfully finding one but also warns Kowalski that the roads and intersections are teeming with police and agents. After they help Kowalski fit the pan they offer to help him with a plan to run a roadblock
Roadblock
A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be:*Roadworks*Temporary road closure during special events*Police chase*Robbery*Sobriety checkpoint...
.
Kowalski successfully gets through the roadblock by having flashing police lights mounted on the roof and rushing at the roadblock; in the dimming light the police think its another police car and hurriedly let him through. However an officer fires a shot at the retreating Challenger and blows out the rear screen. Afterwards Kowalski shuts off his headlights and vanishes into the woods
Woods
Woods is a common surname of English and Irish origin.-A:* Alan Woods * Albert Woods* Albert H. Woods* Aubrey Woods* Ayiesha Woods-B:* Bambi Woods* Barbara Alyn Woods* Belita Woods* Ben Woods, rugby union player* Bill Woods...
, using night vision goggles he bought from the guy with the scanner. The police helicopter has infrared detectors but Kowalski evades being seen by hiding the car under a large piece of tin. He wakes up from a nightmare
Nightmare
A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
about his wife at 7:19 a.m., finds a phone booth and calls the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, speaking to the same doctor as previously.
Kowalski then drives down the road to where the movie began. Upon seeing the roadblock, he stops where we first see him in the beginning. A flashback reveals that his wife died at 7:19 a.m. after her kidneys failed. He then drives his car into the roadblock at full speed. An epilogue
Epilogue
An epilogue, epilog or afterword is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature or drama, usually used to bring closure to the work...
by "The Voice" reveals that although the authorities claim he died in the crash, the body was never found and that some witnesses claim he bailed out just before the crash and escaped authorities with the help of sympathetic onlookers. A scenario is given where his former Mexican friend finds his tags and shows he is now living in the wilderness with his newborn daughter.
Contrast with original film
The bare bones of the plot of this remake are the same as the original but the number of major characters has grown. Kowalski and the radio DJ's characters have been changed significantly and the plot is changed as a result. The DJ does not have the supernaturalSupernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
power to speak with Kowalski through the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
but instead seeks the truth about Kowalski's sketchy past. The Kowalski in the original actually drove for the pure love of speed borne out of a personal quest for freedom and to escape the ghosts of his past experiences. The remake however, gives Kowalski a more clear and socially accepted background and reason to drive fast. The Kowalski of the 1971 movie was an archetypal antihero, set against the backdrop of the fringe-dwelling people of the 1960s and early 1970s. The 1997 TV remake replaces the lead character's ambivalent image with a simpler and more palatable, wholesome lead character and motivations, in particular eliminating all references to drug use, rebellion or sexuality, all of which were hallmarks of the 1971 film. The remake makes much use of symbolism: pure vs corrupt, right vs wrong etc