In a recent issue devoted to the millenium, Esquire basically said that their 1971 call of this film as movie of the year was one of their biggest flops. How wrong could they have been this year? Instead, Esquire was right in 1971 and the studio and American public were wrong. By publishing the script to this film, Esquire showed that it was still an important player in bringing new world class art to the American male mainstream. Their recent retraction only illustrates how far this once influential monthly has fallen, though I'll admit I'm a subscriber.<br /><br />Two young men (Taylor - the driver - and Wilson) are driving someplace in their heavily customized 55 Chevy. In their travels, they stumble across brash Warren Oates in his brand new 70 GTO, who is likewise a cipher. The result is ostensibly a cross country race for pink slips from someplace in the west to DC. But this film ends up being much, much more.<br /><br />This is a a true American film. Today we have action films, historical dramas, romance, SF, etc that are commonly viewed as mass produced American cinema, yet they seem to represent little more than cliched genre pieces. This film on the other hand represents America and themes of Americana in the early 70's. The open road, fast cars, competition, and a certain rough camraderie between strangers in our disconnected society. Highly recommended for non-natives.<br /><br />Two-Lane Blacktop features more questions than answers. Obviously, the truth about GTO is unknown, as he invents one outlandish story after another, but likewise nothing is known about anyone else. What are they seeking? Where did they come from? Where are they going? Ultimately we find out little but what happens within the self-contained little world of the film. But that is in the end appropriate.<br /><br />Oates acting as GTO is spectacular, though the actors gave solid performances all around. Wilson and his obsession with the carbeurator jets is also impressive. The 'Scope cinematography does a good job of capturing the feeling of driving a two lane highway across mid-America. The recent DVD is solid if unspectacular. It features an anamorphic transfer that looks good but still has that "video" feel about it somewhat. The limited edition is probably not worth picking up as it mostly just features a metal case that won't fit on your DVD rack.<br /><br />In summary, highly recommended.<br /><br />