Moving Violation

Not to be confused with the witless 1985 comedy MOVING VIOLATIONS, 1976's MOVING VIOLATION is one of that decade's demolition derbies designed to kill time and be forgotten ten minutes after the credits roll.  Or is it? There are indications that the team of writers and director Charles S. Dubin  were reaching for something more.

It sounds simple enough: lovers Eddie (Stephen McHattie) and Cam (Kay Lenz) find themselves targets after witnessing Sheriff Rankin's (Lonny Chapman) murder of one of his deputies.  They of course are blamed for the crime and soon find themselves hightailing it across the South (in a movie obviously filmed in California).  Eddie and Cam have to steal a few cars in their efforts but are otherwise decent kids.  Rankin is a corrupt sleaze, and a real idiot.  During one energetic pursuit, Rankin fires at the vehicle he repeatedly insists is his stolen car but actually belongs to another cop.

It's dopey comedic moments like that that keep the Roger Corman production MOVING VIOLATION from rising above the B-movie heap.  Perhaps the abundance of explosions also doesn't help. There are several moments strangely prescient of the following year's SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT.  This is essentially a typical redneck crash 'em up with lots of banjo scoring accompanying goofily sped up chases.  Eddie and Cam are small town cliches, but the actors make them somewhat endearing and root worthy.  But then Eddie Albert shows up for a few scenes as a feisty lawyer who agrees to represent the couple and easily steals the picture with his sardonic charm.

Aw, the stunt work is pretty good.  McHattie is always worth watching and Lenz is just so beautiful (don't get too excited, invisible audience; this movie is rated PG). The production is fairly slick.  Dubin's direction is competent.  But the tone keeps shifting in ways that leave the movie (and viewer) confused.  The hasty climax is also a real letdown.  It's as if the filmmakers either ran out of money or imagination (or both).

Every once in a while, the film pauses from its action scenes to suggest a more serious drama that didn't quite break free from the exploitation elements.  This includes that very curious final scene, which in some ways reminded me of the finale of another '70s downer, A PANIC IN NEEDLE PARK.  Its choice of when to freeze the frame did leave me thinking about this movie far beyond ten minutes.