[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Need for Speed (2014)

A terrific muscle car movie that is unfairly lumped in with the Fast and Furious franchise however Need for Speed is a different beast altogether and should be seen as a 2010's reimagining of films like Vanishing Point (1971) where a certain task has to be achieved within a certain time frame, which is the case here.

The cross country road trip approach whilst avoiding the police takes in similar classic road movies from the seventies such as Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974) and Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) as well as Convoy (1978) and Michael Keaton's pirate DJ, well again the spectre of Vanishing Point looms larger over Need for Speed than any Fast and Furious movie.

There's even a feel of Easy Rider going on with some terrific scenery as the movie departs New York and heads through the states until it reaches California. The cast are all very capable with Imogen Poots and Rami Malek outstanding in their roles even outdoing leads Aaron Paul and Dominic Cooper.

It's the car action that most will appreciate and the lack of CGI is extremely refreshing. The film makers were determined to take practical stunt driving to a new level and they've achieved that in what is a spectacular and thoroughly entertaining movie.

I've always enjoyed this film. Watching it this evening for the first time via the gorgeous looking Blu-ray was a blast.