Woodyanders Review of Survival Run

Survival Run (1979)

A pretty solid little action/survivalist exploitation romp

[7/10 · 14 April 2007]

A not half bad chase/survival thriller concerning six easygoing California teens on a cross country fun trek who run afoul of a lethal drug dealer gang led by suave, assured, laid-back smoothie Peter Graves and cranky, severe, uptight old bastard Ray Milland when their van breaks down in the middle of the desert. Larry Spiegel's snappy direction keeps the compact narrative zipping along at a reasonably punchy tempo, keeping exposition to a bare minimum, staging the action scenes with praiseworthy vigor (there's an especially stirring and well-mounted motorcycle chase towards the end of the movie), and creating a fair amount of gritty tension. Alex Phillips, Jr.'s slick cinematography makes expert use of expansive helicopter shots and sweeping pans, thus lending this tightly self-contained outing an unexpectedly substantial sense of scope and polish. The remote desert location is likewise finely utilized; it naturally evokes a feeling of grim hopelessness and utter desolation. Moreover, the dope peddlers are a suitably gross and scummy lot, with reliable old pros Graves and Milland making for a perfectly hateful pair of nicely contrasting head slimeballs (Graves in particular shines as a calmly malevolent jerk who hides his true pernicious nature behind a deceptively pleasant and polite veneer). The kids, who include "Hell Night" 's Vincent Van Patten, are a genuinely likable bunch. However, the film never fully develops the necessary hard, sleazy edge required to measure up as a complete trashy exploitation feature contender, but overall still makes for a satisfyingly brisk and efficient item just the same.