Double Nickels (1977)

Rating: *(*)
Review Date: 11/14/10
Written, Directed, And Produced By: Jack Vacek
Cast: Jack Vacek, Ed Abrams

Smokey (Jack Vacek) is an asshole cop who gives everyone a hard time, but never writes any tickets. For whatever reasons, he keeps his uniform and gun at a local diner and is always getting chased by the police when he rides his motorcycle. That makes as much sense as anything else in the film. One day, Smokey and his goofy partner Ed (Ed Abrams) decide to do some work on the side repossessing cars, which unfortunately turns out to be a front for an auto theft ring. But everything works out in the end. Smokey gets the girl and the bad guys get arrested.

If ever a film deserved to be labeled with atrocious acting and cringe-worthy dialog, this would be it. Unbelievably bad. Let's face it: these guys are stunt drivers, not writers or actors. The film is nearly unwatchable, except for its exhilarating high speed car chases. They certainly don't make vehicular mayhem films like this anymore, and the sense of speed, danger, and chaos is breath-taking. It's also a fascinating window into 1970's car culture, and its views and attitudes are dumbfounding. If you like watching cars racing around out of control, "Double Nickels" is worth checking out. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't have even bothered tracking it down in the first place.

Memorable quote: "I'll race you to the doughnut shop."