It’s Friday and you know what that means! Time for another installment of Film Friday! Wherein, Tim or Zack will examine some of their favorite older movies for automotive content.
All is not well, er, perfect in Perfection, Nevada. You see odd couple Val (Kevin Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward) have had it with life in the scorched deserts of rural Nevada. Just as they’re about to put the dusty little town in their rear-view they discover the local drunk, dead in up in one of those high-tower power line contraptions (I’m sure there’s a technical term, but its early and the coffee hasn’t kicked it). Junior Detectives Val and Earl quickly surmise that the poor old derelict was murdered! Being good, civic-minded men they race back to town to let the residents of Perfection know there’s a murderer on the loose. While out warning another resident our heroes have their first encounter with the killer, only it’s not what they’re expecting at all. Seems the killer is not a man at all, it’s some sort of prehistoric beast, a Graboid, a creature that lives and hunts underground.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liJfZvXdiTE
I rented this repeatedly when I was a kid, maybe it was because I wanted to be Kevin Bacon? Maybe it was because Finn Carter and Reba McEntire awakened an interest in me for the opposite sex? No, it was mostly because I thought Earl’s Jeep Gladiator was the coolest truck in a movie full of cool trucks.
1963 Jeep Gladiator
When you’ve got a cast that basically consists of Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward and Reba McEntire, you’re gonna need some support from unlikely places. In Tremors the cars and trucks are characters in their own right. For instance, Earl’s truck is tough, loyal, and a little bit temperamental.
1989 GMC Jimmy – RIP Jimmy you never had a fighting chance once the Graboids got hold of your axles. Gone but not forgotten.
Of course, in rural Nevada you’re gonna run into well-armed rednecks survivalists, in this instance, Heather Gummer (McEntire) and Burt Gummer (Micheal Gross). Within their compound is every imaginable firearm, which is great for when the Ruskies or the Graboids invade. For their post-apocalyptic transport needs, Heather and Gummer rely on a Government Motors GMC Jimmy. The proto-SUV, before they got all soft and comfortable, ya know.
1986 Ford LTD Crown Victoria – I don’t know for how much longer I can sit by and watch Panther Platform abuse like this.
The Graboids turn out to be very cunning hunters, knowing enough to destroy tires and axles of vehicles so the hapless residents of Perfection can’t take flight in their cars. Yeah, try not to think to much about that. It also turns out that they’re strong enough to pull an entire car under the ground to get at the tasty human inside.
1977 Ford Courier – appropriately, this Courier is hardly shown on screen, sort like it’s impact on the American market when it was new.
Mazda B2200 – the little Mazda is left to fend for itself under the hot Nevada sun while our heroes escape.
By the third act, all the reliable transportation in Perfection has been rendered scrap metal. Our survivors have to think creatively in order to extricate themselves from their prehistoric pickle. Final salvation comes not from any of these heroic looking trucks and trucklets. No the only thing to big of to heavy for the Graboids to sabotage is an old Caterpillar 977 bulldozer pulling an old open-topped scrap trailer.
Caterpillar 977 L
Rating: 7/10
I don’t think anyone would pretend that Tremors is high art, but it’s stupid, enjoyable, escapist fun. It was also something of a success because it spawned 2 direct-to-video sequels and a short lived TV series. For the gearhead there’s lot of interesting stuff in the film, both in the fore and background.
Tremors! This movie holds a special place in my heart. I live in the region where the movie takes place, although it was filmed to the south of us around Lone Pine, California. We pass through Lone Pine whenever we make the eight-hour drive between the Carson Valley and Los Angeles to visit my wife’s family. Lone Pine has quite an extensive history as a filming site. Check it out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_shot_in_Lone_Pine
It’s a bit of quality, early 90s cinema, that’s for sure! Thanks for the link, ya learn something everyday.
I loved this movie, too. Michael Gross was my favorite – probably because he reminded me of my Uncle Dan (except he uses bows instead of guns and hunts rabbits instead of stinky, 90-foot long sandworms).
I regretfully must inform you that the Ford Courier was technologically interesting (an overhead cam engine and option five-speed) enough that a second generation was sold in the North American markets until the Ranger came along and replaced it. So it seems that the Courier is a bit more successful than any Reba McEntire entertainment vehicle (and please, no Reba sitcom apologists!)