Checkered Flag or Crash

1977

Action / Adventure / Comedy

2
IMDb Rating 4.7/10 10 295 295

journalist car race jungle off road prize money

Plot summary

Hard-charging race car driver "Walkaway" Madden, nicknamed so for his history of walking away from car crashes, just wants to win the big Manilla 1000 off-road race. Photojournalist C.C. Wainwright intends to ride with him in that race. But Walkaway just wants to get rid of her. Fast-talking promoter Bo Cochran wants the race completed by any means necessary.

Director

Alan Gibson Photo
Alan Gibson

Top cast

Joe Don Baker Photo
Joe Don Baker as Walkaway Madden
Susan Sarandon Photo
Susan Sarandon as C.C. Wainwright
Larry Hagman Photo
Larry Hagman as Bo Cochran
Alan Vint Photo
Alan Vint as Doc Pyle
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
851.72 MB
1280*544
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds ...
1.54 GB
1920*816
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
24 fps
1 hr 32 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Uriah43 4 / 10

A Race Through the Philippine Jungle

This film is about a 1,000-mile off-road race through the jungles of the Philippines, featuring dune buggies, motorcycles, and jeeps. The main character is a man named "Walkaway Madden" (Joe Don Baker), who earned his nickname by surviving numerous car crashes. This time, however, he is accompanied by a female magazine journalist named "C. C. Wainwright" (Susan Sarandon), who is determined to ride with him no matter what. Also in the race is a former friend turned main rival named "Doc Pyle" (Alan Vint), who is just as determined to win. What none of them realizes is that the race promoter, "Bo Cochran" (Larry Hagman), has bet everything on it and isn't above promising racers things he can't deliver-especially when the weather suddenly worsens. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was one of those low-budget films popular in the '60s and '70s because local drive-ins struggled to compete with theaters, so they settled for whatever they could find. Sadly, many of these films lacked quality, and this one is no exception. On the plus side, if nothing else, it does feature quite a bit of action, which, I suppose, helps to a certain extent, and I have rated it accordingly.
Reviewed by Hey_Sweden 6 / 10

Check your brain at the door and enjoy.

"Checkered Flag or Crash" revolves around the Manila 1000, a grueling, multi-vehicle off road race that lasts three days. The man organizing the event is Bo Cochran (Larry Hagman of 'Dallas' fame), while the chief competitor is "Walkaway" Madden (Joe Don Baker, "Walking Tall"), who got that nickname because he's always been able to walk away from crashes in the past. Susan Sarandon ("The Rocky Horror Picture Show") is the photojournalist who's been promised a ride in the passenger seat of Maddens' car.A strong bunch of stars - Sarandon is especially appealing - provide enough motivation to check out this car chase & car crash action flick. While it's ultimately nothing truly special, the Filipino setting does give it *some* distinction; the scenery is enjoyable, and looks good photographed in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio. First rate second unit work, a decent number of laughs, and a catchy theme song all help to keep this watchable.Real-life racing legend Parnelli Jones plays himself; other supporting cast members include Playboy Playmate Daina House (who acted with Sarandon in "The Great Smokey Roadblock"), Logan Clarke ("Sweet Sixteen"), Dick Adair ("Blind Rage"), and Bill Cross ("Blue Chips"). Tough guy Baker is amusing as the kind of fiercely competitive guy with a "win at all costs" attitude, while Alan Vint ("Macon County Line") does well as superstitious racer Doc Pyle.All in all, this should be acceptable entertainment for fans of this particular genre. The coin toss is indeed a comic highlight.Six out of 10.
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