Movie Review: Dirty Mary Crazy Larry

Dirty Mary Crazy Larry
Academy Pictures Corporation, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, USA, 1974.

Based on the novel "The Chase" by Richard Unekis.

Sociopathic driver Larry (Peter Fonda) and drunk mechanic Deke (Adam Roarke) are two small time crooks planning to build a career in Nascar-racing. They decide to fund the effort by robbing a supermarket. They kidnap the shopkeeper's (Roddy McDowall) family and demand ransom. There's a bump on the road when Larry's one-night stand Mary (Susan George) forces herself into Larry's car. The trio sets on the road escaping police in 68' Chevy.

Larry and Mary

Deke

Larry's Chevy

The Police Captain Franklin (Vic Morrow) decides to catch the trio despite clashing with the police chief. Hotshot cop Hank (Eugene Daniels) gets a souped up police car and sets out to stop the outlaw trio. “Remember Robert Mitchum in Thunder Road? I’m gonna powder his face!” says Crazy Larry.

Franklin

Hank

Stunt work is good

This is quite good outlaws on the road style chase film that is only let down a bit by the downer ending. Despite the humoristic dialogue the overall tone is more serious than in the later redneck chase movies and more in the vein of "Bonnie and Clyde" of "Vanishing Point." The real car stunts look good, there is a cool helicopter vs car race near the end. The characters are all quite terrible people, including the cops. In the 1970s style the characters are rebels and constantly arguing with each other resulting to entertaining dialogue. Perhaps the most sympathetic characters are Deke and Mary, as Mary's romantic interest changes near the end.

Rating: Good

Starring: Peter Fonda, Susan George, Adam Roarke, Kenneth Tobey, Eugene Daniels, Lynn Borden, Janear Hines, Elizabeth James, Adrianne Herman, T.J. Castronovo, James W. Gavin, Al Rossi, Ben Niems, George Westcott, Tom O'Neill, Edna MacAfee, Don Coughlin, Sonny Dukes, Beau Gentry, Robert Hirschfeld, Bill Catching, Jody Carlson, Tom Howard Jr., Craig Kelly, Larry Luttrell, Gary McLarty, Bob Minor, Jerry Summers, Dick Warlock, Ted White, Jerry Wills, Al Wyatt Jr., Vic Morrow, Roddy McDowall, Al Wyatt Sr. 

Director: John Hough