Wednesday, November 15, 2023

The Dirty and the Mad

Larry hopes to achieve his ambition to race in NASCAR by robbing a supermarket. He'll need all his diving skills sooner than later in 1974's Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, a more anarchic specimen of the '70s road movie genre. It has some great car action and the three leads form a terrific trio of mayhem.

My favourite, of course, is the woman, Mary (Susan George), who forces her company on Larry (Peter Fonda) and Deke (Adam Roarke) after Larry tries to split on her after a one night stand.

With her heavy tan and bug eyes, British actress Susan George conjures the loudest American accent she can manage. She's so skinny, she's like a noisy chihuahua.

Peter Fonda's Larry matches her erratic behaviour and he's as likely to laugh at a police barricade in their path as scream furiously.

Deke is a nice counterpoint to the both of them, always exhibiting a meditative calm. They first make their escape in a blue Chevrolet Impala before switching to a lime green Dodge Charger. There's some terrific stunt driving, the most memorable scene involving a duel with a helicopter containing a sheriff played by Vic Morrow.

Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry is available on The Criterion Channel until the end of the month.

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