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Two-Lane Blacktop

Two-Lane Blacktop

Drama · 1971

A driver and mechanic drag racing for money cross paths with a female hitchhiker and a drifter who challenges them to a cross-country race.

Movie details

Two-Lane Blacktop

“no beginning... no end... no speed limit...”

1971 Drama 1h 42m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

A driver and mechanic drag racing for money cross paths with a female hitchhiker and a drifter who challenges them to a cross-country race.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Two-Lane Blacktop?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Monte Hellman

Written by

Will Corry · Rudy Wurlitzer · Floyd Mutrux

James Taylor

James Taylor

The Driver

Warren Oates

Warren Oates

G.T.O.

Dennis Wilson

Dennis Wilson

The Mechanic

Laurie Bird

Laurie Bird

The Girl

Rudy Wurlitzer

Rudy Wurlitzer

Hot Rod Driver

Harry Dean Stanton

Harry Dean Stanton

Oklahoma Hitchhiker

Jaclyn Hellman

Jaclyn Hellman

Hot Rod Driver's Girl

Court is in session

Put Two-Lane Blacktop on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.