Clearly, Howard Hawks was not at the top of his game when he made "Redline 7000" (1965) with James Caan, John Robert Crawford, and Skip Ward. This tire-screecher ranks as one of the worst movies that the director ever helmed. This rubber-meets-the-road NASCAR saga pits racers against racers both on and off the asphalt, and racers against women. Although he has the leading role, James Caan hardly qualifies as the leading man. John Robert Crawford runs a close second as a rival NASCAR driver raised in poverty who refuses to follow in the footsteps of his humble father and grandfather to eke out a living off the land. Finally, Skip Ward is an internationally acclaimed driver making his transition from the European to the American racing circuit. Little about these three protagonists is charismatic, and they behave like louts. The women who fall in love with them love them unconditionally no matter what they have done. One driver loses a hand, but he recovers to drive another day, with two metal clasps on his left hand. Another driver comes close to killing a rival when he jams him up against the wall of the racetrack, and the car soars off the track to crash beyond the course with an explosion. Things might have been marginally better if Hawks had cast celebrity Hollywood actors rather than these unknowns. John Robert Crawford never made another movie after "Redline 7000." Morever, the racers aren't somebody that you'd want to share a drink with because they aren't that likable. The relationships that they share with the nubile dames are as melodramatic as a soap opera. "Spinout" scenarist George Kirgo spent most of his career toiling in television rather than the movies. He has penned dialogue that is neither quotable nor catchy. Interestingly, another scripter who worked on this movie was Steve McNeil whose sole cinematic credit is Hawks earlier effort "Man's Favorite Sport." According to Hawks, a movie was good if it had five strong scenes. Redline 7000" doesn't have a good scene. The pacing is off, too. Star wattage registers at the dim end, and the virtual anonymity of the cast serves to heighten this quality. They spent most of their time on interior sets reciting dialogue that is pretty dull. Most of the NASCAR racing footage looks like it was shot with a regular camera. The characters and most of the situations amount to clichés. It is still difficult for me to believe that Howard Hawks helmed this half-baked hokum.

Noted director Howard Hawks would make only two more films after "Red Line 7000" before calling it a day."Red Line" is a soap opera racing flick from 1965 that tries a bit too hard to be hip (no doubt on account of Hawks' previous film "Man's Favorite Sport?" being criticized as "old-fashioned"). It's corny at times and melodramatic at others, but it's fun and highlighted by some truly bizarre dance numbers, including clever usage of public domain music (be on the look out for the rockin' rendition of "The Old Gray Mare").The picture is generally considered to be one of Hawks' worst films, if not THE worst, but it's redeemed by the dynamic chemistry between James Caan and Marianna Hill, who plays a French girl. Caan displays the intensity and talent that would make him one of the better actors of the early 70s. And Hill's performance, on par with other memorable Hawks discoveries Lauren Bacall and Angie Dickinson, makes you wonder why she didn't become a bigger star before fading into obscurity. Particularly notable are Hill's two lusty dancing sequences, at the nightclub and later at the Holiday Inn Pepsi machine, as Caan observes her from afar.If you're not familiar with the incredibly gorgeous Marianna Hill, she played Dr. Helen Noel on the original Star Trek episode "Dagger of the Mind" from 1966 (1st season). Believe it or not, Hill was arguably the MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN to appear on the series (which is saying A LOT in light of the fact that Star Trek is highly noted for it's over-abundance of stunning beauties). She appeared in NUMEROUS television shows throughout the 60s and 70s (e.g. Batman, Kung Fu, Bonanza, Mayberry RFD, etc.) and also quite a few films like Elvis' "Paradise, Hawaiian Style" (1966), Clint Eastwood's "High Plains Drifter" (1973) and even STARRED in the underrated atmospheric horror flick "Dead People" (aka "Messiah of Evil" 1973).BOTTOM LINE: Hill and Caan redeem "Red Line 7000" and make it a mandatory purchase or viewing. The film should have focused exclusively on these two characters and gotten rid of everybody else (!), yet even with its weaknesses "Red Line" is still more intriguing than the more popular mid-60s race drama "Grand Prix." Unfortunately the film is only available used on VHS for WAY too much money. Hopefully it will be released on DVD some time soon! Allow me to close by repeating: MARIANNA HILL IS IN THE FILM!

I saw this film several years ago. The racing footage is great. It starts out with the 1964 Daytona 500 and it was so neat to see the cars on the pace lap before starting the race, which in real life was rather dull unless you're a Richard Petty fan... The only problem is that the racing footage is far and away the strength. Most of the rest of it is garbage! The best part of the non-racing football is a young lady in a club singing a song about a racing driver, complete with the sound of a racing car at the beginning. To me, this movie was dull (between shots of the racing footage). One part I remember is one of the women, on top of a guy in bed saying "Tell me what a sexy woman is!" I find it rather odd that she doesn't know what one is... Like I said, the racing footage is good, but you can get films of races for that. Don't waste your time on this turkey. You have better things to do!

This film is a collection of racing scenes interweaved with small love dramas involving drivers and their mates. Although the racing scenes are well done, the dramatic portions are extremely silly. Outside James Caan, acting is poor. The choice of a final scene is unconventional and intelligent.