King of the Mountain (1981)

Director:

Noel Nosseck

Writer:

H.R. Christian (writer)

Release Date:

1 May 1981 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The race. The risk. The danger. It's worth it all to be...King of the Mountain

Plot:

A group of friends race their high-powered cars up and down a dangerous and deadly mountain road known as Mulholland Drive to see who can claim the title of "King of the Hill." |

Plot Keywords:

Road Racing | Based On Magazine Article | Street Racing | Based On Article

Cast

Harry Hamlin	...	Steve
Joseph Bottoms	...	Buddy
Deborah Van Valkenburgh	...	Tina
Richard Cox	...	Roger
Dennis Hopper	...	Cal
Dan Haggerty	...	Rick
Seymour Cassel	...	Barry Tanner
Sloan Roberts	...	Billy T (as Jon Sloan)
Steve Jones	...	Policeman
Ashley Cox	...	Elaine
Lillian Müller	...	Jamie Winter
Cassandra Peterson	...	Neighbor
Buddy Joe Hooker	...	Fast Joe Otis
Ron Trice	...	Keyboard player
Curt Ayers	...	Fatburger

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Quotes:

Cal: How 'bout you man, you wanna race?
Race spectator: I don't even own a car..
Cal: Well have your father buy you one!

Soundtrack:

Dangerous Strangers

One of my favorites...a forgotten gem

I first saw this movie back in 1981 and it struck a chord with me, being I was a successful street racer at the time. Steve's modified Porsche Speedster was one of the coolest looking cars of its time (big fender flares were in, but most cars looked cartoonish with them), and Cal's Corvette "rat racer" is still cool today. Some of the extras in the Mulholland scenes were actual racers themselves, and that helped to give an authentic feel to what street racing was actually like back in the late '70's/early '80's. There are some elements that aren't racing related ( the subplot of Buddy's music career, for example) that could be considered ponderous moments, but the racing sequences more than made up for them. The dynamic of the three friends (Steve, Buddy and Roger) sharing a common house worked, showing the differences in each character's personality. Steve (Harry Hamlin) in particular was my favorite... comfortable enough around his friends, quiet and reserved in normal social situations, but not really "alive" unless he was in his car racing. There's Buddy, loyal friend to the core, and budding musician. And Roger, former racer himself that feels he's outgrown Mulholland and now wants more out of life. Then there's Cal (Dennis Hopper), who was the previous top dog until he had a bad accident, never really recovering from it. Still, he wants to be back on top, no matter what or who stands in his way... I'm lucky enough to have this long out of print film on VHS, and would love nothing more than to see it on DVD. This is a film no true gearhead or fan of the "car film" genre should be without. Check it out if you get the chance.