Fast Company

David Cronenberg's Fast Company bears no resemblance to the disturbing and singular vision that the acclaimed Canadian director later developed in films like Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly, Dead Ringers, Naked Lunch, and more recently A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Filmed in 1978 between his early horror hits Rabid and The Brood and barely released in the U.S. due to a distribution dispute, Fast Company languished for decades until it was resurrected by the Blue Underground video label in 2004. Reissued in a superior Blu-ray edition, this highly enjoyable film can now be appreciated for what it is: a good, low-budget B-movie that Cronenberg made to gain experience and prove himself as a commercially viable filmmaker. Naturally drawn to the screenplay's setting among drag strips and funny-car drivers, motorsports enthusiast Cronenberg's Fast Company tells the simple story of an aging but still-popular drag racer, Lonnie “Lucky Man” Johnson (played by veteran character actor William Smith in an atypical good-guy role), struggling against the demands of a cynical oil-company sponsor (John Saxon) who is manipulating races and drivers while pursuing a hidden agenda. The loose, character-driven plot involves a hot-shot teammate (Nicholas Campbell), a cheating archrival (Cedric Smith), and a bevy of trackside babes, including former Playboy Playmate Claudia Jennings in her final film role (she was killed in a car accident in 1979). While satisfying all the requirements of a drive-in flick (a solid second-tier cast, brief nudity, car explosions, and enjoyable action—including a funny-car burning rubber on city streets), Cronenberg delivers an accurate portrait of corporate-sponsored drag racing in the late ‘70s, with an authentic feel for the sport and its thrill-seeking fans and participants. Bonus materials include a full-length commentary by Cronenberg; retrospective interviews with Smith, Saxon, and cinematographer Mark Irwin; and Cronenberg's early short films Stereo and Crimes of the Future. Giving new life to what Cronenberg calls “one of the most important films of my career,” this fine Blu-ray release is recommended. (J. Shannon)