Veteran James Bond director John Glen (License to Kill, The Living Daylights, A View to a Kill) has clearly gone slumming in this Days of Thunder wannabe that was apparently shelved upon completion and is now making its debut on home video. The film stars William Campbell (The Rocketeer) as Tommy Traherne, a first-class mechanic who works for his best friend, accomplished racer and all-around pinhead Mike Reardon. After Traherne steals Reardon's girl early-on, the film flashes forward 6 years where Reardon is now the number-two racer for Eddie Valiant (Pernell Roberts). After losing a racer, Valiant decides to hire the up and coming Traherne--a move which sparks the renewal of long held resentments between Traherne and Reardon. A subplot involving Reardon's seduction by a hired woman for a competing racing team is thrown in primarily to ladle in heavy dollops of sex. As Checkered Flag moves into its final laps and the rivals approach the big race (the Phoenix 200), we impatiently wait for the utterly predictable reconciliation that finally puts us out of our misery. On just about every level, Checkered Flag is a bust. And surprisingly, given director Glen's expertise with action, the racing scenes are curiously flat, both in the lackluster filming and the pedestrian pacing--nowhere approaching the slick and suspenseful racing sequences from its inspiration, Days of Thunder. A definite dud. Not recommended. (R. Pitman)
Checkered Flag
color. 95 min. Rhino Home Video. (1990). $79.95. Not rated Library Journal
Checkered Flag
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: