Lonnie "Lucky Man" Johnson is an veteran drag racer and head honcho of his race team that's sponsored by FastCo Oil. Their business man Phil Adamson thinks only of the sponsorships than winning and when Lonnie's hotrod explodes Phil isn't too happy. Seeing that Lonnie is the one who draws the crowds, Phil gets Lonnie to take over Bill "The Kid" Broker's car, which doesn't go down to well with Bill. Their rival team led by Gary " The Blacksmith" Black would like the chance to beat Lonnie and things do heat up when Adamson decides he wants to make some changes.

When you think of the name David Cronenberg, does drag racing come straight to mind? Most definitely not, but on this occasion he has churned out a rather normal, exploitation flick on the sport. You don't always associated the word normal to his name, but even though its an entertaining piece, it's really nothing much out of the ordinary. That's probably the best reason why it flies under radar, well it won't escape the fans' of the director's work, though. Cronenberg's excursion into "Fast Company" is pretty much a low-budgeted film that's marketed for a more mainstream audience. I didn't really know about this film that pretty much came out of the blue when I found out it was directed by Cronenberg. So I've been itching to get my hands on it and I gladly came across the 2 disc special edition release at my local library. I'm no revhead fan, but I couldn't help but get drawn into the thick of the action thanks largely to Mark Irwin's cinematography. I actually didn't mind this little picture, but you still call it a rather a hot and cold detour. The film looked great with it's semi-documentary style, where there were a lot of creative angel shots that caught the action superbly and the beautiful Canadian landscape that fills the frame also leaves a mark in your mind. Cronenberg manages to stage the set-pieces involving the dragsters quite well, as you watch some burning rubber along with the crowd. It's just like the real deal! But when it wasn't focusing on the racing it becomes the usual the good guys v bad guys theme, where it becomes morally hounded and predictable. You feel the tension between the teams and the plot shows the manipulative nature of sponsorship deals taking over the show. But the drama element runs low on fuel. It just feels leaden with a simple script that doesn't really seem to go anywhere with some underwritten plot details, but still there's a nice amount of sharp humour evident. The film's conclusion might be exciting, but still it's rather illogical you could say. The howling rock soundtrack that surrounds the film felt overly tacky and got a bit repetitious. The performances from the main two leads lifts most of the acting out of the standard mould. William Smith and John Saxon make the most out of their character's material. Saxon is a great character actor and he steals the film as the slimly sponsor adviser Phil Adamson. Smith adds a steady head to the veteran driver Lonnie Johnson. Also in the supporting roles is the gorgeous Claudia Jennings as Lonnie's love interest Sammy, Nicholas Campbell plays the up and coming youngster Bill Broker and Cedric Smith plays the competition Gary 'The Blacksmith' Black. There's definitely a lot of stunning gals in this picture. Well, cars and girls go down rather nicely don't they.

Rather a middling affair that has it's perks. When it's close to the action that's when it hits it's strides by making you feel like you're there. It's nothing overly showy, but it's a mildly entertaining romp for the undemanding.

A misfire from David Cronenberg, best known for his excellent body horror films, whereas this is a staid and sedate car racing drama. It's saddled with dull young leads, stereotypical sex interest blondes, and cult stars John Saxon and William Smith doing the best with the thin characters they're given. No evidence of Cronenberg's prowess elsewhere here, and the whole thing is largely tiresome.

Almighty B-movie he-man William Smith calls his own shots, fights to keep his integrity and stubbornly refuses to knuckle under to the Man's rigid stay on the narrow path and just do what you're told nonsense as fiercely autonomous and uncompromising champion professional race car driver Lonny "Lucky Man" Johnson, a rugged individualist in excelsis who butts heads with venal crudbag big company greedy jerk Phil (John Saxon in peak snaky, slimy, lizard charisma oozing from every scuzzy pore form) and attempts to rekindle the flame with supportive, but long-suffering erstwhile old lady Sammy (a lively, luminous performance by late, great, simply gorgeous 70's drive-in movie goddess Claudia Jennings in her final film role).

David Cronenberg's typically precise, meticulous direction, ably abetted by Mark Irwin's sparkling, slicker-than-fresh-motor-oil cinematography, Fred Mollin's vivacious banjo-plucking and harmonica-wailing country and western score, rough-thrashing rock tunes by Michael Stanley, superlative acting, a firm, moving camaraderie between Smith and his pit crew, such always pleasing exploitation picture ingredients as a little nudity and soft-core sex, wild fisticuffs, gritty, ragged-around-the-edges iconoclastic characters, hard-hitting profane dialogue, and the expectedly thrilling pedal-pushed-to-the-near-breaking-point-medal neck-snappingly fast and dangerous racetrack action (said racetrack action smokes more than the faulty exhaust fumes on a freaky souped-up funny car), offers a tantalizingly vivid and absorbing evocation of the racetrack milieu and its funky subculture (fawning groupies, harshly competitive male rivalry, on the take race officials, grimy, incredibly loyal and courageous pit crews, faceless fascistic corporate sponsor scum) that's so exact and credible that it will overpower the viewer's nostrils with the fetid stench of hot sweat, filthy petrol, stale beer and greasy engines.

Better still, the gutsy, heartfelt script Cronenberg co-wrote with Phil Savoth and Courtney Smith tackles head-on the eternally winning and right-on theme of a "be your own self and to hell with anyone who tries to cramp my style"-type loner nonconformist daring to stand up to and willingly defy the staid, restrictive, it-don't-do-no-one-any-good sectarian code of conduct that anal retentive conformist bilge naturally epitomizes. A rowdy, rollicking and boisterously romping break-from-the-mold grindhouse feature departure for Cronenberg, this extremely entertaining and damn satisfying, but alas unjustly obscure and underrated motorhead outing deserves to be both better known and more widely seen. Fortunately, the outstanding Blue Underground DVD gives this honey the deluxe treatment: It's a beautiful widescreen presentation along with a fine and informative Cronenberg commentary, delightful interviews with William Smith, John Saxon, and Mark Irwin, the theatrical trailer, and a pretty extensive still and poster gallery.