The Cannonball Run (1981)
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A diverse group of racers competes in an illegal, cross-country road race from the East Coast to California.
The story
A diverse group of racers gathers in Connecticut to participate in the Cannonball Run, an illegal, cross-country road race from the East Coast to California. The goal is simple: reach the West Coast in the shortest elapsed time. Participants depart individually from the starting line by punching a time card that records their departure time, which will be used to calculate their total time upon arrival. The competitors employ a wide array of vehicles, disguises, and tactics to evade law enforcement and beat their rivals. Among them are J.J. McClure, a former professional race car driver, and his best friend and mechanic, Victor Prinzim, who disguise an ambulance as a legitimate emergency vehicle to bypass traffic laws.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
A diverse group of racers gathers in Connecticut to participate in the Cannonball Run, an illegal, cross-country road race from the East Coast to California. The goal is to reach the West Coast in the shortest time. J.J. McClure and his friend Victor Prinzim use a disguised ambulance and a 'patient,' Pamela Glover, to bypass laws. Other competitors include a pair of men disguised as priests in a Ferrari, two women in a Lamborghini using their sex appeal, a high-tech Japanese team, a wealthy sheikh, and a man posing as James Bond in an Aston Martin. Throughout the race, teams use various tactics, including smoke screens and infrared technology, to evade detection and sabotage rivals. A rivalry develops between the ambulance and the Ferrari. Near the end, the racers face a biker gang in the desert. They arrive at the finish line simultaneously and engage in a footrace to the time clock. Victor sacrifices his lead to save a dog, allowing Marcie to win the race. J.J. and Victor reconcile after the race.
- First release year
- 1981
- Runtime (minutes)
- 95
- Production countries
- United States; Hong Kong
- Original languages
- English; Cantonese
- Directors
- Hal Needham
- Writers
- Brock Yates · writer
- Cast and characters
- Burt Reynolds · J.J. McClure; Dom DeLuise · Victor Prinzim; Roger Moore · Seymour Goldfarb Jr.; Farrah Fawcett · Pamela Glover; Dean Martin · Jamie Blake; Sammy Davis Jr. · Morris Fenderbaum; Jackie Chan · Jackie Chan; Michael Hui · Michael Hui; Jamie Farr · Sheik Abdul Ben Falafel; Adrienne Barbeau · Marcie Thatcher; Tara Buckman · Jill Rivers; Jack Elam · Dr. Nikolas Van Helsing
- Genres
- action; comedy
- Themes
- competition; deception
- Tone and mood
- comedy; action
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; ensemble cast
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1979 running of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash.
- Franchise connections
- Cannonball Run
- Reception
- The film was a huge commercial success, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing domestic film of 1981. However, it received mixed to poor critical reviews, with some critics calling it an 'abdication of artistic responsibility'.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 28 · scale: 100 · review count: 10
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Supporting Actress · nomination
- Production trivia
- It was the first installment of the Cannonball Run trilogy.; It featured Jackie Chan in his second Hollywood role.; The film was followed by two sequels, Cannonball Run II (1983) and Speed Zone (1989).
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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