Early Rodriguez Flick Is Cooler than Cool

Roadracers never played at a theater near you and that’s a shame because it’s about ten times better than the director’s last theatrical outing, From Dusk ‘Til Dawn. That’s right. I’m talking about none other than El Mariachi director Robert Rodriguez . . .

Originally part of Showtime’s Rebel Highway series, your only chance to check out Roadracers was if you happened to be paying for that premium channel. But due to the box-office pull of Mr. Rodriguez, Roadracers was released on video by Dimension Films. Wholly recommended, it should also be of interest to non-Rodriguez fans because it features a pre-Scream David Arquette and Salma Hayek in her first leading role in an English language film!

Arquette is Dude Delaney, the local cool cat in a small California town. A slick rock-n- roller, Dude is greasier than The Fonz and has ten times more angst than James Dean. Life in a stifling small town is tough for a hellraiser like Dude. And it’s even tougher when you date the only Mexican girl in a prejudiced town. Not to mention the fact that the local Sheriff and his bully son (the guy who played Kelly’s cokehead boyfriend on Beverly Hills 90210) are out to get you. So what’s a Dude to do? Answer: look cool, drive fast, play guitar, and kill anyone that crosses you.

The first time I saw Roadracers I had no idea who any of the stars were. Nor did I realize it was directed by Rodriguez. It was strange and interesting enough to grab my attention as I flipped through the channels – a bizarre combination of a 1950’s Juvenile Delinquent movie and a Quentin Tarentino flick. Salma Hayek looked great and David Arquette oozed a sense of quintessential cool that made me want to run out and buy a tub of Pomade. Most importantly, the hero doesn’t get the girl in the end and almost everybody dies! I watched Roadracers - enraptured - all the way through and kicked myself for not taping it. Thankfully it's now widely available on video.

Robert Rodriguez has got style. Sure, most of it is stolen from the great Hong Kong directors, but at least he’s lifting from the right sources. And a low budget seems to get his creative juices flowing. Roadracers was obviously made on the cheap considering it was destined to go straight to TV. But it packs a dynamic wallop and really hooks you in. It’s because Rodriguez is one of the only directors that edits his own films. They have an almost musical sense of pace and timing and – despite budgetary limitations – are candy for the eyes.

Roadracers is also unique for another reason entirely. Apparently – and I read this in a interview with Rodriguez – Roadracers was the first American film to feature a Mexican leading lady in at least thirty years! Apparently the producers wanted a blonde actress to do the part originally, but Rodriguez insisted on Hayek. The rest is history . . .

I, for one, miss the Rebel Highway series (which I began to watch after seeing Roadracers). It was a chance for young or cutting edge directors and actors to cut their filmic teeth with low-budget exploitation product. Hopefully Showtime will start to release the rest of the series on video. For now, be sure to look for Roadracers at your local video store. I declare it to be "the best made for TV movie I’ve ever seen."

- Punky McScrubb