THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS (1954) ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: John Ireland, Edward Sampson
John Ireland, Dorothy Malone, Bruce Carlisle,
Iris Adrian, Larry Thor, Bruno VeSota, Byrd Holland
Not to be confused with the unending 21st-century franchise starring Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, this is an early Roger Corman production about an accused murderer and a girl with a souped-up Jaguar on the run together. They elude the cops and enter a road race that conveniently ends in Mexico, which is where the guy is trying to escape to. Low-budget vroom vroom, shot in nine days for $50,000, with some classic vintage race cars and tough, B-movie performances by Ireland and Malone. Snub Pollard, a comedy star from the silent era, turns up in a supporting role.
