Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Libramedi Intense, gripping, stylish and poignant

Dirtylogy It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

merklekranz Pure and simple, "Pit Stop" is a car crash movie that happens to have a story attached to it. The figure eight track will quickly remind you of the dirt in your face racing that used to be. Richard Davalos plays sort of an anti-hero, taking advantage of situations that could work in his favor at the expense of others. Brian Donlevy really doesn't fit here, and acts as though he would rather be somewhere else. Meanwhile, Sid Haig steals the movie, and is definitely the most interesting character. Do not come into this with expectations beyond drive in fodder, and you will be pleasantly surprised. It moves along at a nice pace, and the race scenes are well done. If you enjoy car carnage , this is definitely one to seek out. - MERK

Coventry "Pit Stop" feels like an amalgamation between modern day racing flicks "The Fast and the Furious" and "Days of Thunder", only this Jack Hill film is way, way … WAY cooler, of course. Perhaps the aforementioned movies benefice from higher budgets, greater names in the cast and far more impressive (to teenage audiences, at least) car turning gimmicks, but both the characters and the actual racing footage in "Pit Stop" are genuinely more plausible and convincing. Regular race tracks are for pansies now, by the way, as Jack Hill introduces the Figure Eight Race Track! As its name implies, the track is shaped like an eight with a dangerous intersection in the middle and, the more the race gradually evolves, the harder it becomes for the drivers to avoid accidents. The plot centers on big shot Grant Willard (no less than Prof. Quatermass himself – Brian Donlevy – in his last film role) who sponsors young & reckless drivers and deliberately forces up the competition and hostility between them. Willard picks up the handsome and talented Rick from a vile street race and challenges him to defeat the reigning champion and ill-tempered Hawk. The competition between the two racers mutually and between them and the ultimate racing champ Ed McLeod becomes increasingly unbearable and even continues outside the racing tracks, as the men also share a romantic interest in the same women. "Pit Stop" is possibly Jack Hill's most ambitious and intellectual accomplishment as a director to date! Surely his more famous films like "Coffy", "Switchblade Sisters" and "The Big Doll House" are more sensational and easier to categorize as exploitation, but this film is stylish, involving and very realistic. The Figure Eight track was for real and most of the races exist of authentic footage and actual crashes interlarded with obviously fake images of Sid Haig and Richard Davalos pulling crazy faces and grotesquely turning a steering wheel. The character drawings are extremely legit as well, since the racers are depicted as obsessive and one-track-minded daredevils and their women as caring and supportive groupies that pray every race will have a happy ending. The performances are amazing, with a very young Ellen Burstyn in one of her first film roles after a lot of TV-work and Sid Haig portraying yet another delightfully freakish character. The film does run a little long and some of the padding buggy-racing footage in the desert, albeit spectacular, could have easily been cut a little. Jack Hill was also responsible for his own great editing and Austin McKinney's black and white cinematography is terrific. Highly recommended in case you're looking for a REAL cinematic highlight, rather than to watch Vin Diesel's big shiny bald head in a hideous car or Tom Cruise pretending to know anything about NASCAR driving.

Infofreak 'The Winner' (aka 'Pit Stop') was made in the period between Jack Hill's wonderful horror cult classic 'Spider Baby' and his early 70s Pam Grier-led renaissance ('The Big Bird Cage', 'Coffy', Foxy Brown',etc.). While this movie very rarely gets mentioned it is one of Hill's very best, and is a tough and super cool car racing drama, much better than one would expect. Richard Davalos (best known for playing James Dean's brother in 'East Of Eden') plays Rick Bowman, a drag racing street punk who comes to the attention of car enthusiast Grant Willard (the final role for Brian Donlevy, fondly remembered as Professor Quatermass ). Willard bails him out of jail and offers him sponsorship as a race car driver. Bowman eventually accepts and becomes entranced by the tricky "figure eight" track Willard introduces him to. The king of the track is cocky and talented hot dogger Hawk Sidney (Hill regular Sid Haig in one of his most memorable and entertaining roles). Bowman and Sidney clash and Bowman sets his sights on knocking the latter of his perch while stealing his girl Jolene (Beverly Washburn who played Haig's demented sister in 'Spider Baby'). This is just the beginning for the ruthless Bowman who will let nobody stand in his way and will attempt to destroy any man, and seduce any woman who crosses his path. Pretty soon he has his eyes on Ellen McLeod ('The Exorcist's Ellen Burstyn ) the wife of champion racer Ed McLeod who he befriends. Will he betray his friends and colleagues on the eve of The Big Race, or will he finally discover he has a conscience? This is a taut and terrific drama with strong performances and exciting racing sequences that deserves to be better known. Highly recommended.

z0mb0y There's a genuinely unhinged quality to the stock car drivers depicted in this movie. Their lives are empty except for the thrill of racing, which amounts to a death wish. The black and white cinematography is excellent, with a very moody documentary/chariscuro feel. The principals are all very good, especially Sid Haig as a particularly unhinged driver. Beverly Washburn (also from the incredible SPIDER BABY) plays the protagonist's teenage girlfriend. For me, this movie shows a more complete mastery of the cinematic form then Coppola or Bogdonovich or any of those guys had when they were with Corman. And of course, the car wrecks filmed at real race tracks don't hurt either.