Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Simply A Masterpiece

Beautiful, moving film.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Grand Theft Auto (1977) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Ron Howard made his directorial debut with this Roger Corman chase picture. In the film Howard plays Sam Freeman, a man who runs off with his rich girlfriend (Paula Powers) who just happened to steal her father's Rolls Royce. Soon her fiancé (Paul Linke) from a pre-arranged marriage is on the chase as is his mother, various cops and countless other people who jump in on the bounty placed on the runaways. This certainly isn't APOLLO 13 or A BEAUTIFUL MIND but even with his first film I think it's clear to see that there was some talent sitting in that director's chair. Howard does a pretty good job with this film as there's really not too much you can ask for in a chase picture except that it be fast and fun. GRAND THEFT AUTO is certainly a lot of fun for fans of the genre because it offers up some non-stop chases, plenty of action and some pretty memorable characters as well. The action in the film pretty much starts at the two-minute mark and never lets up as we get all sorts of wild chases and car crashes. It really does seem as if everyone just sat around trying to come up with the various ways you could crash cars either into one another or into various objects. Not only do we get a Rolls Royce but there's also a redneck truck, an ice cream truck, cop cars, a church bus and just about everything else as well. With the action certainly there, the next important thing was coming up with memorable characters and that's here. I thought the supporting group of "chasers" were a lot of fun and especially Marion Ross as the fiancé's mother who won't back down until she gets her baby back. I thought it was pretty funny watching her go against a cop who is constantly trying to arrest her. The obnoxious fiancé is another good part and it's made quite memorable by actor Paul Linke who does a good job making him someone we can laugh at. We even get a nice bit from Clint Howard playing a dimwitted mechanic. Howard and Nancy Morgan do a nice job together even with their characters being the least interesting in the film. I think some of the biggest credit should go to Joe Dante who edited the picture. Howard was obviously working with a very small budget but the editing really kept the film going, made it rather stylish and also made it look like it was a much bigger picture. GRAND THEFT AUTO isn't a masterpiece but it's a fun piece of drive-in entertainment.

Recap: Paula Powers, daughter of governor candidate Bigby Powers, has decided to spurn the fiancée, Collins, that her parents have chosen for her, and elope with her love Sam. She steals Bigby's Rolls Royce and heads for Vegas. This doesn't sit very well with Bigby and he hires a private investigator to catch them. Paula's wannabe fiancée also has something to say about Paula's idea and sets after them in his Porsche. But when he crashes his car, he calls to a popular radio station offering 25 000 dollars if the pair is caught, then steals a car and restarts the chase. Collin's mother then offers an additional 25 000 dollar if someone can return Collins to her unharmed. And then the chase is really on. Everyone that spots the Rolls wants in on the action, and it doesn't help that the whole circus is reported live.Comments: One of a few quite similar movies that appeared at the end of the 70's along with such titles as Smokey and the Bandit and Gone in 60 Seconds. Like many of the others, Grand Theft Auto has a simple idea, offer a simple excuse for an extended car chase, crash a lot of vehicles in spectacular ways, and run it for approximately 90 minutes. As it is made in the late 70's, and on a low budget to boot, the special effects is notably poor. The cheapest effect that seemed readily available was to smash and crash cars, so that is repeated extensively. They actually takes it so far so that they actually end up in demolition derby, which just puts a name on what it has been all the way. But at as such it offers some easy entertainment, a few laughs and some very easy watching.A little extra fun to watch as it is the real directing debut of Ron Howard, who also plays the lead character Sam in the movie. With the story as it is, which was also written partly by Ron, I can't say it is obvious that he would become a famous director. But you got to start somewhere. And as in many other of Ron's movies, brother Clint also appears in the cast.But other than that, it isn't much to remember. If you enjoy a car chase movie, this is maybe something you want to see. If that doesn't necessarily thrill you, skip it.5/10

The Howard brothers, Ron & Rance got together to write this film. The script is not great, but the direction is solid. What holds this film together is the crashes and the direction. Plot wise, at least it has a plot, but it gets a little wild at times.Amazing Howards direction is good enough here that for his first film it comes out OK. Ron & his girlfriend are running off to get married in spite of both their parents objections. Her family is rich, while Ron's TV mom (Marion Ross) is just against the whole thing. The theme here is the classic chase movie which has sold many tickets.For a comparison, think Smokey & the Bandit, the first one. Now if this film had the great music soundtrack as the Bandit had, it might have been held just as good. The difference here is not just Jerry Reed, though. It is the character development too. You get the feeling fairly late in the film that some of the characters including Ron & the girlfriends own are just getting developed. In the Bandit film, the characters get developed stronger and earlier in the film.As far as direction, Howard is already close to Hal Needham here. He just isn't quite there yet. Still, this film shows me enough that I am glad Howard is behind the camera as his later films prove that this launching pad effort showed his promise.

I've never considered Howard much of a director - and I only rented this, his debut feature, because I've been on a 'grindhouse' kick ever since I watched the recent Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino homage! Made for Roger Corman's low-budget outfit (he explains how it all came about in the accompanying interview), this road movie on the lines of VANISHING POINT (1971) and THE SUGARLAND EXPRESS (1974) evolves into one uninterrupted chase along the American midwest. It's undeniably enjoyable on a non-think level, relying on an endless stream of energetic stunts (mostly gratuitous car crashes and explosions) to carry its thin plot as far as it can go. Howard also took the lead role and co-wrote the script with his father Rance; fellow cast members from Howard's popular HAPPY DAYS TV series also put in appearances…and there's even a cameo by director Paul Bartel! The technical crew holds some surprise: Allan Arkush (who later helmed the Corman-produced ROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL [1979]) served as second-unit director, Gary Graver (best-known for his collaborations with Orson Welles) was the cinematographer, and Joe Dante (even after having started his own directorial career) edited the film!