used cars movie review

When the movie isn’t manipulating cars, it does have its good moments. It involves an ancient family feud between two brothers who own competing used car lots across the street from each other. The brothers, both played by Jack Warden , have been treated differently by fate: One is rich and successful; the other is on his last legs, like the cars on his lot. Warden does a good enough job in the dual role, but I always wonder why dual roles seem like a good idea in the first place. If you want two brothers, why not cast two brothers, and accentuate their differences? Why cast one actor and settle for one tour de force instead of two undistracting performances? 

Anyway, the movie’s plot thickens when it appears that the rich brother will run the poor brother out of business. The plot, infact, does more than thicken, it congeals. There are so many different characters and story lines in the movie that it’s hard to keep everything straight, and harder still to care. 

The great comedies almost always have very simple story structures, upon which complex gags can be elaborated. Remember, for example, Buster Keaton’s “The General,” in which magnificent complexities were developed out of a story that essentially amounted to Keaton driving a locomotive from point A to point B and back again. Used Cars makes the fatal error of achieving the reverse effect: Simple gags are generated out of bafflingly complex situations. 

Meanwhile, back at the used car lot … Kurt Russell plays a used car salesman who hopes to save the failing business in order to raise money for his political campaign. Gerrit Graham has some funny moments as a superstitious, sex-mad salesman. Deborah Harmon is the long-lost daughter of the less successful brother; her surprise reappearance gives him an heir just when he needs one the most. 

Used Cars was written, directed, and produced by the team of Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale , two young filmmakers who seem to be higher on kinetic energy than on structure and comedic instinct. Their first collaboration, which I really enjoyed, was “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” a fantasy about the Beatles’ first concert in New York. Their next collaboration was the screenplay for Steven Spielberg’s unsuccessful 1941. Next came Used Cars. The second and third projects, in particular, are filled with too many ideas, relationships, and situations with plot overkill. And they seem to share the notion that if something is big enough and expensive enough, it will also be funny enough.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

• Frank McRae as Jim
• Deborah Harmon as Barbara Fuchs
• Gerrit Graham as Jeff
• Kurt Russell as Rudy Russo
• Jack Warden as The Fuchs Brothers

Produced by

Screenplay by, directed by.

• Robert Zemeckis

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Used Cars Reviews

Used Cars improves substantially as it progresses...

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Mar 28, 2024

Everything one would expect from an R-rated comedy from the early ’80s is present and accounted for: gratuitous T&A, profanity that flies like poetry, then-timely potshots at famous figures, and plenty of impressive vehicular stuntwork.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Apr 16, 2023

It has some raunchy fun pillaging used car salesmen as untrustworthy.

Full Review | Original Score: B | Apr 15, 2018

Zemeckis and Gale’s movie is really a more restless and visually high-spirited version of the W. C. Fields comedies.

Full Review | Jan 3, 2018

Director/co-writer Robert Zemeckis has undeniable energy and flair, but it's being misspent on pretexts and situations that seem inexcusably gratuitous and snide.

Full Review | Oct 2, 2015

Most of the time, I didn't know whether to laugh or shudder, and I ended up doing a lot of both.

Featuring a great turn from Kurt Russell, Used Cars is both a brilliantly funny comedy and a good reminder of just how interesting a writer-director Robert Zemeckis used to be.

It's also one of the funniest ruminations on American values, as the car showroom becomes a warped microcosm of society.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 2, 2015

Used Cars is full of used characters, used ideas, and used jokes, many of which are in astonishingly bad taste.

Filled with riotous plot twists and effective black humor, this is a truly inventive and memorable comedy.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Oct 2, 2015

Sixties nostalgia from I Wanna Hold Your Hand shifts to bracing vulgarity circa late-'70s, just as Kurt Russell graduates from Disney to conman greasiness.

You'd be crazy to buy a used car from either one of these hucksters, but their pitch is irresistible.

The film's incessant assault on its characters and their perverse quest for the American Holy Grail (money and power) has the pacing and energy of a 1930's zany screwball comedy, but is much darker in spirit

Full Review | Original Score: 78/100 | Aug 13, 2010

What might have looked like a great idea on paper has been tackled by filmmakers who haven't expanded it much beyond the one joke inherent in the premise.

Full Review | Mar 26, 2009

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Feb 18, 2007

Used Cars runs on a contemporary screwball motor with a slapstick chassis.

Full Review | Feb 9, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Oct 8, 2005

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 3, 2005

Used Cars was written, directed, and produced by the team of Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale, two young filmmakers who seem to be higher on kinetic energy than on structure and comedic instinct.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 23, 2004

A foul-mouthed, bumpercrunching farce that is often funnier in theory than in fact but, even so, is a movie that has more laughs in it than any film of the summer except Airplane!

Full Review | Aug 30, 2004

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Kurt russell, jack warden.

Roy L. Fuchs / Luke Fuchs

Gerrit Graham

Frank mcrae.

Jim the Mechanic

Deborah Harmon

Barbara Fuchs

Joe Flaherty

David l. lander.

Freddie Paris

Michael McKean

Eddie Winslow

Michael Talbott

Harry northup, alfonso arau.

Judge Harrison

Woodrow Parfrey

Mr. Ghertner

Andrew Duncan

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Directed by Robert Zemeckis

Like new, great looking and fully loaded with laughs.

When the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it's up to the lot's hot-shot salesman to save the property from falling into the hands of the owner's ruthless brother and used-car rival.

Kurt Russell Jack Warden Gerrit Graham Frank McRae Deborah Harmon Joe Flaherty David L. Lander Michael McKean Michael Talbott Harry Northup Alfonso Arau Al Lewis Woodrow Parfrey Andrew Duncan Dub Taylor Claude Earl Jones Beans Morocco Cheryl Rixon Wendie Jo Sperber Marc McClure Susan Donovan Don Ruskin Jan Sandwich Tracy Lee Rowe Kurtis Epper Clint Lilley Patrick McMorrow Joseph Barnaba Diane Hardin Show All… Dick Miller Rita Taggart Dave Herrera Walter Jackson Gene Blakely Betty Thomas Russ Fega Tiny Wells Terence Knox Tony Lucatorto Will MacMillan Josiah Steiner Douglas O. Tepper Dave Adams Frank Harmon Allen Wood John M. Abbott Sam Ingraffia Bill Wine Judy Began Phillip Greenwood Alex Herring William Shelton Sanford Gibbons Mildred Brion Peanuts Lyle Gold Stephen Lloyd Leigh Scarritt

Director Director

Robert Zemeckis

Producers Producers

John G. Wilson Bob Gale

Writers Writers

Robert Zemeckis Bob Gale

Casting Casting

Sally Dennison

Editor Editor

Michael Kahn

Cinematography Cinematography

Donald M. Morgan

Additional Directing Add. Directing

Terry Leonard

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

John Milius Steven Spielberg

Production Design Production Design

Peter Jamison

Art Direction Art Direction

Set decoration set decoration.

Linda Spheeris

Stunts Stunts

Terry Leonard Tony Brubaker John C. Meier

Composer Composer

Patrick Williams

Makeup Makeup

Jack Petty Jack H. Young

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Gina Kearns

Columbia Pictures

Releases by Date

11 jul 1980, 31 oct 1980, 01 nov 1980, 14 nov 1980, 30 nov 1980, 01 jan 1981, 29 aug 1986, releases by country.

• Theatrical 12
• Theatrical 13
• Theatrical 16
• Theatrical 15
• Theatrical R

113 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Patrick Willems ★★★★ 7

A car jumps over a moving train: automatic 4 stars

Review by Matt Gourley 7

I was once snow-blinded as a child and as I lay recovering in a weird cabin, we watched this weird movie. I of course, only heard this movie because I couldn’t see. For years I had my strange imagination’s version of what this looked like cemented in my brain. I’m always thrown by how different my version is from the actual film. This is more of an anecdote than a review — I feel too impartial to judge it objectively — but reader, the version in my mind is 5 stars.

Review by theriverjordan ★★★½ 14

“Used Cars” runs on a fuel mix of sweat and desperation. 

But, it’s the sleaze that really makes this greasy engine purr. 

Director Robert Zemeckis’ second feature film appropriately enough stars Kurt Russell as a smarmy secondhand auto salesman. The idea itself comes secondhand; from a pitch jointly ginned up by Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg, and John Milius. 

The film combines all the pet passions of the trio of young buck blockbuster auteurs: blowing up cars, races across southwest landscape, and sticking it to the overzealous politicians in Washington.

That last one is for you especially, Milius. 

Much as in Spielberg’s own smash bang vehicle flick, “Duel,” there is nary a redeemable character or action in “Used Cars.” Even the best…

Review by 📀 Cammmalot 📀 ★★★★ 5

"This movie is structured on a classic Frank Capra movie…except that everybody lies.” - Robert Zemeckis

As much as I like this movie, it’s the hilarious commentary with Kurt Russell, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale that absolutely kills me. These three are having so much fun watching this movie that the laughter becomes completely infectious.

If you have any affection for this movie, you HAVE to find and listen to this commentary. It’s a complete blast and will make you appreciate this scrappy film even more.

“It is what it is. If you don’t like go back to your video store and ask for your money back.” - Bob Gale

Cinematic Time Capsule - 1980 Ranked

Review by Rafael "Parker!!" Jovine ★★★ 6

Action!: The Rise and Fall (?) Of Robert Zemeckis 5000th Film

Before his obsession with special effects, Robert Zemeckis had a flair for comedy, especially those that often bordered on screwball territory.

Jack Warden in his dual role is awesome, and Kurt Russell is great as his usual charming self, but also embraces the over-the-top nature that the character and the film itself demands. In fact, everyone in here embraces the madness, which helps keep up the level of consistency.

In terms of direction, one can see a few of the traits and ambitions used in much of the director's future work, especially his next films. The car race at the end is probably the best part of the whole…

Review by Joe Lynch ★★★½ 1

As broad and goofy as it is, you can just see how Zemeckis/Gale we’re priming to be wildly creative in their scripts and visual storytelling. Kurt makes a wannabe politicial scumbag into a charming go-getter. Some of the stunts in this are insane.

Review by Jamelle Bouie ★★★½ 6

no one told me this movie was going to be so horny.

Review by Dave Edwards ★★★★½ 6

Ten reasons I love Used Cars (and a question):

1. The inflection Gerrit Graham uses when repeatedly saying Jesus Christ at the top of his lungs 

2. Kurt Russell has his natural, movie star charisma turned all the way up to play a charming little stinker named Rudy, a used car salesman with political ambitions. 

3. Dual Jack Warden performances. Every movie should have this. 

4. Toby is a good boy and at the top of the list for “best dog in cinema history” honors 

5. The demolition derby driver = get me a Chris Penn type 

6. Used Cars represents the best possible outcome of the Snobs vs slobs genre

7. Frank McRae is a hall of fame yeller…

Review by Joe ★★★★½ 1

Good old-fashioned dirty comedy about an entire universe of grimy scumbags who don't care about anything but dollars, and yet it doesn't for a moment feel the least bit cynical. And the jokes go well beyond the bar for lowbrow humor and score quite a few satirical points as well - in that way that all good satire does, by taking real life and making it just a tiny bit crazier.

All the years I spent ignoring this movie despite being a big Robert Zemeckis fan seem wasted now, because I pretty much love this. The Z-Man shows some definite early promise here, particularly in an early scene involving used car dealership owner Jack Warden getting taken for a ride…

Review by Todd Gaines ★★★★ 11

Trust me A hilarious farce dealing with crooked used car salesmen, corrupt politicians and the impact of high inflation on the average working class consumer in the late ‘70s.

Kurt Russell has great hair. Jack Warden steals the film with his duel roles. Toby the dog is my motherfucker. The movie is one laugh-out-loud gag after another. Plus, we have hilarious commercials, courtroom drama and a convoy like no other. 

Made at a time when government mistrust was at an all-time high; Used Cars might just strike a cord with Today’s average viewer. Or, at least you will laugh your ass off.

Review by Swartacus ★★★★★ 11

I think it's good to have half a screw loose, not a full screw, just a half screw sticking out like a Frankenstein neck bolt. It makes you mysterious, it makes you lovably sloppy, and sometimes it gives you a "down to earth" quality that some may even mistake for intensity. But you're not really that intense are you? You just have half a screw loose.

Kurt Russell is the master of this sensibility for an actor. My favorite films of his are of this ilk. I'm not talking about the Carpenter films, Tombstone 's Wyatt Earp, Tango & Cash (which I love for completely different reasons) or whatever he was doing in Stargate . Those films have a different quality all together…

Review by Mike D'Angelo ★★★½

Ah, the lost art of the comic plant-and-payoff. It never even occurred to me to wonder why the harried driver's-ed instructor kept coming back to complain, but I finally caught on about five seconds before the reveal, when Alfonso Arau asks Rudy how the hell he's gonna transport 250 cars to the lot, and had forgotten just how satisfying that particular kind of laugh can be. Very hit and miss up until the finale, with some material that's way too broad for my taste (notably everything involving former NFL tackle Frank McRae, who's perpetually dialed up to 11), but I can forgive a lot for inspired lunacy like Squiggy ripping Lenny's shirt open and saying "If I can build and install a pacemaker in this man's chest, I damn well can bounce a microwave off a satellite!" (Only $12.95 list.) Zemeckis would find the perfect balance just two films later.

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

• When the old owner of a dilapidated used car lot dies due to foul play, his young and ambitious hot-shot salesman and colleagues vow to save the property from falling into the hands of the owner's treacherous brother and used-car rival.
• Used car salesman Rudy Russo ( Kurt Russell ) needs money to run for State Senate, so he approaches his boss Luke ( Jack Warden ). Luke agrees to front him the $10,000 he needs, but then encounters an "accident" orchestrated by his brother Roy also played by Warden, who runs the car lot across the street. Roy is hoping to claim title to his brother's property because Roy's paying off the mayor to put the new interstate through the area. After Luke disappears, it's all out war between the competing car shops, and no nasty trick is off limits as Rudy and his gang fight to keep Roy from taking Luke's property. Then Luke's daughter shows up. — Ed Sutton <[email protected]>
• The New Deal Used Car lot in Arizona is in danger of being taken over by the Roy L Fuchs car dealership across the roadway where they do business. Both dealerships are run by twin brothers, Roy L Fuchs and Luke Fuchs (both played by Jack Warden). However, Roy L's dealership is easily the more lucrative than his brother's, which deals in often junked used cars. One of New Deal's most prominent salesmen is Ruddy Russo (Kurt Russell), a young man who never shies away from making a deal, and also is planning to run for a seat on the State Senate. Along with Ruddy, there's Jeff (Garrit Graham), a superstitious fellow, and Jim (Frank McRae), the mechanic who is easily excitable. Recently, Luke has been having problems with his heart, much to the delight of his other brother. Roy L sends one of his mechanics over to the lot under the guise of an 'interested party,' and gets Luke to give him a test drive. However, Roy L's mechanic takes Luke on a wild ride during which Luke has a heart attack and dies. Ruddy, Jeff, and Jim try to cover this up by burying Luke in an old Edsel in a service pit out back. When Roy L and his lawyer Sam (Joe Flaherty) show up looking for Luke, Rudy explains that Luke drove to Florida in the Edsel. Roy L believes that Ruddy is lying, but Sam explains that there's no way to disprove this claim. Ruddy goes through with the first of several advertising stunts. Taking his camera crew out to a packed football stadium, they intend to hijack the signal for the football game to tell of their car lot. Things don't go as planned, when Jeff begins cursing on camera that the car he's standing by is red (he's superstitious about the color), and the woman they hired for the commercial ends up getting her dress ripped off on public television. The technique works, as the stunt makes newspaper headlines, and brings all sorts of people out to see the New Deal car lot. Roy L counters this with a little stunt of his own, but in the war to win customers, Rudy does one better, and steals away Luke's customers, by setting up a gaggle of strippers to entice vehicle buyers from Roy's lot. Roy counters this with purchasing airtime to decry New Deal's business tactics. It is then that Rudy plans to really up the stakes, and wants to try and interrupt the broadcast for the President's State of the Union address. Matters are further complicated when a woman shows up claiming to be Luke's daughter, Barbara Jane Fuchs (Deborah Harmon). Rudy attempts to get rid of her, but finds that he slowly is growing to like her. Rudy eventually distracts her during the night of the broadcast, by taking her to dinner, and then to his place. Jeff and Jim do the commercial, with Jeff hopped up on drugs as a cowboy named 'Martial Lucky,' who shoots out and blows up several of Roy L Fuch's vehicles for the commercial. After the broadcast, Roy L drives immediately to the New Deal lot and angrily picks a fight with Jeff for destroying his cars. As they fight, Roy L notices a picture of the service pit in an old picture, and remembers how Rudy and the others were filling it in. Roy L rushes out back, and after digging down a ways, finds the roof of his brother's old Edsel. Shortly after this, Jim contacts Rudy to come to the lot right away. Rudy does not explain to Barbara why he has to go, leaving her curious. In the morning, the police arrive at the lot along with Roy L and his lawyer. Rudy makes up the lie that Luke came back the night before, and went to get some breakfast. During the night, Rudy, Jeff and Jim exhumed the Edsel, and have moved it out of the pit area. Jim has poured gasoline on the vehicle, and sends it off with the accelerator on. As everyone's attention is drawn to the car, they watch as it speeds out of control towards a power transformers, that erupts in a fireball, destroying Luke's body. Roy turns to Rudy, and assumes that since Luke is dead, the lot is now his. However, Rudy explains how Luke's daughter returned, and she's staying with him. It is just then that Barbara shows up after listening to a message on Rudy's answering machine and finding out about Luke's death. Barbara fires Rudy, Jeff and Jim. Barbara then assumes control of her father's lot, but knows very little about advertising. Roy L gains access to the script for her commercial, and hires a man to doctor up her commercial. In place of her saying 'style of cars,' the word 'mile' is substituted for 'style,' making it as though Barbara has committed a case of false advertising. Rudy meanwhile, is still short the money he needs to run for the senate seat. However, during a football game, Jeff's superstitious nature causes Rudy to win a bet he made on the night's football game, and the next day, he meets with the party chairmen, named Tucker (Dub Taylor). However, on their way to their destination, the car passes by the New Deal lot, which has been closed by court order. Tucker explains that a 'concerned citizen' reported the lot after the commercial mentioned a 'mile of cars,' and that the trial is scheduled for the same day. Rudy immediately grabs back his money, and bolts from the car, heading towards the courthouse. Rudy makes it in time for the trial to start. As Barbara is questioned if she does indeed have a mile of cars on her lot, Rudy mimes in the back of the room to lie and say 'yes.' Barbara does so, to which Roy's attorney claims he can prove she is lying. Rudy mawkishly yells from the back of the room, "Why don't you see for yourself, Judge?" This buys Barbara some time, as the Judge decides to come by the car lot the next day. After the trial, Rudy uses all his campaign funds to purchase over 250 cars from a person he knows. Using the town's driver's education class, he sets out with all 250 cars headed towards the lot. Rudy has the drivers ramp their vehicles up to 70 mph, but hits a snag when a cop ends up hitting one of the vehicles, leaving them without a 'safety margin' for error. After the incident, Rudy sends Jim up ahead to scout for any other possible issues. Jim eventually finds a police roadblock, and Rudy has his drivers take their vehicles off road. Meanwhile, Roy L has heard of the cars, and drives out to try and intercept Rudy. A fight breaks out between the two, leading to Rudy winning, and the cars continuing to the lot. Eventually, they arrive, and fill the lot to capacity, just as the Judge arrives. It soon becomes apparent that Jim has not arrived. Rudy radios Jeff, who is sitting along the side of a road. Jeff explains that some water washed off the blue paint on his car...revealing it as a red Fire Chief's car...and per Jeff's stigma, he can't drive a red car! Rudy attempts to convince Jeff that there is actually 'gray primer' underneath the red paint, and tells him that he is the key to helping them keep the lot. Jeff manages to overcome his fear, and makes it to the lot just in time to help save the lot. Roy L curses out the judge, who then decides to see Roy in court for his outburst. The film then ends with Barbara, Rudy, Jim and Jeff presiding over their saved car lot.

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Robert Zemeckis Films Ranked: #11 – ‘Used Cars’ (1980)

#11 in my ranking of  Robert Zemeckis films .

Early Robert Zemeckis movies tell me that Robert Zemeckis should never have worked from a large budget. His small movies have all of his charms and none of his major issues. He builds clockwork like plots, fills them with fun characters, and tells the stories with an infectious energy. He’s like Nolan with less pretention and a greater sense of fun.  Used Cars  is a very fun early example of how Bob Zemeckis and Bob Gale could put their heads together to put on this kind of show.

The movie begins with one of Zemeckis’s wonderful long tracking shot, starting from a car suspended in the air over a dusty road, panning down to another car on the ground with someone tinkering under the dashboard on his back, and finally to the odometer that suddenly jumps back several hundred thousand miles. Out pops Rudolph Russo, played by a young Kurt Russell. He’s a used car salesman with big dreams of buying his way into the local political machine. He’s sold everything he has, but he just needs another $10,000 to get to the required $60,000 donation that will get him in. The problem is that the car lot he works on is the run down sibling of the successful used car lot across the street. The two lots are owned by brothers as well. Luke is the kindly owner the lot where Rudolph works, and Roy is the owner of the lot across the street. Both are played wonderfully differently by Jack Warden. Roy wants Luke’s lot, and has been willing to use underhanded means to get his hands on it, unsuccessfully so far.

Luke, though, suddenly dies of a heart attack, and Rudolph is suddenly faced with an out of reach goal. He’ll never get that $10,000 if Roy inherits the lot and demolishes it, so Rudolph hides Luke’s body and starts running the lot the way he wants. His methods tend to involve ethically risky things, and this is where the movie gets a lot of its humor. It’s all outrageous stuff, starting with hijacking the television feed of a local football game where they interject an ad hoc commercial that accidentally results in female nudity. It boosts sales. He hires strippers to dance on top of the cars the same night that Roy puts on a family friendly carnival as a promotion across the street. It boosts sales.

In the midst of this appears Luke’s long-lost daughter, Barbara. She wants to finally reconnect with her father, but Rudolph has buried her father in a hole in the lot in order to earn $10,000 for his nascent political career. It doesn’t help that he ends up falling for her. When she figures it out, despite the rather outrageous ploy to dig up Luke, pretend he’s coming back from vacation in Miami, and get his corpse to drive, covered in gasoline, into a power line so that his car explodes. She kicks him off the lot, tries to take over, and films a commercial that Roy is able to use his connections to manipulate into her making a false statement. Roy uses that to get her shut down, but Rudolph comes to the rescue. The assertion inserted into her commercial was that she had miles of cars, but she only had a couple dozen on her lot. Roy has used his connections to the governmental power centers to go after her far more than the law would require with the prospect of shutting the lot down completely.

Well, Rudolph tells Barbara to simply say that she has miles of cars. How will Rudolph bridge the gap between the reality and the assertion? Well, this is where the Bobs’ clockwork like plotting comes into play. Several little things were established very early in the film, in particular that there’s a car lot a ways away that has a couple hundred junkers that Rudolph could have bought but decided not to. There’s also a driving education teacher from the local high school with a couple hundred students in need of practice. All of this comes together in a madcap chase as Rudolph and Barbara get the gaggle of students to the cars and then back to the lot. It’s high energy and really fun and funny along the way.

Of course it all comes down to the wire, and everything gets resolves satisfactorily. There’s nothing particularly challenging about the film, but that helps it along with its light touch. Rudolph’s move away from his dreams of politics could have been sorted out better. It makes sense as he watches the machine grind his newfound love down into dust, but it seems mostly forgotten by that point. The opening act is also kind of slow and drags a bit, but everything ends up paying off anyway. Still, I really did enjoy this early Zemeckis film.

Rating: 3/4

Originally published here .

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"You're not going to find another deal like this anywhere in town." — Rudy Russo

TEASER TRAILER

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Discretion advised.

DEALERSHIP AD

Release date: july 11, 1980.

Jack Warden is brilliant in a double role as two feuding brothers, Luke and Roy L. Fuchs, who own competing car lots and are trying to drive each other out of business.

Rudy Russo, played with oily gusto by Kurt Russell, is Luke's ace salesman, a charming and conniving cheat and liar who is merely in training for his true ambition—politics.

Co-written by "the two Bobs"—Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale ( I Wanna Hold Your Hand )—and starring an ensemble cast of comedy favorites including Gerrit Graham, Frank McRae, Joe Flaherty, David L. Lander and Michael McKean, Al Lewis, Dub Taylor, Wendie Jo Sperber, and Deborah Harmon, the film is a no-holds-barred, rude, crude and outrageous comedy about car dealers and the dupes they are desperate to send away in the previously owned automobiles of their dreams—buyer beware, all sales are final.

Used Cars is directed by Robert Zemeckis, produced by Bob Gale, and executive produced by Steven Spielberg & John Milius, a follow-up to  1941,  the team's hellzapoppin' WWII comedy extravaganza from the year prior.

About the Film

• KURT RUSSELL,
• JACK WARDEN,
• GERRIT GRAHAM,
• FRANK MCRAE,
• DEBORAH HARMON,
• JOE FLAHERTY,
• DAVID L. LANDER,
• MICHAEL MCKEAN
• ROBERT ZEMECKIS
• ROBERT ZEMECKIS & BOB GALE
• JOHN MILIUS,
• STEVEN SPIELBERG
• DONALD M. MORGAN
• PETER M. JAMISON
• MICHAEL KAHN
• PATRICK WILLIAMS

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Rob’s car movie review: used cars (1980).

One of the few things I regret about the circumstances of my birth is the fact that my youth coincided with the death of the drive-in movie. Being a cinema devotee, I look back on the drive-in phenomenon as one I wish I had experienced more of. The relative innocence of that era, enjoying the privacy of your car with a pretty date, and the uniqueness of the experience all definitely work on my nostalgic side.

I was only at a drive-in theater once in my life. It was 1984 and I was a 14-year-old on a bus trip with about three-dozen other teenagers touring 15 of the western United States. One night, we went to what may very well have been one of the last operating drive-ins in the country. All thirty-some-odd kids and I climbed up on the roof of the bus to watch the movie, sharing one speaker. It was a glorious, warm and breezy summer’s night, and I remember it like it was yesterday.

For this month’s installment of Rob’s Car Movie Review , I thought I’d have a look at the film that played that night, one that I haven’t seen since: Used Cars.

Used Cars theatrical movie poster.

Used Cars  was a dark comedy released and distributed in the summer of 1980 by Columbia Pictures. The movie stars Kurt Russell, Gerrit Graham, SCTV ’s Joe Flaherty, Laverne and Shirley’s Michael McKean and David L. Lander, The Munsters’ “Grandpa” Al Lewis and the inimitable Jack Warden in a double role. Writing and directing was a young Robert Zemeckis, who would go on to heights such as directing Back to the Future , and Forrest Gump , which yielded him an Academy Award. The film is also notable for having been executive produced by Steven Spielberg and John Milius.

Kurt Russell as Rudy Russo.

Used Cars  has a rather elaborate plot, especially for a car movie. Kurt Russell plays Rudy Russo, a slimy used car salesman in Phoenix, who works for Luke Fuchs, portrayed by Jack Warden, a kindly and honest car dealer with a bad heart. Rudy has aspirations to do something more with his life and has been saving up money to bribe a political party bigwig to let him be the nominee for an open seat in the state senate.

Joe Flaherty and Jack Warden bring comedy and acting chops to the movie.

Meanwhile, Luke’s malevolent twin brother Roy (also played by Warden), seeks to acquire Luke’s car lot, because his own is set to be demolished by the state to allow for an interstate to pass through.

With sales faltering, and the cut-off for bribing the official rapidly approaching, Rudy turns to Luke for a loan. Luke agrees under the condition that if anything were to happen to him, Rudy would see to it that his brother does not get his lot after probate.

That night, Roy hires a man to pose as a potential customer, and take Luke out for a harrowing test drive in the hopes it will lead to Luke having a coronary. The plan works, and Luke dies in Rudy’s arms. Realizing that Roy was behind Luke’s demise, Rudy enlists the help of his co-workers to help bury Luke in an old car behind of the lot. When Roy comes looking for Luke the next day, Rudy tries to persuade him that Luke drove to Miami for a vacation, but Roy is unconvinced.

Ownership of Luke’s lot is at stake.

This sets up a battle of wits between Rudy and Roy, with the stakes of who gets Luke’s lot and how Rudy will get the money for his Senate run hanging in the balance.

Used Cars is a perfect example of the cynical, smart and politically critical films of the time. It uses its cadre of shady and hustling characters as a metaphor for the real-life ones that seem to occupy our government. Its humor is stinging and provides for a biting commentary on our society and its moral shortcomings.

Lenny and Squiggy! Michael McKean and David L. Lander have supporting roles.

Kurt Russell is fantastic as Rudy and commands the screen like every inch the movie star he would shortly become. Jack Warden is also extraordinary in his portrayal of both brothers, and McKean, Graham and the underrated Flaherty bring loads of flat-out hilarious comedic moments.

Effectively if not artfully shot, competently edited and well written, the movie moves at a good pace and soundly delivers in its third act.

As you would expect in a film with the word “cars” in the title, there are plenty of them present. While many are beat down, boring and unremarkable 1970s sedans, there are a handful of beauties worth mentioning and drooling over.

As a Mopar guy, my favorites have to be a pair of Dodge Challengers, one a gorgeous white 1971 convertible, and the other a red 1970 coupe. A blue 1970 Plymouth Barracuda also shows up late in the film. All three make brief appearances, so it’s hard to glean much detail, but judging by the sound of the white Challenger, it is clearly a big block car, most likely a 440. The red Challenger sports the rare W23 black and chrome road wheels.

Check out that blue 1970 Plymouth Barracuda in the background.

Another standout is a 1957 Chevy 210 coupe. This baby blue and white stunner is the car that Luke is taken out on the test drive in, and it’s painful to watch as this immaculate beauty is trashed in several minutes of reckless driving, and ultimately rolled and totaled. Such a shame. She sports a 283 ci “Super Turbo-Fire” V8, white-wall tires, and white top and fender inlays.

A beautiful 1957 Chevy 210 coupe.

There are also a host of cool Cadillacs in the movie, ranging from a ’59 Fleetwood to ’77 and ’79 Sedan DeVille stretch limousines. Other automotive stars include a 1963 suicide Lincoln Continental, a bunch of first generation Mustangs and a beautiful, green 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450SL roadster.

A sweet 1963 suicide Lincoln Continental.

Used Cars  is a very good and quite funny film. In spite of not being a huge success at the time of its release, it has gone on to achieve a cult following and lives on for devoted fans in DVD and Blu-Ray formats. Oh, but to see it at a drive-in…

I give Used Cars  seven out of ten pistons.

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Used Cars Reviews

• 68   Metascore
• 1 hr 53 mins
• Watchlist Where to Watch

When the owner of a struggling used car lot is killed, it's up to the lot's hot-shot salesman to save the property from falling into the hands of the owner's ruthless brother and used-car rival.

Before director-writer Bob Zemeckis found success with blockbuster hits ROMANCING THE STONE and BACK TO THE FUTURE, he directed this raunchy, hysterically funny comedy. Kurt Russell turns in a brilliant performance as Rudy Russo, the unscrupulous but likable head salesman of a dying used car lot owned by Roy L. Fuchs (Jack Warden). Roy's brother, Luke (also played by Warden), owns a successful car lot across the street and is conspiring to get Roy's property. When Roy dies Rudy and his colleague Jeff (Gerrit Graham) try to conceal the death from Roy's daughter (Deborah Harmon) and Luke. Filled with riotous plot twists and effective black humor, this is a truly inventive and memorable comedy, which was virtually ignored at the box office. Fans of television's "Hill Street Blues" may want to look for Betty Thomas as a topless dancer (a role she would no doubt like to forget) bumping and grinding in one of the R-rated commercials with which Rudy jams a Presidential address.

BADass SINema Unearthed - Blu-ray 4K UHD Review

Used cars (1980) - blu-ray review.

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I hate buying cars.  I hate the hassle and I hate dealing with the annoying sales people.  But I know lots of other people love the art of the deal.  And that’s where Used Cars , a film executive produced by Steven Spielberg and John Milius , comes into play.  It is sort of a bridge between my world and the world of the sales person that, even at its lamest attempt at comedy, manages to bring nothing but good and groovy vibes.

So, yeah, strip away inflation with this comedy classic and get blown back in time.  Used Cars is made brand new again.

Which is why, I suppose, this satirical black comedy about the car business is number 67 in Shout! Select ’s continuing line of movies that deserve a spot in your Blu-ray collection.  Full of foul language and hilarious comical situations, including a live on-camera advert that goes hysterically wrong when a woman loses her clothes. {googleads}

Used Cars earns its stripes quickly on how NOT to lose a business to your competitor, especially when Luke dies and is buried in a Cadillac in the back lot of the car lot and Russell , along with Gerrit Graham as Jeff, David L. Lander as Freddie Paris, Michael McKean as Eddie Winslow, and Frank McRae as Jim the Mechanic, all play pretend in order to keep the heat on Roy and his gang of salesmen.  Bring on the strippers and the guns!  The competition is about to get blown away!

Used Cars is so full of zany and outrageous characters that it practically trips on its own insanity, recovering for a douse of sobriety in the film’s finale.  Does it go too far?  Oh, probably.  But I don’t think we mind.  It’s rude, sexist, full of stereotypes, shenanigans, and all sorts of early ‘80s goofball charm. 

Jesus Palomino!  Used Cars is now on blu-ray thanks to Shout! Select.

[tab title="Details"]

MPAA Rating: R. Runtime: 113 mins Director : Robert Zemeckis Writer: Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale Cast: Kurt Russell, Jack Warden, Gerrit Graham Genre : Comedy Tagline: Trust Us. Memorable Movie Quote: "Don't let the little head do the thinking for the big head." Theatrical Distributor: Columbia Pictures Corporation Official Site: Release Date: July 11, 1980 DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 26, 2019 Synopsis :

Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell, Escape from New York) has what it takes to be top salesman on Luke Fuchs' (Jack Warden) car lot — he's the most charming man who'll ever lie to you. Caught up in a feud between Luke and his brother/rival Roy L. Fuchs (also played by Warden), Rudy gears up for an all-out war. Employing his gifts of gab and grift — along with increasingly outlandish sales tactics — Rudy shifts the battle for sales supremacy into overdrive, turning the lot into a high-octane free-for-all!

Woefully underappreciated on its initial release, Used Cars has since become a cult favorite hailed for its trunkload of talent in front of and behind the camera, and its rich Corinthian laughter. So tell me: what can I do to get you into Used Cars today?

{googleads}

[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory Available on Blu-ray - February 26, 1980 Screen Formats: 1.85:1 Subtitles : English SDH Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Shout Select presents Used Cars with a polished visual upgrade from its original DVD release. The new transfer showcases the draw of the car lots with a nice, scenic beauty of its nightlife. The dancing women helps, too.  Filmed on location in Mesa, Arizona, the film is quite crisp and expressive with its HD upgrade thanks to the surroundings. The film is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Nicely saturated, there are no dents in its new HD upgrade. Colors are strong throughout and are particularly memorable with their inclusion of details and strong edges. Black levels are clearly defined, too. Shadows are detailed. The DTS-HD MA 5.1 track is solid and aggressive.

Supplements:

Commentary :

Thankfully, Shout! Factory has kept the (drunken) commentary between Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale .  Hear it all its glory as these two friends go toe-to-toe with a ton of memories about making this wacky movie.

Special Features:

Fans of Used Cars get a new interview with Bob Gale about the making of the movie.  It’s a good interview.  Ported over from previous releases are outtakes and trailers.

• NEW Interview With Producer/Co-Writer Bob Gale
• Radio Interviews And Spots
• Theatrical Trailer
• Alternate Trailer
• Photo Galleries

[tab title="Trailer"]

[tab title="Art"]

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Used Cars (1980)

Directed by robert zemeckis.

• AllMovie Rating 5
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Description by Wikipedia

Used Cars is a 1980 American satirical black comedy film co-written and directed by Robert Zemeckis. The story follows Rudy Russo, a devious salesman, working for affable, but monumentally unsuccessful used-car dealer Luke Fuchs. Luke's principal rival, located directly across the street, is his more prosperous brother, Roy L. Fuchs, who is scheming to take over Luke's lot. The film also stars Deborah Harmon and Gerrit Graham, and the supporting cast includes Frank McRae, David L. Lander, Michael McKean, Joe Flaherty, Al Lewis, Dub Taylor, Harry Northup, Dick Miller, and Betty Thomas.

Official Site

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Alternate Titles

Used Cars - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Five years before Marty McFly learned about the power of love, Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell) was Robert Zemeckis’ first depiction of a central male character becoming overwhelmed by consumerist American culture. But in the case of Used Cars , whatever comforts you found in Marty’s fulfilling adventure are gone for a scathing, satirical look at the power of the grift. Zemeckis’ sophomore feature has received a stellar 2160p presentation aided by Dolby Vision HDR and sourced from a 4K restoration of the original camera negative. Although no new special features have been included, this two-disc (4K and BD) release comes with everything from Shout Factory’s 2019 Blu-ray edition. This new 4K Blu-ray package comes Recommended !

"HILARIOUS BLACK COMEDY." – Time Out

"SAVAGELY FUNNY." – The Onion A.V. Club

"RIOTOUS ... INVENTIVE ... MEMORABLE" – TV Guide

Director and co-writer Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Back To The Future trilogy) is the engine behind Used Cars — the hilariously raunchy salute to those supersalesmen who'll offer lemons while putting the squeeze on you.

Rudy Russo (Kurt Russell, Escape from New York) has what it takes to be top salesman on Luke Fuchs' (Jack Warden) car lot — he's the most charming man who'll ever lie to you. Caught up in a feud between Luke and his brother/rival Roy L. Fuchs (also played by Warden), Rudy gears up for an all-out war. Employing his gifts of gab and grift — along with increasingly outlandish sales tactics — Rudy shifts the battle for sales supremacy into overdrive, turning the lot into a high-octane free-for-all!

Bonus Features

• NEW  4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
• Interview With Producer/Co-Writer Bob Gale
• Audio Commentary With Director/Co-Writer Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, And Actor Kurt Russell
• Radio Interviews And Spots
• Theatrical Trailer
• Alternate Trailer
• Photo Galleries

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

If you couldn’t tell from the above introduction, I’m already a very big fan of the tireless manic energy that Used Cars throws at you for the majority of its runtime. Robert Zemeckis’ narrative debut, the charming and similarly manic I Wanna Hold Your Hand , had just come out two years prior and had been championed by Steven Spielberg. With that film began Zemeckis’ thirst to recreate hysteria and lace it all with self-effacing humor. In I Wanna Hold Your Hand, it’s those damn Beatles causing the hysteria. And in Used Cars, it’s the moral turpitude of a used car salesman (and aspiring politician) sending a whole town into hysteria.

Used Cars was produced during that Golden Age of collaborations between Zemeckis and Spielberg, yet it’s got the kind of ramshackle spirit you’d find in a Roger Corman picture of that era. This could be chalked up to a lower budget, but Zemeckis’ tireless visual creativity sustains when the story infrequently dips into histrionics. Histrionics, mind you, that Zemeckis brings a uniquely embittered taste to. It comes through in the constant barrage of one-liners and reminders that no matter how low these characters morally sink, they sure could go lower. This is one of the reasons the film wasn’t as embraced upon release, with a two-star Roger Ebert review stating: “And they (Zemeckis and Gale) seem to share the notion that if something is big enough and expensive enough, it will also be funny enough.”

Ebert has a fair point, in that the Looney Tunes -styled hijinks of Used Cars can sometimes be so bold and big that it can come off as needlessly brash, yet to this writer that’s the film’s greatest strength. If we liken Used Cars to another manic slice of Americana, It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World , then the scope of what Zemeckis achieved comes closer into focus; Americans are really fucking terrifying, but doubly so when they’re destroying everything with mechanical extensions of their angry IDs.

Rudy Russo (Russell) is a young, handsome and really sleazy used car salesman in Mesa, Arizona that works at New Deal Used Cars, owned by Luke Fuchs (Jack Warden). Fuchs’ evil brother Roy (also played by Warden) is fixin’ on trying to kill his brother to collect the life insurance money, which would give him the capital to prevent a freeway from being built on his used car lot. To kill Luke, Roy hires his mechanic (and demolition driver) Mickey (Michael Talbott) to pick up Luke and drive recklessly until Luke’s weak heart gives out. The scene is exactly like a Looney Tunes cartoon, culminating in one of those big dust cloud-like finales we usually see in the animated series. Moments like these show off Zemeckis’ visual prowess and if you’re feeling as embittered as the movie does, it’s easy to get swept up in the euphoria.

The film is chock full of visual gags and jokes at the expense of stereotypical American characters. So many that it feels increasingly relevant to today’s whacked-out public showings of greed. If you’ve never seen it before, you owe it to yourself to do so. 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Turn the key and high-tail it off the lot with Used Cars ’ two-disc (BD100 for the 4K disc and BD50 for the Blu-ray) release that comes housed in a standard black amaray case with artwork previously used on the 2019 Blu-ray release of the film from Shout. Both the 4K and Blu-ray disc boot up to standard menu screens with music playing on a loop. The options in the menu are to play the film, select scenes, choose audio options, turn on subtitles and explore bonus features.

Video Review

“Yes sir, we blew the shit out of that over-priced motherfucker just the way we blow the shit out of all high prices down here at New Deal Used Cars.” And boy, does this new 2160p transfer blow the shit out of previous presentations of the film at home. Comparing this new 4K presentation to the 2014 Blu-ray release from Twilight Time immediately reveals what a huge step up this new release is. From the opening title cards, which are thick with grain due to the effects process, you can tell how much detail hadn’t been revealed in previous presentations. This isn’t the same transfer previously used on Shout’s 2019 Blu-ray release luckily, which still looks mighty soft like the Twilight Time release.

For anyone concerned about how Dolby Vision HDR and 2160p resolution might pull too much visual detail from the source, I’ve got some great news. Flesh tones are very true here, which was a primary concern of mine. Although the film has that somewhat-rosy look that’s so prevalent in Zemeckis’ early career, primaries are precisely bold enough and awash with natural film grain. Grain levels vary a bit depending on the sequence, with interiors having the finest layer, though the sturdy HEVC encode handles it all capably. The power of Dolby Vision HDR can really be seen here throughout, adding a breadth of finer colors across the film. You can most see it in the way normal house paint looks on the side of a beat-up car; much better defined and pointedly flat. Overall, this is a really pleasing presentation that is truly the best the film has ever looked.

Audio Review

Shout has carried over the same two audio tracks from their 2019 Blu-ray release of the film, although it’s worth noting that both tracks are rather good. The DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track does a better job at balancing the dialogue, but the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track gets extra points for being more expressive during the action sequences. Similar to Zemeckis’ first film, Used Cars is a sonic attack of noise from both humans and machines, but dialogue is never lost in the shuffle. Kind of like a Looney Tunes cartoon, the sound effects pack a punch and sound terrific in both tracks.

Special Features

As mentioned previously, no new special features have been added on the occasion of this new 4K Blu-ray release, although the archival featurettes offered are worthwhile. Two interviews with producer/writer Bob Gale can be found here, with one dedicated to the talking about the inception of the film and Spielberg’s involvement, and the other interview focusing on how Zemeckis’ savvy technical prowess was a perfect match for the clunky, garish world of used car salesmen. 

• Would You Buy a Used Car from These Men? – Getting Used Cars Made with Producer Bob Gale (HD, 27:13)
• Kicking the Tires – Making and Selling Used Cars with Producer Bob Gale (HD, 27:11)
• Gag Reel and Outtakes (SD, 4:27)
• Radio Interview with Kurt Russell (HD, 5:05)
• Radio Spots (HD, 7:56)
• Advertising Gallery (HD, 4:34)
• Press Kit Gallery (HD, 7:32)
• TV Spot (SD, 0:33)
• Trailer (SD, 1:18)
• Unrated Trailer (HD, 1:53)

Final Thoughts

“Rudy, what the fuck is this? Rudy, this is a red car. Holy shit! A red chariot to take my ass straight to hell!” Propulsive, bawdy one-liners like this can be found in Robert Zemeckis’ underrated 1980 pitch-black comedy Used Cars . Shout Factory has upgraded their 2019 Blu-ray release to 4K Ultra HD with a stellar 2160p transfer that stands as the best presentation of the film at home. For fans of the film, you’ll find this release to be an easy purchase. And for the uninitiated, this release comes Recommended !

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