I watched this film for the first time tonight with a friend who was nineteen when this was released, he recounted the night he saw this in the theater with a friend, they were struck with fear when a group of men began clapping at the last Dennis Hopper highway scene. I was three, safe at home, not at a progressive college in rural Kentucky.
From the beginning, I thought, I’ve seen this before, drug deal gone bad. What I left with? I’ve seen this before, in fact, just this afternoon on the internet. The population of the planet has nearly doubled since the release of this classic and how little attitudes have changed since.
The fiftieth anniversary digital remaster is a beautiful watch. The visuals and sound are vibrant, clean and crisp.