Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
Directed by: Dana Brown. Produced by: Scott Waugh & Mike McCoy. Director of Photography: Kevin Ward. Edited by: Dana Brown & Scott Waugh. Music by: Nathan Furst. Released by: IFC. Country of Origin: USA. 97 min. Rated: PG.
The Baja 1000 is said to be the longest non-stop, point-to-point race in the
world. Using 50 cameras to document the 2003 race, director Dana Brown spends little time
offering its history, and instead plants us immediately in the
rough Mexican terrain. The race itself features over 1000 participants in
over 250 vehicles, chief among them motorcycles, which we are told early
on always carry the winning team.
The most interesting story here belongs to Mike "Mouse" McCoy, a veteran of
the race, who out of delusions of grandeur (and a little boredom) decides to
run the 32-hour contest on his motorcycle solo. At checkpoints where other
riders switch with their teammates, Mouse takes a few bites of a banana
while spitting inane babble to his crew. His mental deterioration over the
hours leads to an unbelievable payoff near the end of the race. Other
standouts include buggy-driver Andy McMillin, a 16 year old who only weeks
earlier had received his driver's license, and J.N. Roberts,
a legend of the event who at 62 returns to prove that age carries no burden.
In a jarring and crushing moment, the film's helicopter camera hovers too low and accidentally
knocks Roberts
off his bike, blowing his considerable lead.
Like Brown's Step into Liquid, Dust to Glory introduces
us to a group of dreamers living within a subculture. Glory's dynamic race makes it the
more
nail biting film, but both benefit greatly from the constant onslaught of
inspiring images. The sand-filled landscapes of Ensenada prove why
computer-generated imagery will never take over cinema the way some
anticipate. Although only 97 minutes, the film drags slightly, and Brown's dry narration is an
unwelcome contrast to the frenzied action.
But a strong score and the high degree of lunacy attributed to each racer
(first prize is only $4,000) makes this a more effectual film than one might
expect. Michael Belkewitch
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