David Cronenbergis most famous for his contributions to the horror genre, particularly when itcomes to body horror. He quickly cemented his legacy in the genre and has been a mainstay for half a century, making some of the most memorable films of all time, and will be studied for years to come. However, while he has a clear love for the macabre, to truly understand who David Cronenberg is as a person, we must look beyond the scary stuff. In 1979, Cronenberg directed the filmFast Company, a sports/action drama that clearly showcased Cronenberg’s love of cars.
The film followed his lo-fi, grimy, and disturbing classicsRabidandShivers, and couldn’t be more different. Instead of STDs that turn people into horny zombies, or an adult film star with a blood-sucking armpit spike, Cronenberg created a fun, mainstream movie about the racing world. What’s going on here?
Who Is David Cronenberg?
David Cronenberg is a renowned Canadian filmmaker famous for grossing out audiences for 50 years. Despite his disturbing early films, he didn’t really gain traction until the head-exploding tech-horror masterpiece,Scanners. From there, he garnered international acclaim for his relatively reserved Stephen King adaptationThe Dead Zoneand his gory, balls-to-the-wall remake, the Jeff Goldblum and Geena DavismovieThe Fly, which is considered a landmark piece in horror. He went on to create some of the most unique films in the genre of all time (Videodrome, Naked Lunch), slowly drifting away from pure horror and into sci-fi, action, and a dark kind of drama all his own.
His bizarre 1996 masterpiece,Crash, is one of the best examples of this. Not to be confused with the derided 2004 Oscar-winner, Cronenberg’s NC-17 shocker follows a group of people who are sexually aroused by and intellectually obsessed with car crashes. A star-studded cast (including James Spader, Holly Hunter, and Rosanna Arquette) get down and dirty in the creepy movie, which shares its characters fatalistic fascination with the crushed metal and shattered glass of wrecked cars. If it seems like an odd film for a horror director like Cronenberg to make,Fast Companyhelps us understand the themes and motifs.
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What Is David Cronenberg’s First Car Movie, Fast Company?
Fast Company
Fast Companyfollows Lonnie ‘LuckyMan’ Johnson, a racer who travels the country doing drag racing for Fast Company aka FastCo. Lonnie is incredibly popular in the racing scene, gaining a lot of attention for his ability to seemingly walk away from any accident, no matter how bad a crash. However, he is far past his prime and is considerably older than the other racers.
As tensions rise between Lonnie and FastCo, Lonnie begins to act recklessly. He begins to sleep around, say inappropriate things on TV, and is generally unprofessional. He continues to make enemies with the people around him. This includes his fellow racers, mechanics, and even FastCo execs. After one particularly tense day, Lonnie and his team get fired. As revenge, Lonnie and his team decide to steal the car back and plan to continue racing the car to spite their previous company.
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Fast Company Connects with Cronenberg’s Crash
Fast Companypaves the way forCrashin numerous ways. It’s a movie about people obsessed with cars, an obsession that crosses over into their sex lives. It involves car crashes, injuries, and explosions that feel like test runs for the accidents inCrash. By looking at the two films in connection with Cronenberg’s body horror filmography, it’s clear to see that the “bodies” of cars are viewed and handled the same way as human bodies in the director’s other movies.
Cronenberg’s always been interested in how biological systems work (and don’t work), and how technology intersects with biology (Crimes of the FutureandVideodromeare two of his best explorations of this). The automobile, made to accommodate and in service of the human body, is thus a technological extension of biology. And like human bodies, Cronenberg films cars in ways that are both terrifying, sexy, and alien.
Fast Companyis now streaming for free on multiple platforms such asYouTube here, Fandango at Home, Plex, and on Tubi through the link below:
Watch Fast Company
