Was being an Australian teenager in the 80s really this cool? The low-budget, street-racing flick ‘Running on Empty‘ shot in and around Sydney in 1982 made it look that way. Also released as ‘Fastlane Fever‘, it was a box office flop, that now has a certified cult classic following.
In an attempt to cash in on the popularity of road movies after the success of domestically filmed ‘Mad Max‘ and ‘The Road Warrior‘. Instead of a post-apocalyptic setting, the characters in ‘Running on Empty‘ are right out of a new-wave music video. Hair styles slicked with styling gel, pastel colours, popped collars, and girls with big, dangling earrings. It’s like Duran Duran went racing against A Flock of Seagulls.
The film provides a glimpse into youth culture, popular music and the street-racing scene of early ’80s Australia. Yet it also seems quite familiar, like the original 2001 movie ‘The Fast and the Furious‘ meets the 1971 existential road movie ‘Two-Lane Blacktop‘. The plot centres around protagonist Mike and his Greco-Australian mechanic buddy Tony, who represent the disenfranchised youth of the era. They come from good families, and even have jobs, but they’re searching for meaning in their lives. So, they go street racing for cash and kicks.
In the first big racing scene, We’re introduced to the antagonist, Fox. He’s the leader of a gang of hooligans who run the street scene in Sydney. Fox is the reigning champ in his 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, equipped with a 440 Six-Pack V8 engine, side pipes, and a massive air-intake on his hood. Unlike Japanese films like ‘Shuto Kousoku Trial‘ this movie depicts street-racing as dangerous and deadly. Fox’s challenger in a Holden Monaro crashes and and burns to death as the gang looks on. If that doesn’t make Fox the bad guy, consider this; he’s driving a foreign (American) car. That’s bad!
The hero Mike is a true Australian. His ride is a domestically built 1971 Ford Falcon XY GT-HO. It’s an Aussie muscle with a 351 Cleveland V8, Ford 9″ rear end, and a Detroit locker. When Fox’s gang confronts Mike, they challenge him to a series of three races for cash and street-cred. After losing the first race, Mike, his girlfriend Julie, and his mechanic Tony, know that to defeat Fox they’ll have to get a bunch of cash to hop-up the Ford. So, in scenes reminiscent of ‘Two-Lane Blacktop‘ the team heads out to the countryside to take some easy wins, and money, off the local yokels.
While in the Outback winning races, the crew meet up with Rebel. He’s an old, blind, almost Yoda-like character in an Fonzie leather jacket and aviator shades. Rebel has almost mystical powers, able to wrench more power out of any car. His old street racing machine is a 1957 Chevy 210 (not a Bel Air) with a supercharged 427 V8, fender-well headers, a fiberglass tilt front-end. He was the real deal in his street racing days, and mentors young Mike on the ways of speed.
Mike returns from his spiritual journey, ready to challenge and defeat the evil Fox, just like Brian O’Connor racing Dom Toretto for the second time at the end of F&F.
Now, Mike has the equipment and the confidence to prevail. Just remember this is a low-budget movie, because the special effects are so terrible (even the film stock changes mid-scene) that the climactic ending is almost laughable.
During its theatrical release, ‘Running on Empty‘ grossed only $1.2 million at the box office on a $2 million budget. Yet despite that lukewarm response, the film is now seen as an Ozploitation cult classic. Each September in Cobar, NSW, Australia there’s a ‘Running on Empty’ festivals where folks dress up in early ’80s clothes and celebrate the iconic car movie. The festival is jammed packed with social gatherings, live entertainment, car show ‘n shine events with movie cars, and appearances by those involved in the original film production. The guy in the black hat (below) is the actor who portrayed ‘Fox’ today, in the original Challenger!
The original 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T and iconic 1971 Ford Falcon XY GT-HO Phase III from ‘Running on Empty‘ are now owned by private collectors. But luckily for gearheads, the vehicles have been fully restored to as-filmed condition.
As always, the cars are the stars.