Deadhead Miles

Deadhead Miles, penned by Badlands director Terence Malick, follows Cooper (Alan Arkin), a trucker dressed like a sea captain, who is moving goods for a shady trucking company. Taking his load of goods on a long-haul, Cooper encounters all kinds of characters and misfits. In this episodic film from 1972, Cooper spends time with an unusual hitchiker (Paul Benedict), finds his girlfriend tied to a wall mid-coitus, and spouts hilarious opinions about the world as he sees it. Deadhead Miles also features numerous cameos from stars of the past, like Bruce Bennett, George Raft, and Ida Lupino; and the future, including Loretta Swit, Charles Durning, Hector Elizondo, and screenwriter John Milius. Funny and surreal, The Deadhead Miles is full of wit and humorous observations about America in the early 1970s. One of the great road movies, Deadhead Miles belongs on the shelf next to Easy Rider, Vanishing Point, and Two-Lane Blacktop.