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Harry Hamlin (Clash of the Titans), Joseph Bottoms (The Black Hole), and Richard Cox (Cruising) star as three friends who engage in illegal car racing along a twenty-three mile, hilltop stretch of Mulholland Drive in Los Angeles… while also trying to secure a record contract? Yeah, King of the Mountain has a wobbly, uneven script that’s weak in forward momentum and scattershot in its aim. Cox’s character makes a record deal that upsets Bottoms, who then races recklessly and dies, which in turn inspires Hamlin to stop racing all together. Meanwhile, Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider, Speed) is shoehorned into the story as an old racer who works with Hamlin at an auto repair shop. When Hamlin breaks Hopper’s race-time record, he goes nuts and starts antagonizing Hamlin into racing him again.
Even with its unfocused script, King of the Mountain still manages to capture a cool vibe. It’s fun to stay up all night long with these three brotherly-like characters who spend half their time on Mullholland and the other half in a recording studio. Hamlin’s love affair with Deborah Van Valkenburgh (who sings in a few songs) isn’t insufferable, and a few notable actors pop up in small roles — including Dan Haggerty (Grizzly Adams), William Forsythe (Raising Arizona, Dick Tracy), Seymour Cassel (Oscar nominee for Faces), and Cassandra Petersen (Elvira Mistress of the Dark). Directed by Noel Nosseck (Best Friends).