The Wraith

The Wraith, I remembered this movie from my childhood. It was good back then and it actually still holds its own even today. Way before “Fast and Furious” there was “The Wraith”.

The story in “The Wraith” is about a mysterious stranger who shows up in an Arizonan town terrorized by a gang of brutal drag-racers led by Packard. At the same time does a mysterious car show up too and challenge the gang to a race one by one. The races end with the death of one of the racers. But when the police show up, the corpse is in perfect condition and missing the eyes.

“The Wraith” is an entertaining movie with a good story, fast car races and a fairly good cast that includes Charlie Sheen, Sherilyn Fenn and Randy Quaid.

This is one of those types of movies that can be seen several times and it has actually withstood the test of time quite well. If you haven’t already seen “The Wraith” then you should take the time to sit down and watch it because it is rather enjoyable.

The storyline follows a small town with a checkered past and whose roads are filled with street racers. An intergalactic presence arrives for what seems like revenge on the street racers. What did the gang do to go from the hunters to the hunted? This movie is directed by Mike Marvin (Sun Storm) and stars Charlie Sheen (Wall Street), Nick Cassavetes (Face/Off), Randy Quaid (Christmas Vacation) and Sherilyn Fenn (Wild at Heart). This movie is better than any of the Fast and Furious pictures. The cars are awesome and I loved the entire cast. Quaid was hilarious as the sheriff. The characters good and bad were both entertaining. Clint Howard (The Waterboy) was a fun character in this also. The storyline is unique and a nice blend of science fiction and street car killing, in a Deathrace 2000 kind of way. Overall this is an underrated gem that combines 70s grindhouse with 80s characters