Rad

"A hometown kid on his BMX against the best in the world. At Helltrack... the heat is on."

1986 1h 33m EN

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 117

DramaFamilyRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A BMX racer, who lives in a small town with his mother and sister, is faced with a tough decision, qualify for Helltrack or take his SATs in order to attend college.

“A hometown kid on his BMX against the best in the world. At Helltrack... the heat is on.”

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Cast

Bill Allen
Cru
Lori Loughlin
Christian
Talia Shire
Mrs. Jones
Ray Walston
Burton Timmer
Alfie Wise
Eliott Dole
Jack Weston
Duke Best
Laura Jacoby
Wesley Jones
H.B. Haggerty
Sgt. Smith

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hal Needham
Writers: Sam Bernard, Geoffrey Edwards
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 67% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

40 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hal Needham, shot by Richard Leiterman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by James Di Pasquale. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Carl Kress shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bill Allen and Lori Loughlin and Talia Shire carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A hometown kid on his BMX against the best in the world. At Helltrack... the heat is on.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hal Needham directs. Richard Leiterman behind the camera. James Di Pasquale scores. Carl Kress cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 67% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
340 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Directed by Hal Needham, shot by Richard Leiterman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by James Di Pasquale. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Carl Kress shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Bill Allen and Lori Loughlin and Talia Shire carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "A hometown kid on his BMX against the best in the world. At Helltrack... the heat is on.".
9IMDB entry: tt0091817 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "high school", "small town", "paperboy", "bmx".