Truck Stop Women (1974)

"Would Jackie Onassis eat a chicken fried steak?" - Rose

Truckers clash with the mafia over a smuggling ring.
Starring: Lieux Dressler, Claudia Jennings, John Martino, Paul Carr

Link to IMDB

Mac and Anna

Anna is a tough old gal that owns a truck stop in the New Mexico desert, but it's not your average place (or maybe it is, I don't frequently visit them enough to know) because it's also a brothel and a "chop shop" for trucks that Anna's gang hijack for the valuable payloads. The guys Mac and Curly take care of the smuggling operations, while the ladies who work in the brothel are in charge of stealing trucks out on the highway, using their sexual skills to trick the drivers. Anna's daughter, Rose, is part of the gang but she's been getting restless lately, yearning for a more glamours life in Las Vegas.

Troubles coming for the gang though, when two mafia goons from the city arrive in town looking to take over Anna's smuggling business. These slick hoodlums try to be reasonable about it at first, but Anna is stubborn and smarter than they expect, and her gang chases them off. Rose, however, is enamoured by how cool and sophisticated the mafia guys act, and she starts hanging with them in hopes of getting to Vegas.


The first half is a bit uneventful, as we get a lot of trucker talk and sloppy bedroom scenes with the hookers. There is a remarkable montage that's worth seeing, giving us a humorous glimpse into the madness and debauchery of trucker life on the highway.
The story eventually starts rolling, as the conflict intensifies with people getting killed and Rose realizing she's gotten in over her head by making friends with the enemy. There's a lot of chaos, as people are backstabbing each other and most of the dialog is just blurted out haphazardly. It's kinda hard to follow, but the premise is simple which makes the finer details mostly irrelevant. Trucker stuff is happening, so the movie is delivering what I expected.

"I'm a truck drivin' woman and I live by the code of the road." - Anna

Rose

Truck stuff

It's never truly boring but it does steer off the road a few times, and most of the action is saved for the last half. Drinking some beers will definitely help get you in the proper mood, because pretty much everyone except Anna and Rose are disheveled fools yelling gibberish and slamming whiskey. This ensemble cast of mavericks and degenerates are the kings and queens of their exploitation trucker kingdom. It's a weird mix of grim treachery and low brow antics. The music helps keep you in the zone with lots of honky-tonk driving tunes and Dukes of Hazard banjo plucking for the chase scenes.


The climax is a big showdown between Anna's gang and the mafia goons, and there are some shocking surprises at the bittersweet ending. But that's what life on the road is all about, you never know what adventure is coming around the corner.

Be sure not to miss:
- Rusty's reaction to crashing his truck.
- Death by cow...? Did that just happen?
- Painting the truck pink must surely have been a nod to the song Little Pink Mack.
- Curly's list of who has died and who is still alive. I almost think the writers did that for our benefit.

Internet review:
"This little rig is well worth taking for a haul." - Boris Lugosi

Should I watch it?
It has got some trucker fun, but not a must see.

Where can I find it?
I used the stagevu link here.

Truck Stop Women gets...