One of those films that make you realise just how good American cinema could be in the 70s. The plot is less important than the beautifully written and performed off-beat characters, all in their own way in search of an elusive (and finally impossible) pot of gold.

But perhaps the strongest feature of the film are the set pieces: James Caan gets a lift in the truck of a grumpy farmer: "Get out of my truck!" "Well, can you stop it first?"; Caan visits the 'head' in a diner, and a terrified customer comes rushing in - what's scared him?; the final ten minutes, a trailer marooned in the middle of the road, destruction all around, and James Caan finally waking up (existentially): "What the f*** am I doing here in a vegetable stand in the middle of nowhere?"

Caan showing a subtle touch with light/black comedy, the glorious Sally Kellerman, Peter Boyle as always wacky as hell ...

Pure gold.

I saw "Slither" when it was first released to theaters in 1973 (it played as a second-bill to "Uptown Saturday Night"--now there's a combination!). I knew nothing about this picture, nobody seemed to know where it came from, yet by the finish I couldn't wait to see it again. Today, it is as fresh and darkly comic as a Coen Brothers movie. James Caan (at his best) plays low-keyed, amiable, freshly-sprung ex-con who, right off the train, gets involved with a series of lunatics. They involve him in a scheme to retrieve some embezzled loot, and one by one start taxing Caan's patience. Sally Kellerman is terrific as a sexy neurotic; she's very flaky and funny giving her insights on situations which stops everyone in their tracks. Peter Boyle and Louise Lasser are a hoot as a suburban couple who get mixed up in the mayhem, leading to a riotous car chase involving a motor home and two vans. If the conclusion doesn't exactly deliver on the early promise, that's OK because "Slither" is totally unconventional (even its title is obscure!). *** from ****

One could find fault with elements of this movie, particularly pacing and continuity; but the laughs and the ambiguous, fascinating characters make it great fun.

Until the very end, we're never sure if anybody is who they seem to be. The quest for loot is fascinating, because it's not for a fortune, just a nice chunk of change that when split probably wouldn't amount to a year's wages at an average job. So the interest focuses on the people, their semi-silly adventure, and their uncertain relationships.

One reviewer didn't like it because it wasn't tightly plotted, and he's right-- it's more realistic/absurd than that. Same reviewer also didn't find it funny, which is dead wrong. Some of the comic bits are a little shaggy dog, or sometimes crude, but most people should get a lot of laughs from it.

Great cast, great acting, good enough dialog and "plot" add up to an under-appreciated (and, I suppose,under-seen) little gem.