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5.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Thundering Taxis remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for the kind of movie where people get hit in the face with pies or taxi doors, Thundering Taxis is going to be your absolute jam. If you actually care about plot or pacing, or just generally dislike guys shouting at each other in 1930s suits, you will probably want to turn it off after five minutes.
Honestly, the whole thing feels like a long, loud argument in a garage. It’s got that specific kinetic energy you find in old shorts like The Egg Crate Wallop, where the logic is thin but the desire to break things is sky-high. 🚕
Leo Sulky is doing the heavy lifting here, and he looks like he’s having a genuinely miserable time, which is actually kind of funny. Watching him try to navigate these rival cab wars is like watching someone try to assemble IKEA furniture while being pelted with wet sponges.
There is this one moment where a car is supposed to look like it's speeding, but the background just moves so slowly you can practically count the individual blades of grass. It’s charming, in a "did they really think we wouldn't notice?" kind of way.
I found myself zoning out during the dialogue scenes only to be jolted awake by someone crashing a taxi into a produce stand. It’s not high art. It’s barely even low art. It’s just... movement.
If you put this on at a party, people would probably stop talking just to see what the hell is happening on the screen. And honestly? That's about all the ambition this film has. It’s not trying to compete with Tôkyô kôshinkyoku for emotional depth, that’s for sure.
Sometimes you just want to see a car lose a fender. And for that specific, weirdly satisfying urge, this movie delivers. 💥