Because it showcases some beloved film actors in roles typical for them, and also because it features stock car racing at a particular stage that would have been difficult to replicate authentically later on, this film holds up. It portrays what might have become of the characters in Thunder Road (1958) had they come along a few years later. That film featured a '50 Ford just like the one in the latter film's demolition derby. Rarely does a film contain that prominent an hommage to a car.
Review of The Last American Hero
