Made during the post–Easy Rider period, when Hollywood briefly became infatuated with independent filmmaking, Two-Lane Blacktop features singer James Taylor and the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson as two drag-racing buddies who embark on a cross-country trip. Director Monte Hellman mixed imagery of the open roads with action sequences featuring his hip young performers and a sound track of contemporary rock hits by performers like The Doors and Kris Kristofferson. The film’s episodic structure and unresolved narrative lines earned it critical acclaim, but it was not a box-office success. Two-Lane Blacktop is now regarded as a classic of independent cinema for its reworking of genre conventions, for the existential twists and reflexive turns it takes, and for the perspective it provides on the uniquely American obsession for the open road.