Revealing mistake: The "blower" on the yellow Firebird never runs. NO wonder he couldn't beat the Wraith. (00:44:10)
The Wraith (1986)
Directed by: Mike Marvin
Starring: Charlie Sheen, Randy Quaid, Nick Cassavetes, Sherilyn Fenn
Visible crew/equipment: In many of the racing scenes the camera crew's shadows can be seen at the bottom of the screen. (Corrected in the DVD version).
Continuity mistake: During the chase scene where they attach the "engine killer" remote to the Dodge M4S (aka Wraith's vehicle), 2 Chevy Malibu Cop cars are barreling up the road towards the racers. Once the cops pass the starting line, the cars are now Dodge cop cars. (00:44:25)
Sheriff Loomis: You listen to me, you son-of-a-bitch! There's a kid out there usin' his car to kill people, not that it's such a big deal since it seems to be your gang he's got it in for... so, if you guys try to take the law into your own hands, and that killer turns up dead, I'm gonna see you all sniffin' cyanide in the Arizona gas chamber.
Billy Hankins: Look, do you mind if I lay my towel here? I ain't welcome over there.
Jake: Why not?
Billy Hankins: Why ain't I welcome or it's ok to lay here?
Jake: Take your pick.
Packard Walsh: And, uh, Skank, do me a favor, will ya? Get rid of that zombie-piss you're drinkin' before it turns you into a mushroom.
Question: Why didn't the sheriff do anything about Packard's gang? Surely someone must have wanted to file a complaint at some point? And if the sheriff isn't doing his job, why doesn't the state police step in?
Answer: After the first race where Augie is killed the sheriff says "I've been waiting to catch you guys in the act. Been waiting and watching." So we can assume there were complaints made however the sheriff may not have had enough evidence to shut them down completly. As far as the state police, I'm not sure. May be a jurisdictional thing.
I agree with this answer. Packard was very careful not to flagrantly break any laws. He even said this to Loomis in the "paper doll" scene later in the movie - Packard says that the gang hadn't done anything except "bust the speed limit."
Question: I'm a bit confused by the end of the movie. When Jake takes off with Keri, where was he taking her? Was Jake going to start a new life with Kari somewhere else or, was he going back to heaven and decided to take her with him?
Answer: He said he came back for her, only in a new face. So, yes, like in the old westerns the hero rode off into the sunset with his lady love.
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Chosen answer: I believe they are markers to show how many people are left to take revenge on for his death.
EMTurbo
The problem with that answer is that the Wraith had to kill five people (Oggie, Minty, Skank, Gutterboy and Packard) and he only had four of those metal braces. If he had one for each gang member he wanted revenge on, he would have had five. I think he was only given four chances to crash his car and reassemble, and once they were gone, that was it. That's why he killed Skank and Gutterboy at the same time.