What's low-brow andsmart at the same time? Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale in their pre-Backto the Future incarnation. Used Cars is a picture that cynicallyenvisions the battle for America's hearts, minds and, most importantly,purses as something akin to the proverbial used car lot. It is very muchin the Preston Sturges/Billy Wilder tradition of American black humor,but it stoops a bit lower to convulse. It's also something of aDepression comedy for the eighties; only a Depression comedy could getthis much mileage out of a line like "Fifty dollars never hurt anybody."Jack Warden, times two, is (are) the brothers Roy L. and Luke Fuchs,owners of rival used car lots on either side of a Phoenix, Arizonaboulevard. Honest Mr. Fuchs sells jalopies; his sleazy twin peddles"pre-owned vehicles." When the good brother passes on, his concern isleft in the hands of head salesman Ruddy "Trust Me" Russo (KurtRussell), a hungry tiger in plaid polyester who plans to use the lot asa trampoline to political heights. As the car wars mount in ferocity, hepulls the ultimate punch, pirating the television airwavesmid-Presidential speech for a lewd interlude. Once he controls thehorizontal and the vertical, there's no stopping honest Ruddy Russo.Remember the political posters, circa 1970, that read "Would You Buy aUsed Car From This Man?" (JB)