Review: Smokey and the Bandit

Burt Reynolds stars as the man with the CB handle ‘The Bandit’, known for being able to ship anything quickly and without any interference from Johnny Law. He’s hired by a couple of short-and-tall cowboys (Paul Williams and Pat McCormick) to ship some beer on the ‘hush hush’ across state lines. With the lure of a big pay day, The Bandit heads off in his Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am, whilst trusted partner Cledus (Jerry Reed) hauls the beer in his big rig. The idea is that The Bandit will attract the attention of any passing lawmen, so that Cledus can make the journey unimpeded. Complications come when a runaway bride (Sally Field, in real-life Reynolds’ main squeeze at the time) ditches her husband-to-be (Mike Henry) to hitch a ride with The Bandit. Henry’s father just so happens to be a stubborn, vengeful lawman by the name of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Comedic TV veteran Jackie Gleason), who will stop at nothing to catch The Bandit and his newest travelling companion.

 

I should’ve seen this 1977 Hal Needham (“Cactus Jack”, “Smokey and the Bandit Ride Again”, “The Cannonball Run”, “Rad”, “Body Slam”) film well before now. I’d never consider myself a car guy, but given my love for “The Blues Brothers” and “The Dukes of Hazzard”, let alone that I owned the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am “Hot Wheels” car as a kid…this thing should’ve been a childhood favourite. Here I am age 40 watching the film for the very first time. Like I said, I’m not really a car guy, and it’s only been in recent years that I’ve found a tolerance for the late Burt Reynolds. So what did 40 year-old me make of this film? Pretty much the same as the following year’s “Convoy” actually. In fact, I probably like “Convoy” a little less now that I see that it’s largely a rip-off of “Smokey and the Bandit”. It’s quite a fun film, especially if you leave your brain behind and enjoy the ride.

 

The fun starts early as Burt makes fun of the diminutive Paul Williams, who looks utterly – and hilariously – ridiculous in a blue suit and cowboy hat. That’s the much taller Pat McCormick next to Williams, and you might remember McCormick for his very funny cameo as an indoor plumbing salesman in Mel Brooks’ underrated “History of the World Part I”. Burt is in fine, relaxed form here and bounces off Sally Field quite well. You can tell he had a lot of affection for her, and they’re a lot better company than Kris Kristofferson and Ali MacGraw in “Convoy” were. I normally find Burt kind of a self-absorbed, surly prick on screen, but here as in the underrated TV series “Evening Shade”, he’s charming and easy-going. Field is her usual charismatic-as-hell self, they’re a really likeable duo. Her entrance alone is absolutely priceless. Like with Reynolds, I’m not really a Jackie Gleason fan, but he gives an amusing, latter-day Orson Welles ham job as the somewhat villainous lawman on Reynolds’ tail. It’s absolutely priceless watching him tee off on a highway patrolman for using foul language around his ‘young son’ (Mike Henry, who looks about 30-35). So while he’s no Boss Hogg, he’s at least the next best thing. Singer Jerry Reed is pretty solid as Reynolds’ sidekick too, and obviously I have to mention his terrific theme song for the film ‘Eastbound and Down’. Former Tarzan actor Mike Henry is a helluva trouper as Gleason’s lunkhead son, forever on the receiving end of an array of exasperated, angry insults.

 

Look, it’s not high-brow stuff. It’s basically a live-action Road Runner cartoon crossed with “Convoy”. However, there’s some witty interplay and one-liners here and there (Reynolds has always been a bit of a smart-arse). Former stuntman Hal Needham has zero issues directing this kind of thing which, despite the funny lines and so forth, is ultimately one big car chase. In fact, one of the best things about the film is that Needham is smart enough to keep this thing on the move about 98% of its length. It’s basically an updated moonshiner film, and there’s a market for this kind of thing. For what it is – dumb fun – it’s both dumb and fun.

 

I enjoyed this one, and really wish I’d seen it a lot sooner. This is one of the better ‘car movies’ for sure. Look out for a hilarious cameo by ‘The Good Witch of the North’, and towards the end a quick cameo by enduring Western character actor Hank Worden as one of the truckers. That guy seemed to be around forever. Although there was apparently much improvisation during shooting, a screenplay is credited to the trio of James Lee Barrett (“The Greatest Story Ever Told”, “Bandolero!”), Charles Shyer (writer-director of “Baby Boom” and the 90s remake of “Father of the Bride”), and Alan Mandel (“Goin’ South”).

 

Rating: B-