Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

(Flash Review)As close as you can get to the Duke Boys spirit without the appearance of the General Lee. The movie's bootlegging plot was just an excuse to show Burt and his mustache drive fast and reckless in his rather durable Trans Am while flirting with Sally Field. Burt and partner were paid to essentially go on an illegal beer run, across multiple states, for Coors beer!!, to be accomplished in a short amount of time. The surprise bonus for me was Jackie Gleason's portrayal of the stop at nothing Sheriff from Texas who chased Burt ever since he picked up Sally, after she skipped out at her wedding, on the side of the road through multiple states. And this was the first time I'd seen Jackie Gleason on screen! He was awesome and brought some great humor. This movie was actually really funny and character driven. There were a slew of car stunt scenes yet the colorful characters were even more entertaining complimented by, of course, Burt and Sally's romantic flirting. Will Burt get the booze to its destination on time? Silly question to ask. Overall, above average 70's cars fun!

Smokey and the Bandit is and always will be a classic movie that deserves to be held in high regard. The movies' lack of conventional movie components is what keeps this wonderful film from falling into the same banal cycle that every action film tends to do. For those who generally do not enjoy the film, its mainly do to the fact that they crave unrealistic action, and a hard line, drawn out, easy to follow plot, like the Fast and Furious films. Smokey and the Bandit tackles race barriers, disobedience of the law, and sexual misconduct in a manner that keeps viewers from changing the channel. Movies like Smokey and the Bandit are not successful because they are "overhyped" and do not become a classic just because it did well in box office sales in 1977. The film is great because it dared to be different. The rebellious protagonist of the film, Burt Reynolds A.K.A the bandit, was always a step ahead of "the Smokey's" and rightfully so, for it only added to and developed his character as the baddest cowboy om the road. Classic Movie. Always worth a watch.

to watch Hal Needham's festival of redneck stupidery, Smokey and the Bandit. SATB was he second highest grossing movie in 1977, only topped by Star Wars, and it's easy to see why the movie is so popular--it's simply too fun for words. Anyone who doesn't chuckle at this idiot- fest of hillbilly stunt-drivin' needs to mix a stool softener with a nice cold Coors.Way back when, you couldn't buy Coors in big chunks of the United States. Why, I don't know, nor do I care. I had an administrator tell me about his financing his higher education at the University of Montana by driving down to Wyoming on Friday nights, loading up the old wagon, then booking it back to Missoula to sell the cases of Coors in the dorm parking lot. It went fast, but I can't see the Bandit driving a mid-fifties station wagon.The administrator told me that the movie touched him deeply, and then he laughed at his own good luck (never got stuck in bad weather and never got busted!).Smokey and the Bandit, itself, is a really stupid movie, with forced humor, cartoonish characters, utterly unbelievable stunts, and Sally Field looking very, very good. If you can forgive the dumbosity of this vehicular game of beer-pong, I guarantee you'll suspend disbelief-- and your common sense--and you'll wonder how much an old Trans Am goes for these days.A Coors Light sounds really good right now.

In the very beginning of Smokey and the Bandit, Sheriff Buford T. Justice makes it clear what the problem is: "What we're dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law!" The main character in the movie goes by the name Bandit (Burt Reynolds), he is the one Sheriff Buford T. Justice is referring to about the lack of respect for the law. Many would argue that is what makes a good cop chase, but in this case Bandit never gets caught or punished for anything he does. Which is a problem because the whole movie consists of him breaking the law. Bandit is a very prideful person and is very well known in the south. It is clear that the fame has gone straight to his head. He even says in the movie that "showing off" is what he does best. At first Bandit is a little too cocky for some to like, but as the movie progresses Bandit slowly finds himself and realizes that everything isn't about him. Buford is presented in an authoritative position from the beginning of the movie. As we are introduced to Buford there is music being played that almost makes you scared to be on his bad side. He constantly gets frustrated with his son, Junior, and always makes him feel like an idiot. Buford also consistently tries to talk to Bandit on his CB radio. When asked by Bandit where he is, Buford replies "My handle's Smokey Bear and I'm tail grabbing your ass right now!" What Sheriff Buford T. Justice doesn't know is Bandit and his friend, Cledus (Jerry Reed), are attempting to transport a truckload of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia in under 28 hours. It was thought impossible to do this trip in 28 hours so as you can guess, they had to go pretty fast. While Sheriff Buford T. Justice is chasing Bandit he fails to notice Cledus in the semi- truck right behind him. The reason Bandit is in a fast car (a 1977 Pontiac Trans-am) is to keep the cops, or as they call them "Smokey's", away from the truckload of beer. Throughout the movie Bandit averages a speed of over 100 miles per hour. Somehow Sheriff Buford T. Justice always catches up to him, despite having a car that realistically would never keep up with Bandit's Trans-am. As this cross country police chase continues, Sheriff Buford T. Justice picks up some unwanted help along the way from other police officers in the areas he travels through. While the other police officers' crash or can't keep up with Bandit, Sheriff Buford T. Justice never loses sight of his trail. Bandit is a living legend and he gets help along the way from locals. Some of the locals even trash a few cop cars and never get in trouble and once again "…we are dealing with a complete lack of respect for the law!" This only emphasizes how much the producers of the movie want the audience to like Bandit. All of the police officers in this movie seem to hurt each other more than help each other, but that is what makes for some of the comedy in this film. Even though Bandit never gets caught and gets away with everything it wouldn't be a movie worth watching if there wasn't stupid cops or if the cops caught him in the beginning and arrested him. This is a very good movie and I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants a good laugh, but to solve the problem of the "…complete lack of respect for the law!" and getting away with it, there should be some sort of resolution in the end that could lead into the sequel.