White Lightning (1973)

I've lived in Arkansas for a while and I always enjoy watching this Movie. My cousin Susie is one of the unwedded Mother's in the movie! She was an extra! She has a pic of Burt Holding her in his arms! This movie is as southern as iced tea and dirt roads in the summertime!

White Lightning (1973) *** (out of 4) Gator McKlusky (Burt Reynolds) has a year to go in prison when he gets word that his younger brother was murdered. It turns out the crooked Sheriff (Ned Beatty) of their small town killed him so now Gator agrees to work with the Federal government to bring down some illegal moonshine. Gator's real plan to seek vengeance.WHITE LIGHTNING was a hit with fans and most critics when it was released and it helped keep steam in the Reynolds train that was burning pretty bright thanks to DELIVERANCE. This here is another one of those "good ol' boys" type of films where the South is shown as a dirty and corrupt place but to the rescue is a good looking and fun-nature man who knows how to drive really fast and knows how to make it with all the pretty ladies.If you're looking for ground-breaking entertainment then you're not going to find it here but WHITE LIGHTNING does offer some good laughs, some nice car chases and of course Reynolds doing what he does best. It's always fun watching these early performances by Reynolds because you can tell he's having a lot of fun and he certainly has no trouble bringing that charm across. I'm sure the ladies would say it was his looks. The guys would say it was his attitude. Perhaps both would agree that the legendary laugh is what did it.Whatever the reason Reynolds is certainly a lot of fun here playing the good guy and Beatty gets to really have fun playing the creep. There's no question that the two of them worked magic when together. We also get a nice supporting cast here including Bo Hopkins, Matt Clark, Jennifer Billingsley as the love interest and R.G. Armstrong as one of the big moonshiners. The film offers up a great mix of comedy and action and there's no question that the car chases are its main entertainment. There are a lot of wrecks and crashes and all of this was perfectly captured and it makes for a pretty entertaining slice of Hollywood's thoughts of what the South was.

Gator McKlusky who's serving time in an Arkansas prison, finds out his younger brother is murdered by the corrupt town Sheriff J.C Connors. Wanting revenge, he agrees with the terms of going undercover as a moonshine runner for the feds and informing them of any important information to put away Connors. However it's Gator's personal quest of his brother's death, which pushes him to test the boundaries and power that Connors owns.Quite likable, and truly a thick southern slice of crudely good ol' fun and rousing mishaps. Burt Reynolds' charismatic appeal was specially made for the part, and along side him is a terrifically well-served cast including the despicable Ned Betty, glorious Jennifer Billingsley, amusing Bo Hopkins, twitchy Matt Clark, live wire Diane Ladd and a rigid R.G Armstrong. Splendid line-up, but Reynolds was the real scene-stealer. The story might be a simple revenge tale with some currents involving racism and narrow-mindlessness, but it's a exhilarating pot boiler that's neatly drawn up with plenty of flesh hanging off it, and its zips onto one scene after another with burning conviction. Look out for an enjoyable reference to Don Siegel/Clint Eastwood's southern thriller "The Beguiled (1971)". The authenticity of the sweaty southern setting is beautifully captured with Edward Rosson's sharp photography doing the trick. Be it during the quiet moments, or the well-engineered, gut-busting brawls and blistering car chases. Even Charles Bernstein's wonderfully flavoured and titillating music arrangement dominates and goes a long way to cementing the film's potent personality. Director Joseph Sargent rapidly, rough n' tumble style, goes down well the tautly wry script and delivers the action with the right intensity. Amongst the tough suspense and sweet fooling, there are some genuinely moving scenes. Always compelling, and one of Reynolds best performances.

White Lighting was an excellent movie. I could watch it again and again. There were a few bloopers, but MY favorite was when Gator drove off in the "new" Ford the feds provided, it had a 4-speed with a Hurst shifter. When he arrived at his parent's house, Gator can be seen putting the gearshift in "Park".One of the best lines, was when Gator met with the Sheriff and the Sheriff commented: "You ain't afraid of nothing, are you?" Gator replied: "I'm only afraid of 2 things: women and the law."I would recommend that for anybody who likes Burt Reynolds movies, this one is a "Must See".