Smokey at the Bandit at 40

On March 27th, stuntman-turned-director Hal Needham's first movie, Smokey and the Bandit, turned 40 years old. If you've never seen the movie, please rectify this oversight immediately. Without it, there never would have been a Dukes of Hazzard, Burt Reynolds may have had a whole different career, and Jerry Reed might never have become a recognized music sensation and remained an unsung Nashville session musician. I, for one, am glad this wacky little movie exists. If you agree, join me in a toast to Bandit and the cops that were always just a little bit too slow to catch him. Keep your foot hard on the pedal and watch ol' Bandit run.


Fans of Burt, Jerry, and Hal can read more about their work together HERE.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

Image
Deadpool & Wolverine is less a movie and more a collection of fan service, references, and easter eggs. At the same time, it's a shot in the arm for the flagging Marvel Cinematic Universe, which really should have ended (or at least gone into hibernation) following Avengers: Endgame. Listen, everyone knows the score here: Deadpool exists to break the fourth wall and offering meta commentary on the experience of the film as it happens. It's both refreshing and exhausting in equal portions, but the constant inside jokes that call out everything from other Ryan Reynolds movies to the Disney purchase of Fox to deep cuts for comic book aficionados effectively render non-stop dopamine hits for the viewer that keep things moving along and distract us from the shortcomings of the story. Take out all the fun references and what we're left with isn't much: Deadpool's reality is collapsing because Logan sacrificed himself a few years ago (in 2017's LOGAN, natch), and n...
Read more

Review: The Great Escape (1963)

Image
You couldn't ask for a movie with a higher pedigree of talent in front of the camera and behind the scenes. 1963's The Great Escape  is populated wall-to-wall with actors that I enjoy: Steve McQueen ( Bullit ), James Garner ( Support Your Local Sheriff ), Charles Bronson ( Mr. Majestyk ), Donald Pleasance ( Halloween ), James Coburn ( In Like Flint ) and Richard Attenborough ( Jurassic Park ) lead an all-star cast of current A-listers (and some that would be). Handling directing duties is John Sturges, a director who helmed more than his fair share of classics, including  Last Train from Gun Hill  (1959), The Magnificent Seven (1960), and The Eagle Has Landed (1976) .  So it's with something close to guilt that I admit in this review that I don't love The Great Escape.   I know I should. All the elements for success are there, from real-life heroism, underdogs that the audience can (and should) root for, even triumphs and tragedies as played out agains...
Read more