Review of Smokey and the Bandit

Smokey and the Bandit is an action comedy where a speed demon outlaw named The Bandit (Burt Reynolds) accepts a dare from wealthy big shots Big Enos (Pat McCormick) and Little Enos (Paul Williams) to transport a truckload of beer from Texas in a limited time. The Bandit picks up runaway bride Carrie (Sally Ride) along the way, not knowing she was to be married to Junior (Mike Henry), son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). What results is a high-speed pursuit of the Bandit by the sheriffs.

While there is virtually no basic plot to the movie, Hal Needham's direction really made this movie a wild ride from start to finish with the high-speed pursuit - from The Bandit dodging police cars to Jackie Gleason's hilarious portrayal of Buford T. Justice.

It's a good old-fashion sheriff vs. bandit story, with a taste of classic Americana in the outskirts of Texas and, like IMDb user EmperorNortonII mentioned, it also offers the use of CB radio culture. The stunts were incredible and the acting was pretty good, especially that of Gleason, spewing his redneck humor and talking down to his poor, adult son whenever chance he could.

Again, it's really a plot less movie, but it offers one wild ride in one of Burt Reynolds' most iconic roles that you will never forget.

Grade B