IMDb RATING
6.6/10
3.3K
YOUR RATING
In turn-of-the-century Mississippi, an 11-year-old boy comes of age as two mischievous adult friends talk him into sneaking the family car out for a trip to Memphis and a series of adventure... Read allIn turn-of-the-century Mississippi, an 11-year-old boy comes of age as two mischievous adult friends talk him into sneaking the family car out for a trip to Memphis and a series of adventures.In turn-of-the-century Mississippi, an 11-year-old boy comes of age as two mischievous adult friends talk him into sneaking the family car out for a trip to Memphis and a series of adventures.
- Nominated for 2 Oscars
- 5 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe Winton Motor Carriage Company was a real automobile manufacturer, but they never produced a "Winton Flyer" model. The vehicle in the film was created from scratch by Kenneth Howard, aka Von Dutch, especially for this movie. The car was designed to resemble a typical vehicle from 1904, but built to withstand the rigors of filming. Steve McQueen called the car "the real star of the picture", and took possession of it after filming ended. It remained in his automobile collection until his death in 1980. It can be seen in the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, CA.
- GoofsWhen Boon, Ned and Lucius begin their trip to Memphis in the Winton the beginning of the scene is filmed in a traveling shot. As the journey proceeds we hear noticeably on the soundtrack the camera truck's motor in addition to the Winton's.
- Quotes
Boon Hoggenbeck: Sometimes you have to say goodbye to the things you know and hello to the things you don't!
- Crazy creditsand introducing Mitch Vogel as Lucius
- ConnectionsFeatured in Steve McQueen: Man on the Edge (1989)
Featured review
a treasure
I have not read the Faulkner story on which this is based, so I can't comment on how much of this delightful film can be credited to him (doubtless Burgess Meredith's voiceovers are Faulkner's words), but this wonderful movie about the pain of growing up is laced with plenty of adventure and fun and deserves to become a classic. The John Williams score is superb. The acting is wonderful from all the leads, including the boy. This is one of the underrated Steve McQueen's best roles, and Will Geer is perfect in the small but rich part of Boss. The characters are all wonderfully and richly fleshed out, and there are many moments of human insight. To top it off, the cinematography makes the movie simply gorgeous to look at.
Considering the movie's manifold virtues it's interesting to note that one never sees it on any of the cable channels. The reason is obvious, and it's political correctness. The movie uses the "n" word multiple times, although always in the same way Mark Twain used it, i.e. to demonstrate the inhumanity behind the use of the word. Also Corrie has her eye blackened by Boone, and Ned explains to Lucius "what better sign can a woman want from a man that he has her on his mind." All this racism and sexual violence is of course abhorrent, but the forces of political correctness would rather pretend that it never existed than to look it square in the eye.
So to see this movie you'll have to buy it on DVD, which I strongly urge you to do.
Considering the movie's manifold virtues it's interesting to note that one never sees it on any of the cable channels. The reason is obvious, and it's political correctness. The movie uses the "n" word multiple times, although always in the same way Mark Twain used it, i.e. to demonstrate the inhumanity behind the use of the word. Also Corrie has her eye blackened by Boone, and Ned explains to Lucius "what better sign can a woman want from a man that he has her on his mind." All this racism and sexual violence is of course abhorrent, but the forces of political correctness would rather pretend that it never existed than to look it square in the eye.
So to see this movie you'll have to buy it on DVD, which I strongly urge you to do.
helpful•246
- rupie
- Jul 19, 1999
- How long is The Reivers?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $5,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content