Der Tiger hetzt die Meute

Some people renting this expecting "Gator" style silliness are probably in for a surprise. This movie had a lot more of a "Deliverence" feeling than I expected, and felt authentic to the South of the 1970s. Ok, I wasn't there at the time, so it could be completely wrong. But it was convincing.

This is what Reynolds could have been--a middleweight serious Southern Action actor, like a cornpone Marlon Brando. There's just enough meat on the script to get the old mental wheels turning, and just enough action that it doesn't turn into one of those boring intellectual films about the Bad Ol' South. All in all, a good, interesting, tight movie.

Of course, it unfortunately led to "Gator" -- a bloated mess -- a few years later. Watching them back to back, it's pathetic to watch how Reynolds declined into a buffoon. As he showed in Boogie Nights, he's quite capable of playing serious dramatic roles. Too bad he didn't follow through on the promise of White Lightning, but I'm sure the $$$ were better for the garbage films he later made.

Imagine sitting down to watch one of them good ol' boys pitcher shows from the Deep South, with Burt Reynolds a'grinnin' and a'fightin' . . .

And finding out that, despite some quibbling errors, Joe Sargent's White Lightning is a small joy, a movie that has more than enough good performance, bite, and raw anger to raise it above the redneckery that Reynolds descended into as his career morphed into a cartoon.

What makes White Lightning work is that Reynolds isn't cute and Ned Beatty, as his adversary, a thoroughly corrupted county sheriff, isn't a bufoon. Beatty is in no small part what makes the movie work--his rant against those who would take his little empire away from him (Washington bureaucrats, commie college students, colored agitators) doesn't make him likable, just believable.

Plus, the movie looks good. It's grimy and sweaty; you can feel the heat coming off the engine blocks of the Ford Galaxie 500s. All the characters ooze perspiration in White Lightning; clear drops of sweat that seem interchangeable with the liquor being brewed and sold by everybody and his cousin.

Arkansas looks unbearably hot and humid, angry and nasty.

Just like Reynolds and Beatty.

Burt Reynolds plays "Gator" McKlusky, a good ol' boy convict who gets word that his younger brother Donny has died. Not only did Donny die, but he was deliberately drowned by a crooked sheriff, J.C. Connors (Ned Beatty). "Gator" decides to cooperate with the Feds in order to get himself out of jail so he can seek revenge. His official mission will be to get the goods on not just Connors, but the moonshiners with whom he does business.

In general, "White Lightning" is no great shakes, but it's certainly a pleasant and watchable enough rural action flick. If it does one thing well, it's that it showcases the charms of its star in fine fashion. Burt is engaging, and the strong supporting cast is a big asset. Beatty actually underplays the role of the antagonist, never turning him into the kind of cartoon character we might otherwise see in movies of this type. Jennifer Billingsley adds substantial sex appeal as Lou, the gal who turns Gators' head. First rate character actors and actresses such as Bo Hopkins, Matt Clark, Louise Latham, Diane Ladd, R.G. Armstrong, Dabbs Greer, John Steadman, and Iris Korn all contribute heavily. Buffs should note that Ladds' daughter Laura Dern appears in a couple of shots; it was her film debut.

The flavourful score by Charles Bernstein is most enjoyable, and the filmmakers get great use out of various Arkansas locations. Joseph Sargent ("Colossus: The Forbin Project", "The Taking of Pelham One Two Three") does a fine job with the first unit direction, but it's really Hal Needhams' deft handling of the action sequences that bring "White Lightning" to life at just the right times. William W. Norton wrote the screenplay, creating a convincing milieu where traditional Southerners mistrust the current young generation of hippies and protesters. There are some poignant interludes with Gator & Lou, and at a home for unwed mothers.

Fine entertainment for devotees of old drive-in movies.

Seven out of 10.

Although Burt Reynolds may have been more compelling in "Deliverance" (1972), he does give a fine performance in "White Lightning", as Gator McKlusky, a Southern good-ole-boy, out of prison to revenge his hippie brother's murder. And that revenge plot must, of necessity, track to Bogan County Sheriff J.C. Connors (Ned Beatty), who is involved with hillbilly whiskey stills.

Nobody could have been more convincing as a paunchy Southern redneck sheriff than Ned Beatty. Reynolds and Beatty would team up in later years to make at least two more films with a similar tone: "W.W. And The Dixie Dancekings" (1975), and "Stroker Ace" (1983). In "White Lightning", wonderful Louise Latham makes a semi-cameo appearance as Sheriff Connors' reliable secretary.

Aside from casting and acting, "White Lightning" has other things going for it, not the least of which is a realistic portrayal of a small Southern town. The authenticity, with its various bubbas who frequent the pool halls, display their guns with pride, and race cars at the local fairgrounds, is striking. And with their big engines, the film's muscle cars gleefully tear up the pavement with their screeching tires and agile corner turning.

Indeed, those cars are so souped-up they even burn rubber on dirt roads. Oh well, who cares if there's a minor sound effects plot hole. A more substantive plot hole has Sheriff Connors unfamiliar with the geography of his own county. In particular, he might want to check the map again to note the existence of a large lake at the end of one particular dirt road. Still, his ignorance is our gain as a plot point that proves symmetrically effective.

Plot holes aside, this is a film of dust, dirt, car chases, whiskey stills, the sounds of screeching tires, and some dang good performances. "White Lightning" is worth viewing also for its 1970s nostalgia, and for its authentic Southern setting.

In direct contrast to the previous review, I find this movie a well thought-out vehicle for Reynolds. Maybe some folks don't understand the 'shine business. Being an informer, turning in people who are just like you (and your family) creates great conflict within the character. Reynolds pulls it off well, even with the romantic distraction of Jennifer Billingsley, with Bo Hopkins doing his good ol' boy thing, then there's Ned Beatty.....and aww heck....you know why you watch it! It's a non-stop, pedal-to-the-metal, V8 blasting car movie! Check out those stunts...jumping a '72 Ford SeeDan (as we say here in the South) from a dock to a moving barge...great! Those full-size Mercury and Fords gobbling up the road, either chasing good ol' Gator or with him in one outrunning the cops...I mean, how much better can you get than that???

Ok, ok, I'll get serious again. It's a great action movie, regardless of whether you watch it with your coon hound or some Okie. It's got a very good plot, great action, and a good resolution......

Don't let folks kid you, Burt did good in this one!