Der Tiger hetzt die Meute

White Lightning is the first of two appearances Burt Reynolds made as Gator McKlusky, moonshiner with a mission. He's got a year to go on a rap for running illegal whiskey, but gets word of the death of his kid brother, arrested and later found drowned in a lake in another county. He decides to help the Feds get the corrupt good old boy sheriff who runs that county, Ned Beatty.

Of course that means going against tradition that southern folks have about cooperating with revenuers. One of Beatty's sideline enterprises is a nice partnership with R.G. Armstrong who's a crazy sadistic old shiner from the piney woods.

Beatty and Armstrong play a pair that was rapidly disappearing from the south because of the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts of the Sixties. They don't like the fact their world is changing one little bit. Long haired hippie types like Reynolds's brother apparently was, arouse their murderous ire as surely as Goodman, Schwerner and Chaney did.

White Lightning did a respectable business in the red state area of the USA and certainly was a nice boost to Burt Reynolds career. More than his fans will be pleased with it.

As a 15 year old I watched parts of this movie being made. It was partly filmed in Benton Arkansas (30 miles S of LR). Benton was also the location for Sling Blade. My mom's Volkswagen and my bicycle show up in this movie.

It really is a somewhat accurate view of the South in the 70's from the rejection of hippies by "Good ole boys" to the Corrupt Sheriff, to the home for unwed mothers to the interaction of the races while still staying "respectfully apart". The movie was not intended to be an Oscar contender it was intended to capitalize on Reynolds immense popularity at the time. It did this well. Ned Beaty shaved his head to give himself the proper receding hairline for a Southern sheriff, and many locals were cast. If you like car chases, and "good ole boys" you'll love this. Otherwise you can watch it for it's historical value as a peek at the South through Hollywood colored eyes.

In an interview with Larry King, Ned Beaty said this was the most important role of his career because it kept him from being typecast as a wimp after Deliverance. Diane Ladd and her daughter, Laura Dern are both in this film.

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.

There's not a lot of depth to "White Lightning". Now this is not to say it's a bad film....there just isn't a ton of plot and much of it consists of car chases....sort of like "Bullit" set in the deep South!

When the story begins, two men are murdered out in the swamps. You soon learn that one of the dead men was Gator McKlusky's brother...and Gator wants revenge. The problem is that Gator's in prison! So, he makes a deal with the Feds....if they let him out early, he'll dig up evidence against the Sheriff who is probably behind the murders.

What follows is Gator getting in good with local moonshiners. After all, none of these folks can do this without the Sheriff's approval...as well as a piece of the action! But this goes awry, and soon Gator's racing for his life. Good thing he has a VERY fast car and he loves to drive!

This is a decent time-passer. You don't watch this one for the acting or plot (not that they are bad) but in order to watch the action...and the film is full of it. Apparently the movie did so well that two years later they made a sequel, "Gator".

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.