Moonrunners

A couple of hillbilly cousins and their uncle run a quality but small-scale moonshine business that is put under threat when an unscrupulous neighbour starts distributing inferior product in large quantities with the help of some criminals.

I hadn't even heard of Moonrunners before a very kind fellow IMDber sent me a copy to check out. It clearly derives the bulk of its interest factor in that it was the film that the TV series 'The Dukes of Hazzard' was based on. Aside from the two central cousins, there is a Sheriff Roscoe, an Uncle Jesse and narration by Waylon Jennings. The series was made four years later and is a fond memory of mine – more or less everyone my age liked it back in the day. The movie is somewhat rougher than the TV series, with a more authentic feel than the polished for television characters from 'Dukes'. But it still is coming from a very similar place with its good natured Southern humour, plenty of car chases and very dumb cops. It has to be said though that while the movie did have a female side-kick for the boys, she didn't really do very much; something the 'Dukes' rectified in fine style with the introduction of the terrific Daisy Duke.

As a film, it's very episodic with little real drama underpinning things. We never really feel too much for the characters as they don't have too much depth, while some events happen with little overall purpose. Still, it's all done with quite a bit of charm that it draws you in never-the-less. Added flavour is contributed by the entertainingly organic soundtrack and the on location shooting. It was probably a little ahead of the curve in some ways too, in that there was a plethora of 'good ol' boys' Southern action comedies that hit mainstream cinema in the late 70's, some of which were massive hits. Moonrunners fits into this bracket but is a very early example of this sub-genre and seems to have subsequently gone under the radar.

I absolutely love this movie.I watch at least once a month.Its great Kiel Martin as Bobby Lee Hag and his cousin Grady and the very sexy Chris Forbes as Beth Ann Eubanks.I have loved this movie since the day I bought it unfortunately it is seldom seen and ever harder to own.It so desperately needs to be re released.Anyway i would highly recommend this movie and I would also recommend

The Great Lester Boggs This Stuff'll Kill Ya White Lightining Gator

all excellent movies

I've wanted to see this movie ever since I discovered it was the foundation for the Dukes of Hazzard TV show. I was not a die hard fan of the TV show, but I liked it, primarily for the Waylon Jennings narration. This movie has the same goofy, rollicking charm as the show. You know you're in B-movie land with low production values and no big name stars, but the movie works anyway for at least the first two-thirds anyway, then it sort of gets lost in itself. The three leads--James Mitchum, Kiel Martin, Anthum Hunnicut--easily fit into their roles, especially Hunnicut. The pretty girl they introduce early in the film is pretty much irrelevant for the remainder of the film. The TV show corrected this oversight by making Daisy Dukes a stronger presence. The gangsters from up north are another missed opportunity. They could have added a lot more danger and excitement to the latter half. But the Waylon Jennings soundtrack is divine; he gets to sing a lot and his fans will recognize most of the songs. Even with its shortcomings, Moonrunners is worth taking a look at. I've watched movies with far better reviews and enjoyed them far less.

Moon Runners for some reason is almost NEVER mentioned as far as good decent 70's schlock and action movies, despite the "Dukes of Hazzard" connection. It's pretty rare - while it was shown on cable in the late 70's, it almost never shows up on TV at all nowadays. I caught it for the first time in many years early this year on cable (TNT I believe).

Grady and Bobby Lee (later to become Bo and Luke Duke) run moonshine for Uncle Jesse, who prides himself on his old-school moonshining methods, and refuses to buckle in to the 'big business moonshine' of Jake, who controls these parts for New York mobsters. Fast-paced and entertaining, as the boys continue to get their moonshine through. Some excellent car chase action, and while the chase scenes aren't on par with say "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry" and also aren't as numerous as I thought I remembered, still decent enough and forgivable since the film is just fun to begin with. Definitely a film to be seen!

A nice representation of the type of life during the days of running moonshine. This movie is the precursor to the television series the "Dukes Of Hazzard". The main characters aren't named Duke and there is no General Lee. There is however an Uncle Jesse, A sheriff Roscoe P Coltrane and the Balladeer(Waylon Jennings). Ben Jones(Cooter) has a large role as a revenue agent. There are many similarities to the television series. There are plenty of car chases. It's a fun movie to watch, but may be slow in some parts of the dialog. People who watch it can see the direct relationship that it has with the "Dukes of Hazard". Definitely worth a look of given the opportunity.