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This movie,as far as I know,never won any special honors.It perhaps is not listed as one of the top 1,000,000 movies of all time.It may not be considered by many to be a great film,but I (and I am not ashamed to admit this),love this movie.Perhaps it is the charm exuded by Burt Reynolds and Jerry Reed.Perhaps it is the beautiful Sally Field(she never looked better on film).Perhaps it is the comic genius of Jackie Gleason.Perhaps it is all these things rolled into one.This is the absolute "king" of redneck comedy movies(and I use the term "redneck" with the utmost affection).I am a fan of great films,but I have my guilty pleasure movies as anyone has. This one tops my list of those.Love it!

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

*** (out of 4)

The Bandit (Burt Renolds) is challenged to deliver some illegal beer across state lines with the reward being a huge payday so he and his partner Cledus (Jerry Reed) head out for the journey. Along the way the Bandit picks up a woman (Sally Field) running away from her wedding and soon Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) is chasing them as well as countless other cops.

SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT isn't a brilliantly directed masterpiece or some strong contender for an Oscar but it wasn't trying to be. If you come into this film expecting some sort of masterpiece then you're going to be disappointed but if you're looking for a fun cheap time then there's plenty of great stuff here. If you're unfamiliar with the 70s then you might not realize that this type of "chase" picture was quite popular but this one here was clearly the most memorable of the bunch and has remained a favorite to new generations of people.

The greatest thing about the movie is the fact that no one takes it too serious. I say that because if you try to use logic with anything going on then you're just not watching the correct movie. Without a question the highlight of the picture are the non-stop action scenes where we get one terrific chase after another. The Trans Am used in the car is probably the most famous thing in the picture and there's no question that it's a beauty to watch as it jumps bridges and out runs various police cars. The stunts here are certainly excellent and fun to watch, which was the whole purpose of the film.

It also doesn't hurt that you've got such a likable cast of characters. Reynolds was born to play a role like this as his good- looking nature, silly laugh and charm just spills over on each scene that he's in. Field is also very fun and believable as the "opposite" type of girl. There's no doubt that the two of them have a nice chemistry together. Reed is also fun in the movie, although he's certainly far from giving a great performance but his hit song is a terrific bonus. Mike Henry is great as the dimwitted son but it's the ad-libbing Jackie Gleason who easily steals the picture with his hilarious turn as the dumb Sheriff who just won't give up.

SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT gave a major boom to the genre but of course, it would be followed by some less-than-successful sequels and other rip-offs from the same star and director. Still, it doesn't matter how many bad films followed because this one here remains one of the best out there and is highly entertaining all these years later.

The plot is silly, and the audience gets that from the start as ridiculously dressed tycoon "Big Enos" hires "The Bandit" (Burt Reynolds) to bring back a truckload of Coors beer to Georgia, which was illegal to ship anywhere but regionally at that time. The Bandit enlists his trucker friend Cledus (Jerry Reed) to help him on the endeavor. The trip to Texarkana to get the beer is easy enough. But the trip back is quite harrowing and hilarious. It starts when a runaway bride (Sally Field as Carrie) stops Bandit in the middle of the road in need of a ride. What Bandit does not know is that Carrie walked out on her wedding to the department store mannequin like son (honestly, Cledus' Bassett hound Fred has more personality) of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). So Bandit thinks he is being pursued across country because of his speeding and reckless driving, maybe because of the beer, but never does it occur to him the sheriff is after his new passenger.

This is just a delightful road picture made authentic looking with tons of anonymous extras playing truckers, ladies of the evening, workers and customers at roadside diners, and teens just looking to do some mischief while listening in on their CB radios. There are also some great songs and Jerry Reed's musical talents are not wasted. About the CB radios - they were a fad in the mid 70s made that way by a 1975 hit entitled "Convoy", and they were the only way to communicate to other drivers on the road in the 1970s. There would not be an internet in common use for another 20 years and cell phones would not be ubiquitous for another 30.

So be prepared to be transported back to a simpler time when there were not tiny cameras tied to cell phones everywhere, air bags did not exist, gas mileage was not an issue, and the era of "zero tolerance" had not occurred yet. Oh, and the role of profane but persistent Buford T. Justice started a bit of a film acting renaissance for Jackie Gleason, who had always had a presence on TV but had been absent from the big screen awhile.

"Smokey and the Bandit" may be Burt Reynolds' best movie. At least it's certainly one of his most memorable. In it, he plays good ol' boy the Bandit, the classic speed demon outlaw, driving flat out through five states and back on one wild and crazy beer run. This movie has lots of laughs and action. It also offers a look into the culture of CB radio, which was a huge craze of the day. And who could forget the Great One, Jackie Gleason's hilarious portrayal of Sheriff Buford T. Justice, the bombastic, persistent lawman from Texas. "Smokey" will always be a comedy classic, and that's a big 10-4!

One of the first films to tap into the anti-authoritarian aspects of the Citizen's Band (CB) radio craze, "Smokey" is basically a movie-length car chase and a pleasantly insipid slice of late-'70's Americana.

The tissue-thin plot has good ole boy pals The Bandit (Reynolds) and Cletus (a surprisingly good Jerry Reed) running a load of Coors cross-country on a tight deadline while trying to avoid an assortment of less-than-bright cops, led by pompous blowhard Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). Sally Field, as a runaway bride who thumbs her way into Reynolds' car, brings charm and a welcome sense of irony to the macho proceedings.

Stunt coordinator-turned-director Hal Needham stages the action competently, and the actors, who supposedly improvised much of the dialogue, obviously enjoy themselves. A good choice for those who want to relive the glory days of CB rebels, long sideburns, plaid western shirts, and black Trans-Ams with "screaming chicken" decals on the hood. Avoid the two vastly inferior sequels.