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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".

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!

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.

Gator McKlusky who's serving time in an Arkansas prison, finds out his younger brother is murdered by the corrupt town Sheriff J.C Connors. Wanting revenge, he agrees with the terms of going undercover as a moonshine runner for the feds and informing them of any important information to put away Connors. However it's Gator's personal quest of his brother's death, which pushes him to test the boundaries and power that Connors owns.

Quite likable, and truly a thick southern slice of crudely good ol' fun and rousing mishaps. Burt Reynolds' charismatic appeal was specially made for the part, and along side him is a terrifically well-served cast including the despicable Ned Betty, glorious Jennifer Billingsley, amusing Bo Hopkins, twitchy Matt Clark, live wire Diane Ladd and a rigid R.G Armstrong. Splendid line-up, but Reynolds was the real scene-stealer. The story might be a simple revenge tale with some currents involving racism and narrow-mindlessness, but it's a exhilarating pot boiler that's neatly drawn up with plenty of flesh hanging off it, and its zips onto one scene after another with burning conviction. Look out for an enjoyable reference to Don Siegel/Clint Eastwood's southern thriller "The Beguiled (1971)". The authenticity of the sweaty southern setting is beautifully captured with Edward Rosson's sharp photography doing the trick. Be it during the quiet moments, or the well-engineered, gut-busting brawls and blistering car chases. Even Charles Bernstein's wonderfully flavoured and titillating music arrangement dominates and goes a long way to cementing the film's potent personality. Director Joseph Sargent rapidly, rough n' tumble style, goes down well the tautly wry script and delivers the action with the right intensity. Amongst the tough suspense and sweet fooling, there are some genuinely moving scenes.

Always compelling, and one of Reynolds best performances.

White Lightning is a terrific action/drama that tells the story of a hard-driving moonshiner named Gator McKlusky (Burt Reynolds) who is released from prison early in exchange for any help he can give the government with its case against his fellow moonshiners. Gator, however, has his own agenda and it has nothing to do with his altruistic nature. It seems that Sheriff J. C. Connors (Ned Beatty) of Bogen County is not only one of the biggest moonshiners in Arkansas, he's also responsible for killing Gator's brother. And Gator wants revenge.

One of the coolest things about White Lightning is that it presents Burt Reynolds as an actor at the top of his game. This was a Burt Reynolds who seemed to actually care about the final product and not just yucking it up with his buddies on screen. White Lightning was made before Burt became a clown, mugging for the camera. That's not to say there isn't any humor in White Lightning - it's just used judiciously. Burt is joined by phenomenal cast. In addition to Ned Beatty (who's perfect as the Sheriff), R. G. Armstrong, Bo Hopkins, Diane Lane, and Dabbs Greer give solid, memorable performances. In fact, I can't think of a single actor that bothered me. The movie was helped tremendously by the decision to film in rural Arkansas. I grew-up in the South and everything from the locations to the sweat dripping off Burt's chin had a feeling of authenticity. I've been to places like the old Kroger I spotted in the background and I sweat just like Burt in the oppressively hot Southern summers. It all felt real to me. Finally, the plot is just terrific, mixing in just the right amount of high speed car chases, brutal looking fight scenes, and dramatic conversations. It drew me in right from the start and held my attention throughout. Overall, it's a well-made, entertaining movie.