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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.

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!

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.

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.