La guerre des bootleggers

UPDATE: I've seen 'The Moonshine War' only once, on late-night television with commercial breaks. After I originally posted this review, another IMDb contributor posted a review stating that I missed major plot points in the film. My review of this movie is based on the version I saw, which was edited for television. Some plot points may have been excised to make room for more commercials.

I'm very much a fan of Patrick McGoohan, and I admire his penchant for playing a widely varying range of roles, so I eagerly anticipated one of McGoohan's usual tour-de-force performances in 'The Moonshine War'. I was disappointed, not only by McGoohan but by the entire film.

Patrick McGoohan (born in the United States but raised in Ireland) uses his American accent here as a "revenooer" (federal agent) in the Ozarks during the Depression, tracking a family of moonshiners. Alan Alda, with a Li'l Abner cornpone accent, plays the eldest son in the family: not the leader, but it's clear he's going to inherit leadership after the patriarch dies.

I was keenly anticipating a battle of wits (and dirty tricks) between Alda and McGoohan. I was disappointed. Alda's hillbilly keeps outflanking and outwitting McGoohan's federal agent all through the film. McGoohan is subjected to all sorts of humiliating defeats. This movie is the closest Patrick McGoohan ever came to playing Wile E. Coyote: the guy who loses every engagement keeps coming back for more punishment ... and keeps losing again.

It doesn't help that Alda's character and his relations (who are all criminals) are all depicted sympathetically, while McGoohan's character (a low-paid agent in a dangerous job, putting his neck on the line with no back-up, to enforce the law) is depicted unsympathetically. We're meant to cheer for Alda each time he humiliates McGoohan.

The screenplay is by Elmore Leonard, based on his novel. I don't much fancy Elmore Leonard, but friends of mine who are Leonard fans have told me that this movie is a good example of his work.

Some of the local colour in this movie truly irritated me, such as the heavy-set waitress who can't pronounce "Coca-Cola" correctly: she keeps calling it "Co'Cola". After I saw this movie, I learnt (from someone who grew up in the Deep South) that the film is actually quite accurate in its details. In Georgia, where Coca-Cola's corporate headquarters are located, they really do call it "Co'Cola".

"The Moonshine War" was directed by Richard Quine, a former actor who became a (slightly better than average) director with several excellent films to his credit. Quine eventually directed Peter Sellers in the remake of "The Prisoner of Zenda" and in "The Fiendish Plot of Dr Fu Manchu". Reliable reports state that Sellers bullied Quine unmercifully throughout production of both films, and Quine was permanently traumatised by the experience. This was probably a major factor in Quine's eventual suicide.

It's a damn shame this cheering slice of deep-friend southernsploitation fun seems to have slipped through the cracks of b-movie cinema for good. Adapted by Elmore Leonard from one of his books, this story, taking place during the end of Prohibition and two months before Roosevelt's election, of a gang of bootleggers led by a middle-aged Richard Widmark trying to get ahold of a large amount of whiskey stashed away by hillbilly Alan Alda, is as unassuming as it is riveting in its own pulpy way. Certain moments of distinctly Leonard-esquire badassitude, such as a scene where Widmark's top dog, played by songwriter Lee Hazlewood of all people, makes a couple strip in a cafe, is right up there with the 'ticket scene' in HOMBRE. Ex-film noir star with a prolific career behind him, Richard Widmark in the role of gang leader Dr. Emmett Taulbee seems to be having the time of his life, Patrick McGoohan is quite good in a role screaming for Warren Oates and Alan Alda is kind of lost in the general excitement. Nothing out of the ordinary here, just a solid, unpretentious, southern-flavoured b-movie, with a crackling script and some good performances, it would probably develop a cult following if it had a DVD release.

This is one crazy bizarre film. Not so much the story, but the casting. Patrick McGoogan as the corrupt prohibition guy is just hilarious, I was waiting for him to yell out "Who is number one?" just for fun. Richard Widmark was also funny, as the bad guy working with Patrick McGoogan. It was weird to see Alan Alda playing the role of the dude with all of the moonshine. One crazy thing if it is 1932, why is there a countryish pop song that sounds like it is from the late 60's playing through this picture? Maybe to be funny. This movie is sometimes fun to watch, but it may annoy some. It was made during that down period at MGM, when studio hands were changing. Maybe Warner Archives will put this out on DVD.

I thoroughly enjoyed this offbeat movie. Patrick McGoohan as a Tennessee revenooer? Yep, he pulls it off. Alan Alda as a moonshiner? Alda plays it low key. He's as cool as a cucumber despite facing considerable adversity. With more great performances from Richard Widmark, Will Geer, Bo Hopkins and, as a demented killer, Lee Hazlewood. Widmark played a bad guy but without the sneering, evil tones he was known for. Not sure whether previous reviewers watched the entire movie as the low ratings were a surprise to me. Regardless, I took the plunge and I'm glad that I did. Everyone in town loved Son Martin (Alda) so I found it interesting that the writers refrained from making this a typical rally around your buddy film, instead portraying all of Son's friends as nothing more than interested spectators. I say give this movie a try and you won't be disappointed.

I suppose I was fortunate enough to see The Moonshine War in that garden spot of the earth, Fort Polk, Louisiana when it first came out. With all the southern recruits around me, that audience certainly identified with. Would they only have known at the time what a liberal Alan Alda would turn out to be.

Alda is miles from Hawkeye Pierce in this film. He's a young moonshiner who's got some of the finest product around, comparatively speaking. And in those last days before America came to its senses and repealed Prohibition, he's got a short window of opportunity to get rid of his stash before legal liquor goes on the market again.

Trouble is that two people want his product real bad. One is gangster Richard Widmark, back again in those villainous roles that first brought him stardom. The second is treasury agent Patrick McGoohan, one of those despised revenuers that the hillbilly folk don't like.

McGoohan is no Eliot Ness, in fact he's more typical of the treasury agents from back in the day, crooks themselves trying to take advantage of an unpopular law. Yet even with gangsters gunning for Alda, the hill folk won't give McGoohan the right time of day.

The Moonshine War was an entertaining film, nothing special about it, but no disgrace to anyone involved. Except for the ending which was a classic of its kind. I can't say more, but if for no other reason see this film to see how Mr. Widmark and cronies are dealt with.