September, 2023 - FilmFanatic.org

Convoy (1978)

September 4, 2023 admin Comments 1 comment

“They’ve got a language all their own.”

Synopsis:
A trucker named Rubber Duck (Kris Kristofferson) is accompanied by a photographer (Ali MacGraw) and other sympathetic long-haulers while being pursued by a vengeful sheriff (Ernest Borgnine); meanwhile, an opportunistic politician (Seymour Cassel) tries to bank on the immense popularity of the convoy across state lines.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

Ali MacGraw Films
Car Chase
Cat and Mouse
Ernest Borgnine Films
Kris Kristofferson Films
Sam Peckinpah Films
Seymour Cassel Films
Sheriffs and Marshals
Truckers

Review:
Based on C.W. McCall’s country-western novelty song of the same name, Sam Peckinpah’s next-to-last feature film was this over-budget action flick seemingly designed to capitalize on the popularity of Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and all things trucking. Indeed, as DVD Savant points out, “A love of big rig tractor-trailer interstate trucks will be an asset for watching this, because that’s what we see for about 90 minutes of this marathon road picture: trucks cruising, roaring down dusty dirt roads, overturning, running roadblocks.”

Near the beginning of the film — after Kristofferson and MacGraw meet-cute:

— we’re shown a western-style barroom brawl taking place in a cafe:

… and are introduced to Borgnine’s evil sheriff, who doesn’t seem to have a particularly good reason for spending the rest of the movie relentlessly chasing after Rubber Duck.

DVD Savant provides an especially excoriating review of this flick, noting: “Convoy was such a joke when it came out (at least in California) that Savant never saw it. A commercial trifle built around car crashes and a then current Trucker/C.B. Radio craze, it’s a dated eyesore attempting to cash in on various rube fads.” Andrew Sarris of the Village Voice was similarly disappointed, asserting that “Convoy is not merely a bad movie but a terrible movie” given that “anyone can make a bad movie” but “only a misguided talent can manage to be terrible.” While it has its fans, there really isn’t a whole lot here for most film fanatics to hold on to. Be forewarned.

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

Effectively filmed action sequences

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re a Peckinpah completist.

Links:

Deadhead Miles (1971)

September 2, 2023 admin Comments 1 comment

“We’ll have everything we need, like the Boxcar Kids — we can move!”

Synopsis:
After stealing a truck and abandoning his buddy (Oliver Clark), a drifter (Alan Arkin) picks up a hitchhiker (Paul Benedict) and begins a cross-country trip filled with theft and trickery.

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

Alan Arkin Films
Black Comedy
Road Trip
Truckers

Review:
Directed by Vernon Zimmerman (just before making The Unholy Rollers) and scripted by Terrence Malick, this unusual trucker/road-trip flick maintains a darkly sardonic and absurdist edge throughout. Malick’s screenplay is decidedly unpredictable, with plenty of quirk and local flavor:

… but it’s hard to watch Arkin’s consistently ruthless behavior without cringing, as innocent people are harmed for his own selfish purposes. Fortunately, Malick’s love of classic movies offers intermittent reprieves — as during a super-brief early cameo of Ida Lupino and George Raftat a gas station:

… and a sequence when Arkin and Benedict are watching (and commenting on) key scenes from Samson and Delilah (1949) at a drive-through.

My favorite “throwback” moment is when classic movie workhorse Bruce Bennett appears in cameo as black-clad “Johnny Mesquitero” and helps out Benedict on the side of the road. (It’s notable that Arkin is nowhere to be seen during this sequence; decency can finally prevail.)

[As a side note, I had to look up Bennett to see what else he starred in, and noticed that he had supporting roles in Strategic Air Command (1955), Angels in the Outfield (1951), The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1947), and Mildred Pierce (1945) (as “Bert Pierce”).]

Wikipedia’s entry provides a succinct yet accurate overview of what actually happens throughout this film, and I refer readers to that if they’re curious; mostly, it comes across as an absurd commentary on the randomness of life, and a cautionary tale against ever being too gullible.

Note: Loretta Swit can be seen here in her first role, as “Lady With Glass Eye” (her bizarre scene jives with the rest of the film’s odd sensibility).

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

Good use of authentic shooting locations
Effective cinematography

Must See?
No, but it’s worth a one-time look if you’re curious and/or an Arkin fan. Listed as a Cult Movie in the back of Peary’s book.

Links:

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

September 1, 2023 admin Comments 4 comments

“What we are dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law.”

Synopsis:
After two truckers — Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and Cledus (Jerry Reed) — accept a proposition to haul beer illegally across state lines, they pick up a hitchhiking bride (Sally Field) running away from her wedding, and are pursued by her jilted fiance (Mike Henry) and his sheriff-dad (Jackie Gleason).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

Burt Reynolds Films
Car Chase
Cat and Mouse
Comedy
Sally Field Films
Truckers

Review:
Stuntman-turned-director Hal Needman made his directorial debut with this box office hit — the second highest grossing film after Star Wars (1977) — starring real-life couple Burt Reynolds and Sally Field. Thankfully, Reynolds and Field have chemistry to spare, and help move the romantic angle of this jam-packed car chase flick along nicely.

Gleason is as blustery and pompous as his one-dimensional role calls for:

… while country-western singer-songwriter Reed does nicely in his crucial supporting performance:

… and diminutive Paul Williams (villainous Swan from Phantom of the Paradise) is well-cast as the shorter half of a pair of big-wheelers who book-end the film.

The real stars of this show, however, are the powerful Trans Ams (three were used during filming) and all the helpful truckers who save the day time and again for Bandit and his mates.