Smokey and the Bandit - The best film of 1977 (not including the other one)

1977 was a great year for cinema, largely because it was when ‘Star Wars’ was released to worldwide acclaim.  However, what few people seem to remember is that the ‘runner up’ at the Box Office was an equally fun (and just as far-fetched as an epic space opera!) little film called ‘Smokey and the Bandit.’

As with many of the best films, the plot is extremely simple – an outlaw driver, aka ‘The Bandit’ (played with perfect cool by Burt Reynolds), has to escort a truck filled with contraband across America.  However, a certain ‘Smokey’ (slang for state trooper/lawman) is not going to make it easy for him and vows to catch him at all costs.  Smokey and the Bandit is possibly the most perfect example of a ‘cat and mouse’ chase ever put to film.

It’s basically a chase movie, filled with high-speed stunts and one car chase after the other.  It doesn’t always have to be believable to be fun.  It just has to entertain.  And it does.  Obviously it’s Burt Reynold’s flick and he carries it with charm and uber coolness.  You can’t help but root for him, while, at the same time, also having just a little soft spot for – technically – the ‘baddie.’ Perhaps what makes the relationship work is that you can root for both the ‘hero’ and the ‘villain’ (the long-suffering police officer who’s desperately on Bandit’s tail).

The film also spawned two sequels and it’s worth noting that neither are regarded as highly as the first.  To really appreciate the magic of the original, you have to see what they did with the sequels.  They’re both overblown.  The car chases cause too much damage and it’s hard to believe that if any ‘bandit’ caused that much carnage, he wouldn’t be on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted’ list.  Also, the jokes get silly in the two sequels.  Yes, even in the first film the characters are a little ‘cartoonish,’ but there’s just enough believability in them to make them seem real.  In the sequels they’re either ‘too dumb’ or ‘too cool.’

But, those are problems with the sequels.  If you’re into car chase films, Burt Reynolds, or generally light-hearted action with plenty of comic moments, you’ll do worse than riding along with the Bandit.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one