Well, this was a lot of fun! Non-stop action from beginning to end, and the humor was quite funny, too. Jackie Gleason is such a likable antagonist! Burt Reynolds is excellently cast as the Bandit. This is probably one of the best action comedies you'll ever see; I'm inclined to call it perfect! Wow, they wrecked a lot of cars. Trust stuntman Hal Needham to bring you an unforgettable action film with great stunts. Well done, Hal!

Smokey and the Bandit was one of the top selling items of 1977 - behind Star Wars, as apologists and hype-bandits have proclaimed. Its also the inception of a crass, commercially oriented feature film style with no plot, no substance, its oddly neutered of any real bite, and its overly slick editing appears to be pulled from the world of advertising.Core plot features a sex-god redneck smooth talker driving a product-placement Pontiac TransAm like a madman all over the road, drawing police attention from a bootlegging truck convoy. Its all part of an old money wager to get illegal goods across state lines before a set deadline, however the filmmakers don't even bother concluding its premise - instead setting the action up for a sequel. Whats really wrong with Bandit, besides the relentless sexism, is its sheer lack of depth or meaning; stunt coordinator Hal Needham should have been directing a car commercial or straight-to-VHS low budget b-movie, but his friendship with bankable star Burt Reynolds put money in the project, making the car chases more insane, and the camera work more impressive. All that, however, doesn't change the fact that Needham can't direct. A key sequence involving a truck stop where Reynold's wing man gets in a bar fight illustrates his shortcomings: the scene involves a charming animal, a race relations moment, comedic misunderstandings, a barroom fight sequence, some culture war implications and a bit of nostalgic country music to boot. While a decent director could wring some weight and emotion out of the sequence, as well as some good laughs, Needhams version reads something like this: Slick set up shots. INT: Fight sequence - CUT TO - EXT - Stunt Sequence. That's about it.Basically, Hal Needham's a pre-CGI Michael Bay.I'd have given the movie a one-star rating but moved it up to three because of a) some insane car stunt moves that would have certainly impressed viewers in '77 and because b) it has nostalgic childhood value for some folks out there. (HINT: leave it in the past, Smokey and the Bandit is not really a movie, it's a car commercial.)

Smokey and the Bandit (1977) *** (out of 4)The Bandit (Burt Renolds) is challenged to deliver some illegal beer across state lines with the reward being a huge payday so he and his partner Cledus (Jerry Reed) head out for the journey. Along the way the Bandit picks up a woman (Sally Field) running away from her wedding and soon Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) is chasing them as well as countless other cops.SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT isn't a brilliantly directed masterpiece or some strong contender for an Oscar but it wasn't trying to be. If you come into this film expecting some sort of masterpiece then you're going to be disappointed but if you're looking for a fun cheap time then there's plenty of great stuff here. If you're unfamiliar with the 70s then you might not realize that this type of "chase" picture was quite popular but this one here was clearly the most memorable of the bunch and has remained a favorite to new generations of people.The greatest thing about the movie is the fact that no one takes it too serious. I say that because if you try to use logic with anything going on then you're just not watching the correct movie. Without a question the highlight of the picture are the non-stop action scenes where we get one terrific chase after another. The Trans Am used in the car is probably the most famous thing in the picture and there's no question that it's a beauty to watch as it jumps bridges and out runs various police cars. The stunts here are certainly excellent and fun to watch, which was the whole purpose of the film.It also doesn't hurt that you've got such a likable cast of characters. Reynolds was born to play a role like this as his good- looking nature, silly laugh and charm just spills over on each scene that he's in. Field is also very fun and believable as the "opposite" type of girl. There's no doubt that the two of them have a nice chemistry together. Reed is also fun in the movie, although he's certainly far from giving a great performance but his hit song is a terrific bonus. Mike Henry is great as the dimwitted son but it's the ad-libbing Jackie Gleason who easily steals the picture with his hilarious turn as the dumb Sheriff who just won't give up.SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT gave a major boom to the genre but of course, it would be followed by some less-than-successful sequels and other rip-offs from the same star and director. Still, it doesn't matter how many bad films followed because this one here remains one of the best out there and is highly entertaining all these years later.

Smokey and the Bandit is an action comedy where a speed demon outlaw named The Bandit (Burt Reynolds) accepts a dare from wealthy big shots Big Enos (Pat McCormick) and Little Enos (Paul Williams) to transport a truckload of beer from Texas in a limited time. The Bandit picks up runaway bride Carrie (Sally Ride) along the way, not knowing she was to be married to Junior (Mike Henry), son of Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). What results is a high-speed pursuit of the Bandit by the sheriffs.While there is virtually no basic plot to the movie, Hal Needham's direction really made this movie a wild ride from start to finish with the high-speed pursuit - from The Bandit dodging police cars to Jackie Gleason's hilarious portrayal of Buford T. Justice.It's a good old-fashion sheriff vs. bandit story, with a taste of classic Americana in the outskirts of Texas and, like IMDb user EmperorNortonII mentioned, it also offers the use of CB radio culture. The stunts were incredible and the acting was pretty good, especially that of Gleason, spewing his redneck humor and talking down to his poor, adult son whenever chance he could.Again, it's really a plot less movie, but it offers one wild ride in one of Burt Reynolds' most iconic roles that you will never forget.Grade B