Sumbitch!
Posted on 12/29/2001 12:13:14 AM PST by Reply 491
The movie has been out for a while now, and I have seen it several times. So now, having had some time to catch my breath, and to let it all soak in, I have a better perspective from which to gather my thoughts and add my review to the others.I loved this movie!
The scenery is perfect. It was filmed entirely on location in Georgia, with some scenes shot in Alabama. It is so convincing -- you become immersed, and completely convinced there really is a Deep South.
The casting is perfect. I, like many others, thought Jackie Gleason would not make a good southern sheriff, but after a few moments on screen he is Buford T. Justice.
The director obviously loves the book, and it shows.
The plot is about a Fellowship of travelers on a quest to deliver a truck filled with forbidden Coors to an Atlanta fairground, in order for it to be consumed by Big Enos and Little Enos. And they have a limited time to do it, or they will lose. Opposing them all the way are the vile cops, led by Buford T. Justice.
Once Frog joins the band, the Fellowship of the Big Truck Full of Coors is complete, as the legendary Bandit, Snowman, Frog and the basset hound Fred embark on a mythic quest that leads them through hair raising adventures and narrow escapes from the dread cops through several states.
The chase scenes are terrifying and funny at the same time. The special effects are mind-blowing -- how they got cars to do that is beyond me! The cops are amusing yet powerful in their authority. A special moment to note here: The motorcycle cop that stops Snowman near the end of the movie is played by none other than Sonny Shroyer, who is Enos on The Dukes of Hazzard!
This is not just a special effects movie -- it is an epic, with characters you come to care about. There is real emotion here, evident in touching scenes, like when Snowman gets his butt kicked at the roadhouse on account of Fred.
For those who haven't read the book, since their names are similar and they dress alike, it may be a little confusing to tell the difference between Big Enos and Little Enos. Just remember that Big Enos is big, and Little Enos is little. You should have no trouble keeping them separate in your mind if you remember that.
THE GOOD
I thought when Buford Justice says "tick turd" was funny. Also the part about the Germans having nothing to do with it.
THE BAD
When Frog asks Bandit if he ever takes off his hat, he says, "For one thing and one thing only." Then she says, "Take off your hat," and he does. But never does the movie tell us what the one thing is that he takes off his hat for. We are left without a clue.
The issue of the rune-inscribed tablet left behind by Snowman in Texarkana is left hanging in the air. Probably it will be resolved in one of the sequels. And the great thing is that director Needham has already filmed the sequels and they are in the can.
And I, for one, can't wait to see them!
Quite a while.
1978?
What in the heyull...but Jackie Gleason was funny in that flick.
THE thread? Are you kidding me?
Sumbitch!
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