Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
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A legendary trucker and his friend must transport a massive haul of beer across the South while being pursued by a determined sheriff.
The story
The film follows Bo "Bandit" Darville and Cledus "Snowman" Snow, two truck-driving bootleggers attempting to illegally transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta. During their run, they are pursued by Sheriff Buford T. Justice of Montague County, Texas, after his son's runaway bride, Carrie, joins The Bandit and Snowman in their rum-run. The journey becomes a high-speed chase across the Southern United States as the law attempts to intercept the illegal cargo and recover the runaway bride.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Wealthy Texan capitalist Big Enos Burdette and his son, Little Enos, offer Bo "Bandit" Darville $80,000 to transport 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta in 28 hours. Bandit recruits his friend Cledus "Snowman" Snow and his dog, Fred, to drive the truck while Bandit acts as a 'blocker' in a Pontiac Trans Am. During the run, Bandit is joined by Carrie, a runaway bride. This triggers a pursuit by Sheriff Buford T. Justice, whose son Junior was supposed to marry her. As they travel through the South, they are aided by others via CB radio. After a series of mishaps and a rescue from a state patrol, they reach Atlanta with time to spare. Instead of taking the initial prize, Bandit and Carrie accept a 'double-or-nothing' challenge to transport clam chowder to Boston. They escape in a Cadillac Eldorado as police flood the area. The film ends with Bandit and Buford exchanging a moment of mutual respect over the radio before the chase continues.
- First release year
- 1977
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Hal Needham
- Writers
- James Lee Barrett · screenplay; Charles Shyer · screenplay; Alan Mandel · screenplay; Hal Needham · story; Robert L. Levy · story
- Cast and characters
- Burt Reynolds · Bo "Bandit" Darville; Sally Field · Carrie; Jerry Reed · Cledus "Snowman" Snow; Jackie Gleason · Sheriff Buford T. Justice; Pat McCormick; Paul Williams; Mike Henry · Junior
- Genres
- action; comedy; road film
- Themes
- Outlaw culture; Road trip
- Tone and mood
- Action; Comedy
- Premise and plot tags
- Bootlegging; High-speed chase; CB Radio
- Franchise connections
- Smokey and the Bandit
- Reception
- The film was a box office success, becoming the second-highest-grossing domestic film of 1977 in the United States. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics, noted for its 'infectious fun' and 'car wrecks.'
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 71% · scale: percentage · review count: 38; Metacritic · score: 50 · scale: 100
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Film Editing · Nominated
- Production trivia
- The film's popularity helped lead to the creation of The Dukes of Hazzard.; The Pontiac Trans Am became wildly popular after the film's release, with sales nearly doubling.; The film's theme song, 'East Bound and Down', became Jerry Reed's signature song.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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