White Lightning
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Movie Reviews of White Lightning
Movie Review: Great chase scenes
Summary: 4 Stars
Enjoyable tale of small-town southern bigotry; heavy-handed use of stereotypes. Burt Reynolds is young and charismatic. Enjoyed the car chases; for the most part, very well done. Justice is finally served at the end of the movie.Movie Review: Pit stains and moonshine...
Summary: 3 Stars
While watching White Lighting (1973) yesterday, I couldn't help think a more appropriate title might have been Hillbillies, Moonshine and Pit Stains, as there were copious amounts of each throughout the film...written by William W. Norton (Big Bad Mama, Day of the Animals), who also wrote the subsequent sequel titled Gator (1976), White Lighting was directed by Joseph `No Time For' Sargent (Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three) and stars Burt Reynolds (Deliverance, The Longest Yard). Also appearing is Bo Hopkins (The Getaway, Midnight Express), Ned Beatty (Silver Streak, Superman), Jennifer Billingsley (The Thirsty Dead), Matt Clark (Jeremiah Johnson, Brubaker), R.G. Armstrong (Race with the Devil, Dixie Dynamite), and Diane Ladd (The Wild Angels, Chinatown), whose real life daughter, Laura Dern, makes her first, silver screen appearance in an uncredited role as Diane Ladd's characters daughter.
The film opens with the killing of two young men (hippies college students, I suspect, given their youthful appearance and longish hair) in a remote area of the bayou at the hands of two police officers. Well, turns out one of the boys just happened to be the younger brother of Gator McKlusky (Reynolds), who's currently pulling a stint in the local penitentiary on a charge of running (delivering) illegally distilled whiskey, aka moonshine aka white lighting. Gator takes the news hard, tries to escape, but eventually finds himself in the position of making a deal with the feds, as both the gooberment and Gator have their eyes on the same target, that of Sheriff J.C. Connors (Beatty), the most powerful man in Bogan County, and also the one responsible for killing Gator's brother (the feds want Connors because he controls the lucrative flow of `shine in Bogan County). The plan is for Gator to infiltrate the `shine operation in Bogan County and collect as much information as he can, but Gator just wants a shot at Sheriff Connors (vengeance is a dish best served sweaty, in Bogan County, at least). The feds provide Gator with a souped up car and a slightly unwilling contact in that of Dude Watson (Clark), who hooks Gator up with local runner Roy Boone (Hopkins), which leads to local `shine maker Big Bear (Armstrong), and eventually Connors himself. But therein lies the dilemma...you see, Gator is a good ole boy, so the thought of ratting on his own kin, making a living doing what they've always done (distilling and selling whiskey), makes him sick to his stomach, but his desire get back at Connors for his brothers death is something that can't be denied...
If you're looking for some good old fashion, sweat stained, engine revving, tire smokin', exhaust huffing, balls out visceral entertainment, look no further. This was Reynolds initial foray into the `good ole boy' soon-to-be-his-trademark character, one that reached its pinnacle in the film Smokey and the Bandit (1977), as previous roles mainly included him playing Native American characters like Joe in Navajo Joe (1966), Red Hand in Blade Rider, Revenge of the Indian Nations (1966), and Yaqui Joe Herrera in 100 Rifles (1969). Many consider this to be his finest on screen performance (I was always partial to his role as Paul Crewe in the 1974 film The Longest Yard), one that certainly agreed with him as he revived the character a few years later in the film Gator (1976)...this was also the start of his `quipping' in films...you know, that thing where he makes a smarmy joke, and then he's usually the only one who laughs? I think my favorite scene in this film is the one with Gator and Dude in Gator's car, and the pull up to Sheriff Connors in town for a first meeting (for Gator, at least). Gator knows the sheriff had something to do with his brother's death, so he comes off in sort of an antagonizing way reviving the engine of his hot rod while Dude nervously makes small talk with the sheriff. Beatty's character gives the unknown man a good, long look as if to say, "I'm the law, and I don't know you, but I've got my eye on you."...either that, or he was hot for him...another great scene features R.G. Armstrong getting whacked upside the head with a boat oar...I felt that one myself...probably the most painful sequences involved Reynolds emoting in character about the loss of his brother, and trying to comprehend the reasoning why...I questioned this particular plot aspect of the film, but then realized it was necessary because Reynolds would have needed that extra motivation to force his character to work with the feds, going against his own peoples...that way he doesn't look like a complete sh*t...in this effort, they also had to make the villain, Beatty's character, incredibly vile as to draw away from Gator's betrayal of his people (I guess it wasn't bad enough he was a killer). This is illustrated in numerous scenes, like when the sheriff is interrogating (torturing) Dude's father by shoving the old man's hand in a doorframe in order to get some information, letting his deputies manhandle Dude's wife, played by Diane Ladd, the way they did, or his derogatory comments about minorities and hippies. One thing this movie has a lot of is exciting and well exercised car chase sequences. When done right, the viewer can almost feel the pull of the gravitational force taking a turn at 40 mph and smell the rubber burning as the accelerator is punched to the floor. And the stunts, for the most part, weren't over the top crazy, but strong, solid, and believable (the one where Gator partially lands his car on a garbage scow might have been the one exception). One thing that seemed really strange about this movie was the obvious removal some of the dialog through post-production dubbing (they took out the swears). I think this was done prior to the original release as to get a PG rating...I'm unsure if any scenes have been shortened in terms of removing violence or nekkidness in a further effort to satisfy the rating requirement, but I'd probably say yes...
One thing that annoyed me most of all about this release, and the reason I'm going three stars instead of four, is that there is only the full screen, pan & scan (1.33:1) version available on this DVD. Why they couldn't include both is beyond me, but I guess the studio was just trying to save a few bucks and figured we wouldn't care...I noticed the same treatment for the film Gator, which I won't be buying unless they decide to re-release it with both formats. The picture quality on this DVD does look decent, but, as someone else mentioned, it does appear a little too dark, especially during the shadowy or nighttime scenes. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono comes through well enough, and in terms of special features, there's only a trailer for the film.
Cookieman108
By the way, if'n you're ever in Bogan County and someone wants to take you out on the lake, check the boat for cinder blocks...
Movie Review: solid, low key southern drama, that does not tap into its emotional core . . .
Summary: 3 Stars
White Lightning (1973) features Burt Reynolds, in familiar territory, as Gator McKlusky, a car thief and moonshine whiskey runner, doing time in prison down south. When his kid brother is found drowned in a backwoods swamp with weights attached to his body, Gator gets riled up, and looking for revenge, agrees to work with the authorities, and go undercover to find out what he can about the transportation of illegal moonshine whiskey (white lightning) in the country where his brother was killed.
Gator is released, and soon hooks up with Roy Boone (Bo Hopkins), a local moonshine runner. After using his wild driving skills to run interference and keep Boone from being nabbed by the po-lice, Gator meets Big Bear (R. G. Armstrong), the leader of crew producing the white lightning. Sheriff Connors (Ned Beatty), manages the illegal bootleg activities, and begins looking for a snitch, after being tipped that the Feds are conducting an investigation, and McKlusky is busted by Big Bear and his men. Gator uses some subtle misdirection to escape, but takes a bullet in the process. Fleeing with Boone's girlfriend, they take refuge at a home for unwed mothers, and Gator learns the reason why his brother died. Suddenly the Sheriff arrives, and the film climaxes with a pretty extended car chase through the back roads, with a sudden and unexpected conclusion.
White Lightning, is a well acted and pretty realistic film, that does not try to do, or be too much. Gator McKlusky is regular guy, who doesn't engage in any superheroic behavior, and Burt Reynolds' performance is spot on, and believable. The action sequences are mostly limited to a couple of minor scuffles, a brief gunfight, and a couple of nicely staged car chases, so don't expect any outrageous stunts.
Directed by Joseph Sargent, White Lightning does not take the dark violent path it could have. The movie opens on a very disturbing note, with the murder of two young men, but never again displays that same kind of evil ruthlessness. Vengeance and revenge, might be Gator's initial motivation, but once free, it does not seem to be a major factor. McKlusky and Connors, never have a confrontation, which is interesting, as Reynolds and Beatty were also together in Deliverance (1972). The final car chase has a lighthearted tone, leading to a finale that is a little anticlimactic, and perhaps unsatisfying, but sometimes realism produces that kind of result.
In the 70's, Reynolds would continue to find success behind the wheel of a car, in films like Smokey and the Bandit (1977), and the Cannonball Run series. He would return as McKlusky in a sequel, Gator (1976), which he would also direct.
Movie Review: You Know What to Expect
Summary: 3 Stars
Fresh off his Oscar-nominated performance in "Deliverance," The Sideburn King of 70's Cinema teamed up with Ned Beatty again in "White Lightning," an action-oriented story about fast cars, Southern justice, moonshinin', and vengeance. Reynolds is Gator, a prisoner who gets himself released on the promise that he'll drum up evidence on a crooked County sherriff (Beatty). It seems this sherriff murdered Reynolds' brother, and Burt's carryin' a grudge.
The film is a rather shambling affair; the plot meanders and we never really get a sense that Gator's got much of a plan. He just wants the sherriff dead. Think of it as "Smokey and the Bandit" without the jokes, the music, or Sally Field and you're on the right track. Nonetheless, for fans of Burt and good ole-fashioned 70's car chase movies, it works just fine on its level. It is certainly preferable to the 1976 sequel, "Gator," for which Reynolds made his directorial debut, reprised his starring role, and more or less re-used the plot.
Movie Review: This film has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to fit your TV and edited for content
Summary: 3 Stars
This is just like watching the film 30 years ago on the movie of the week. If you buy this DVD, you should know:
"This film has been modified from its original version. It has been formatted to fit your TV and edited for content"
Surprised me. I've never had a DVD that was cleaned up for TV before. At least they cut out the commercials.
As to the film, it's no masterpiece like "Deliverance." On the other hand, people under 40 probably have no idea what the "cool" "pre-Smokey" Burt Reynolds was like. This should give them a clue.
-rei