A Disappointing Continuation

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

No doubt about it, Sam Peckinpah was a gifted director, and he made several movies that bore his genius. American film wouldn't be the same were there no "Wild Bunch," "Straw Dogs," "Cross of Iron," "Ride the High Country," "The Getaway," "Killer Elite," "Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia," and "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid." As his life ran down, so did the quality of Peckinpah's films. "Convoy" exemplifies this problem. Made in 1978 on the basis of a hit county music single by C.W. McCall, aka Bill Fries, "Convoy" qualifies as a non-stop road farce in the tradition of Hal Needham's "Smoky and the Bandit." Whereas Burt Reynolds and Needham produced what essentially amounted to a good ole boy road picture with comedy galore, Peckinpah's "Convoy" doesn't share the light-hearted spirit. Scenarist Bill Norton draws on the song for inspiration, but reportedly Fries reconfigured the song to accommodate the whims of the film. A study in rebellion, "Convoy" chronicles the trials and tribulations of the Rubber Duck (Kris Kristofferson of "Payback") who finds himself caught up in a pseudo political movement between truckers and law enforcement that turns into a media farce before it grinds to a halt atop a bridge over a muddy river. Unlike "Smokey and the Bandit," "Convoy" plays it straighter and its characters have a nasty side that generates the whole subplot about African-American trucker Spider Mike (Franklyn Ajaye) is beaten up and thrown into jail when he leaves the convoy to see his pregnant wife who is about to pop. Slimy, low-down Sheriff Lyle Wallace (Ernst Borgnine of "The Wild Bunch") and good guy, activist Martin 'Rubber Duck' Penwald have a history that would have been interesting to know more about. Suffice to say, they are each other's enemy, at least until the ending. Everything gets off onto the wrong foot when 'Rubber Duck' is cruising down the highway in his 18-wheeler and he encounters sexy, brunette Melissa in her convertible sports car and the two toy with each other until they notice an Arizona Highway Trooper that they force off the road. The rest is history as Melissa hangs out and rides with the 'Rubber Duck' until he sends her packing before he streaks across a bridge and runs into Lyle on a machine gun. Peckinpah and "Little Big Man" lenser Harry Stradling Jr., have created a beautiful looking movie with scenic terrain and splendid stunts. At its best, "Convoy" represents a collection of dramatic scenes culled from Peckinpah's own classics. The chief problem is the lack of characterization and the reason behind all the strange relationships that occur in the film. Nevertheless, Peckinpah aficionados will appreciate all the references to previous Peckinpah films, so that "Convoy" is a better-than-average road trip that could have been better. The stunt driving is top-notch, especially the scene when Lyle smashes a car through a billboard with 'Take a Friend to Church' on it. The opening credit sequence with the snowy white deserts and the heat waves wrinkling on the horizon are cool to look at.

Three truckers are setting off across country when they are harassed by a local Sheriff. The Sheriff is happy to use his power to extort money from anyone who he runs into, and he has a particular dislike for truckers. He and one of the truckers, "Rubber Duck", have a long-standing feud. This boils over when the truckers refuse to give in to one of his extortion attempts and get into a fight with the Sheriff and the local police. This results in a cross-state, even inter- state chase, and grows in magnitude as more and more trucks join the rebels, forming a convoy.Pretty weak movie. Generally just one long car/truck chase scene, with little escapades along the way. Had some potential to make a statement about freedom and taking a stand against fascism (maybe a Vanishing Point with trucks) but hardly touches either subject. Instead it's one of those mindless elongated cross country car chase movies. Most perplexing of all, this is directed by Sam Peckinpah, the man who gave us The Wild Bunch, Cross of Iron, Straw Dogs and Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. His movies usually have solid plots, good themes and are quite gritty and violent. This has none of those traits. Why he chose to direct this, I don't know. He must have needed the money.

Convoy (1978) ** 1/2 (out of 4)It's not too uncommon to see a rip-off of a hit motion picture, in this case SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, but it is weird to see one coming from director Sam Peckinpah. It's fair to say that the director's career wasn't in the highest of spots but he adds a certain flair to the material that might not have been there in a lesser director's hands. In the film Kris Kristofferson plays a trucker known as Rubber Duck who leads a convoy after a worthless sheriff (Ernest Borgnine) assaults a driver. The mile long convoy soon gets the attention of the federal government and the media and it's up to the Duck to try and figure the best way out for everyone. If you're expecting to see something like THE WILD BUNCH or STRAW DOGS then it's best you watch one of those two films because the greatness Peckinpah is known for isn't going to be spotted here but at the same time there's no question that there's some mild entertainment to be had here. It's in question how much of this Peckinpah actually directed since his drug and alcohol abuse was pretty severe at the time but there are still some noticeable trademarks including the classic slow motion sequences. There's no question that this thing was made to cash in on the SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT craze but this picture never reaches the level of that one for a couple of reasons. For starters, there's not nearly as much fun going on here and this is really too bad. I think had there been some more charm and grace that the picture would have been more entertaining. I also think having so many people involved in the "chase" also made for way too many logical issues including why anyone would let something this big happen over something rather small. With that said, there's still some fun to be had and especially with the performances by both Kristofferson and Borgnine who appear to be having fun. Both of them fit their roles very well but the same can't be said for Ali McGraw and Burt Young since both of them are wasted. There's some great cinematography to be had here, some nice music and the scenes of the long convoy are certainly impressive. CONVOY is far from a classic or even a good film but it's mildly entertaining for those who just want to kick back for some entertainment.

A rebel trucker (Kris Kristofferson) leads protesting his colleagues on a trek throughout Southwest until Mexico .Other truckers join their convoy as a show of support against brutality and other complaints . Sheriff Wallace (Ernest Borgnine)rallies other law enforcement officers throughout the southwest, they who soon aware that stopping Duck, the face of the now highly public standoff, is not as easy as shooting him and the truck due to his highly explosive cargo . Truckers (Burt Young , Magde Sinclair as Widow woman, among others) on a tri-state protest over police brutality ,form a mile long "convoy" in support of Duck's vengeance with the abusive sheriff . Based on the country song , a real hit , of same title by C.W. McCall.An enjoyable film , ¨ Peckinpah's Convoy ¨results to be an elegiac perspective at the world of the truckers . Taut excitement throughout, beautifully photographed and with spectacular trucks scenes and some images filmed in slow moving. An uneven and silly screenplay by Bill L Norton , subsequently turned to mediocre director . Vibrant and brilliant all star cast with acceptable performances from Burt Young , Seymour Cassel , Cassie Yates , among others. Kris Kristofferson turns in a nice acting as a drifting independent trucker nicknamed ¨Duck¨ who is searching freedom in a changing world , he and Ali MacGraw strike real sparks. Ernest Borgnine is particularly fine as the veteran patrolman .Peckinpah's slow-motion camera , his usual trademark,is put to particularly nice utilization shooting the balletic movement of fights , at once more splendidly and awe-inspiring than any gun battle. Furthermore, it contains a country music emotive score by Chip Davis . Glimmer and colorful cinematography by Harry Stradling Jr ,son of another great cameraman Harry Stradling Sr . Splendidly filmed in Albuquerque,Cerrillos, New Mexico,Cuba, New Mexico,Needles, California ,New Mexico State Fair Grounds ,Central & Louisanna Avenues, Albuquerque,White Sands National Monument, and Alamogordo, New Mexico. An agreeable country-trucker-Western with passable interpretations and exciting trucks footage including some slow-moving images and a much moving , professionally made by the famous director Sam Peckinpah . Sam was a real creator and author of masterpieces as ¨Cross of Iron¨,¨The ballad of Cable Hogue¨, ¨Wild bunch¨ , ¨Major Dundee¨ . ¨Convoy¨ though inferior film is lovely realized by Sam Peckinpah in his punchy directorial style .