the leading man is my tpye

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

While serving time in an Arkansas prison for running illegal moonshine, "Gator McClusky" (Burt Reynolds) is told that his younger brother has been killed by a corrupt sheriff named "J. C. Connors" (Ned Beatty). He also finds out that this particular sheriff has been receiving money from the local bootleggers so that they continue their illegal operations. With that in mind, Gator decides to cooperate with federal agents who are only too willing to grant him an early release from prison in order to nail this crooked cop. First, however, Gator has to worm his way into the local moonshine operation of that particular area and because of the high degree of paranoia by those involved in the area this is not an easy thing to do. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a solid action film which relied heavily on violence and car chase scenes. Likewise, the acting was decent and the Southern scenery also benefited this picture to a certain degree as well. In short, while this certainly wasn't a great movie by any means it was still somewhat entertaining and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

Burt Reynolds is a good old boy joking and shoveling his way through his second stint in an Arkansas prison when he hears that his brother, a recent college graduate, has been murdered in Bogan County. He makes a deal with the despised federal authorities. If they let him out, he'll work undercover to become part of the whiskey-making machine in Bogan Country in an attempt to bring the corrupt sheriff to justice. Reynolds doesn't care much about the sheriff and his white lightning. That's a business with which he's had some prior experience. His goal is to find out who killed his brother and the girl who was with him. It becomes apparent that the sheriff is behind not only the illegal booze business but the brutal harassment and murders of kids like Reynold's idealistic brother. Justice is served -- despite local apathy -- and its instrument is Reynolds.All the iconography of the small-town South is here -- the hopped-up cars, the pursuits at high speed, the lawmen who smile even as they reach down your throat and rip out your pyloric sphincter, the swamps in which sweaty people swim nekkid, the guns, the contempt for federal authority, muscles, tatty dresses, garages, the dusty unpaved roads, the sexy sluts.It sounds as if it were written for the drive-in movie trade and maybe it was. In the print I saw, all the expletives were deleted. Guns are okay but allusions to the Allmighty are not. But the thing is enjoyable too.Burt Reynolds is always reliable in a low-key way, with his casual handsomeness, his biceps, and his high-pitched haw haw. He might have been a good actor -- still COULD be -- if he'd had more ambition and chosen his roles more carefully.The others turn in passable performances in their mostly stereotyped roles, except that Ned Beatty as the mild-mannered, murderous, troglodytic sheriff is more than that. He's outstanding. The script gives him a good case for marketing white lightning. Instead of paying twenty dollars for a fifth of liquor, his poor townsfolk can buy a pint for a few dollars. What's the harm? He makes it sound like a charitable enterprise. (They even deliver to the back door of churches.) All in all, a pleasant enough way to waste an hour and a half.

My CW affiliate showed this movie a week after "Gator". I think they got it backwards, but maybe it was better I saw the more fun movie first. Not that this wasn't entertaining enough, but if I hadn't seen "Gator" and found out it was the sequel after seeing this, my expectations would have been lowered.Burt Reynolds has more of an acting challenge here, and he succeeds. Except for a few scenes where he is driving fast and seems to be enjoying himself, he is playing a totally different character than what his fans are probably used to. In "Gator", he has that "Smokey and the Bandit" quality, but here, he is a darker, tougher character (and yet it's supposed to be the same man in both). This is not a comedy, though it can be funny at times. Ironically, the final scenes in this movie are funny (in a dark way), while the funnier sequel ends on a dramatic note.I think pretty much everyone with a leading role does a good job. Ned Beatty is nothing like what I am used to--he's mean, but in a quiet way. Not a yelling sheriff like Jackie Gleason was, but just nasty enough in his attitude that you want him to get what's coming to him.There are a couple of good car chases, including one involving a very short train. I mean the only way the train could be shorter is if it was just a locomotive. But it still adds to the excitement.But there is just enough violence to make this movie a little hard to watch. There are some mean people in this movie. The whole point is that Gator is going after bad guys. But they're not the light-hearted bad guys you would find in a comedy.This is certainly worth seeing.

This was my first Burt Reynolds movie and it was one of the best. Burt Reynolds plays the role of Gator McKlusky, Jennifer Billingsley plays the role of Lou, and Ned Beatty plays the role of Sheriff Conners. Gator is in an Arkansas prison serving time for running moonshine whiskey. While in prison Gator learns that his little brother was ******** by the ruthless Sheriff J.C. Conners. Therefore, Gator gets a pardon as along as he agrees to join up with the feds in order to put Sheriff Conners out of business for good. With adrenaline pumping car chasers, bone crushing brawls and terrific acting made this one of the best action films in it's time. based on the action alone of give this movie 8 weasel stars because there was no gorgeous actress in this picture.