‘SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT’

PG 1:36

It’s no Southern film classic on the plane of “To Kill a Mockingbird” or “Gone with the Wind,” but “Smokey and the Bandit” still hauls in a truckload of good-ol’-boy fun more than four decades after it became a box-office hit.

Following the death of Burt Reynolds, the film is returning to select theaters this weekend. The Bandit’s glossy black Pontiac Trans Am, his bright red shirt and the Georgia locations look clean and vivid in high-definition.

Primarily a showcase for Burt Reynolds’ considerable charisma and trademark ‘70s ‘stache as well as director/ co-writer Hal Needham’s stuntman experience, “Smokey and the Bandit” spawned a series of copycats and sequels with ever diminishing returns. Judged on its own merits, the movie may be dated but boasts a charming, capable cast that is clearly having a ball playing such colorful characters, plus plenty of zippy chases, zany crashes and cheeky redneck humor.

In his signature role, Reynolds stars as Bo “Bandit” Danville, a cocky driving ace who isn’t afraid to bend or break the law. Rich wheelerdealers Big Enos Burdette (Pat McCormick) and his son Little Enos (Paul Williams) bet Bandit $80,000 that he can’t haul 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas, to a big celebration in Georgia in just 28 hours. The catch is that the job isn’t strictly legal; at the time, transporting Coors east of the Mississippi River constituted bootlegging.

Recruiting his goodnatured pal Cledus “Snowman” Snow (country music star Jerry Reed) to drive the big rig, the Bandit takes the wheel of a spiffy new Trans Am and the role of blocker. He will keep local lawmen, or “Smokies,” along the trek occupied with his reckless hot-dogging, clearing the way for Snowman and his illegal cargo.

The jaunt goes smoothly until the Bandit picks up a fetching runaway bride named Carrie (Reynolds’ then-girlfriend Sally Field, with whom he has crackling chemistry) who is fleeing her planned union to dim-witted Texas beau Junior Justice (Mike Henry). But Junior’s father, Sheriff Buford T. Justice (a gleefully over-the-top and uproarious Jackie Gleason), is determined to track down Carrie and save face by making her go through with the wedding. Once she catches a ride with the notorious Bandit, the blustering sheriff isn’t going to let any number of jurisdictional lines or damaged car parts prevent him from snaring his slippery prey.

Although it was overshadowed by the blockbuster success of “Star Wars,” “Smokey and the Bandit” was one of the biggest boxoffice smashes of 1977 and earned an Oscar nomination for best editing. Plus, Reed penned and performed three original songs for the film, including the enduring country classic “East Bound and Down.” Compared with overly slick and serious crash-’em-ups like “The Fast and the Furious” movies, the Southern-fried romp has a big personality and an infectious sense of fun that makes it worth taking for another spin.

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed, and Jackie Gleason. (Language and innuendo.)