Wall-to-wall action and comedy is the order of the day in these classic Burt Reynolds capers in which the loveable moustached-one plays fast-talking Trans-Am-driving Bandit. He’s tasked in the first of these three films to get a shipment of Coors beer to Atlanta. Acting as a blocker to Cledus, aka Snowman (Jerry Reed, who also provided the catchy country theme song), who drives the truck full of booze. When he picks up a bride (Sally Field) who has jilted the son of Texan Sheriff Buford T. Justice (the incomparable Jackie Gleeson), he tries to evade the law in more wheel-spinning fun than you can handle.
The original 1977 film is a genuine classic, which could never be better by the sequels. The second movie, released in 1980, reprises the concept with a different load but with just as much action. The third entry sees a retiring Buford take on a wager to transport a statue of a shark across the country. Cledus takes the role of Bandit here, and it’s clear the formula is wearing thin, but there are still a few thrills and smiles to be had.
For the bonus features, it’s the first film that boasts the most watchable extras. A feature-length behind-the-scenes special, The Bandit, opens with vintage footage of a cigar-chomping Reynolds walking a studio set before moving to Needham and explaining the role of a stuntman. It’s a fascinating look back at how the film came together, with plenty of talking head input from those who are still around (it was made before Burt passed), alongside archive footage of Hal. It’s an honest and frank look at what it took to make the film, how Burt became the superstar that he was, and, more importantly, what motivated Needham to want to become a director.
One of the other extras, Loaded Up and Truckin’, covers some of the same ground but is still a worthwhile watch and has a few new anecdotes. An amusing guide to CB lingo rounds out the film-specific extras on the first film. There’s only a commentary on each of the other two films, but they are newly recorded and informative, at least.
Via Vision’s box set includes the three films, six art prints, and a 3D lenticular-style slipcase, which makes Bandit’s car leap from the front. The films are great, if dumb, fun, and this set gives them the due they deserve.
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT COLLECTION is available to import from Australia now.
