White Lightning (1973)

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Writer:

William W. Norton (written by)

Release Date:

22 October 1973 (Sweden)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Crime

Tagline:

If You Haven't Seen "White Lightning" You Haven't Seen Burt Reynolds

Plot:

An ex con teams up with federal agents to help them with breaking up a moonshine ring. |

Plot Keywords:

Moonshine | Bare Chested Male | Rowboat | Prison Escape | Crooked Sheriff

Cast

Burt Reynolds	...	Gator McKlusky
Jennifer Billingsley	...	Lou
Ned Beatty	...	Sheriff J.C. Connors
Bo Hopkins	...	Roy Boone
Matt Clark	...	Dude Watson
Louise Latham	...	Martha Culpepper
Diane Ladd	...	Maggie (as Diane Lad)
R.G. Armstrong	...	Big Bear
Conlan Carter	...	Deputy
Dabbs Greer	...	Pa McKlusky
Lincoln Demyan	...	Warden
John Steadman	...	Skeeter
Iris Korn	...	Ma McKlusky
Stephanie Burchfield	...	Jenny
Barbara Muller	...	Louella

Also Known As:

McKlusky

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Singapore:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 | USA:PG | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Benton, Arkansas, USA

Company:

Levy-Gardner-Laven

Trivia:

Selected by Quentin Tarantino for the First Quentin Tarantino Film Fest in Austin, Texas, 1996.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Gator is trying out the 1971 Ford Galaxy he was given by the Federal agents, you see him working a manual gear shift in the floor. Throughout the scene Gator upshifts and downshifts. However, when he arrives at his parents home, you see him place the car in park on the steering wheel, which is obviously an automatic transmission.

Quotes:

[last line]
Gator McKlusky: The good, they die young!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

This good ol' boy is taking care of business.

Gator McKlusky who's serving time in an Arkansas prison, finds out his younger brother is murdered by the corrupt town Sheriff J.C Connors. Wanting revenge, he agrees with the terms of going undercover as a moonshine runner for the feds and informing them of any important information to put away Connors. However it's Gator's personal quest of his brother's death, which pushes him to test the boundaries and power that Connors owns.

Quite likable, and truly a thick southern slice of crudely good ol' fun and rousing mishaps. Burt Reynolds' charismatic appeal was specially made for the part, and along side him is a terrifically well-served cast including the despicable Ned Betty, glorious Jennifer Billingsley, amusing Bo Hopkins, twitchy Matt Clark, live wire Diane Ladd and a rigid R.G Armstrong. Splendid line-up, but Reynolds was the real scene-stealer. The story might be a simple revenge tale with some currents involving racism and narrow-mindlessness, but it's a exhilarating pot boiler that's neatly drawn up with plenty of flesh hanging off it, and its zips onto one scene after another with burning conviction. Look out for an enjoyable reference to Don Siegel/Clint Eastwood's southern thriller "The Beguiled (1971)". The authenticity of the sweaty southern setting is beautifully captured with Edward Rosson's sharp photography doing the trick. Be it during the quiet moments, or the well-engineered, gut-busting brawls and blistering car chases. Even Charles Bernstein's wonderfully flavoured and titillating music arrangement dominates and goes a long way to cementing the film's potent personality. Director Joseph Sargent rapidly, rough n' tumble style, goes down well the tautly wry script and delivers the action with the right intensity. Amongst the tough suspense and sweet fooling, there are some genuinely moving scenes.

Always compelling, and one of Reynolds best performances.