Convoy (1978) 6.1
Truckers form a mile long "convoy" in support of a trucker's vendetta with an abusive sheriff...Based on the country song of same title by C.W. McCall. Director:Sam Peckinpah |
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Convoy (1978) 6.1
Truckers form a mile long "convoy" in support of a trucker's vendetta with an abusive sheriff...Based on the country song of same title by C.W. McCall. Director:Sam Peckinpah |
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| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Kris Kristofferson | ... |
Martin 'Rubber Duck' Penwald
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| Ali MacGraw | ... |
Melissa
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| Ernest Borgnine | ... |
Sheriff Lyle 'Cottonmouth' Wallace
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| Burt Young | ... |
Bobby 'Love Machine' 'Pig Pen'
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| Madge Sinclair | ... |
Widow Woman
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| Franklyn Ajaye | ... |
Spider Mike
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| Brian Davies | ... |
Chuck Arnoldi
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| Seymour Cassel | ... |
Governer Jerry Haskins
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Cassie Yates | ... |
Violet
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Walter Kelley | ... |
Federal Agent Hamilton
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Jackson D. Kane | ... |
Big Nasty
(as J.D. Kane)
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Billy Hughes | ... |
Pack Rat
(as Billy E. Hughes)
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Whitey Hughes | ... |
White Rat
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Bill Coontz | ... |
Old Iguana
(as Bill Foster)
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Tommy J. Huff | ... |
Lizard Tongue
(as Thomas Huff)
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While driving through the Arizona desert, Albuquerque based independent trucker Martin Penwald - who goes by the handle "Rubber Duck" - along with his fellow truckers "Pig Pen" and "Spider Mike", are entrapped by unscrupulous Sheriff Lyle "Cottonmouth" Wallace using a key tool of the trucker's trade, the citizens' band (CB) radio. Rubber Duck and Cottonmouth have a long, antagonistic history. When this encounter later escalates into a more physical one as Cottonmouth threatens Spider Mike, a man who just wants to get home to his pregnant wife, Rubber Duck and other the truckers involved, including Spider Mike, Pig Pen and "Widow Woman", go on the run, figuring the best thing to do being to head to New Mexico to avoid prosecution. Along for the ride is Melissa, a beautiful photographer who just wanted a ride to the airport. As news of what happened spreads over the CB airwaves, other truckers join their convoy as a show of support. Cottonmouth rallies other law enforcement officers ... Written by Huggo
Honestly, what can be said about a film entirely based on a country song? This is the first film by the late, great Sam Peckinpah I've seen, and I must say, despite this apparently being him at his worst, I'm intrigued enough to watch more of his works. I guess that's solid proof that he knew what he was doing... even while making this. The film is basically a large group of truckers forming a convoy, in support to one of them who is to be arrested. They drive around in a long line of trucks, in said support. Odd way to show it, in my personal opinion, but to each his own. The camera caresses the trucks, in many shots, much like it does in Woo's film with the guns. Despite my limited knowledge of the culture of trucking and my neutral stance on fast cars(I rarely enjoy car-chases... The Blues Brothers is the exception that confirms the rule), I enjoyed parts of this movie. There's a bar-fight near the beginning with some slow-motion shots oddly blended in with the real-time footage. I don't know if this is typical to Peckinpah's style. This is largely a guy's movie. There's a camera angle focusing on the female lead's crotch within the first few minutes. The plot is driven by trucks, and pretty much everyone seen driving one of said trucks is what is commonly referred to as a "man's man", or one who's "macho". The film is nicely shot, some very good cinematography. The plot is, to my understanding, basically the lyrics of the country song of the same name written into a screenplay, with few, if any, alterations. That makes it quite predictable, but it's still fairly enjoyable. The direction is good. The acting is somewhat dim, though MacGraw and Kristofferson manage to hold their own. The pacing seemed pretty bad, but I'm not into this kind of film, so that may be at fault. I recommend this to fans of Peckinpah, Kristofferson and possibly MacGraw. 5/10