6.2/10
29,862
121 user 54 critic

The Cannonball Run (1981)

PG | | Action, Comedy, Sport | 19 June 1981 (USA)
The Cannonball Run Poster
A wide variety of eccentric competitors participate in a wild and illegal cross-country road race. However, the eccentric entrants will do anything to win the road race, including low-down, dirty tricks.

Director:

Hal Needham

Writer:

Brock Yates

Stars:

Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett | See full cast & crew »
28
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Popularity
3,236 ( 466)

On Disc

at Amazon

1 win & 2 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

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Photos

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Cannonball Run II (1984)
Action | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 4.9/10 X  

The original characters from The Cannonball Run (1981) race across the country once more in various cars and trucks.

Director: Hal Needham
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin
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Smokey and the Bandit II (1980)
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The Bandit goes on another cross-country run, transporting an elephant from Florida to Texas. And, once again, Sheriff Buford T. Justice is on his tail.

Director: Hal Needham
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Jackie Gleason, Jerry Reed
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Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
Action | Comedy
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.9/10 X  

The Bandit is hired on to run a tractor trailer full of beer over state lines, in hot pursuit by a pesky sheriff.

Director: Hal Needham
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed
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Hollywood aging stuntman Sonny Hooper wants to prove that he's still got what it takes to be a great professional in this risky and under-recognized line of work.

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Stars: Burt Reynolds, Jan-Michael Vincent, Sally Field
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A sadistic warden asks a former pro quarterback, now serving time in his prison, to put together a team of inmates to take on (and get pummeled by) the guards.

Director: Robert Aldrich
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This is another story of the secret Coast to Coast auto race across America The only rule is, the first to finish is the winner. Naturally, anyone driving 55 miles per hour isn't going to ... See full summary »

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Agents force a former con man to help them nab a corrupt politician.

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Speed Zone (1989)
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An illegal race that takes place over the United States and nothing will stop this bunch of racers except for the occasional cop or a damsel in distress. Jackie Chan's car is not in this ... See full summary »

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Sharky's Machine (1981)
Action | Crime | Drama
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Tom Sharky is demoted to vice after a bust goes terribly wrong. He and his team stumble across a mob murder tied to prostitution and government.

Director: Burt Reynolds
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Rachel Ward, Vittorio Gassman
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Reynolds ... J. J. McClure
Roger Moore ... Seymour
Farrah Fawcett ... Pamela
Dom DeLuise ... Victor Prinzim
Dean Martin ... Jamie Blake
Sammy Davis Jr. ... Fenderbaum
Jack Elam ... Doctor Nikolas Van Helsing
Adrienne Barbeau ... Marcie
Terry Bradshaw ... Terry
Jackie Chan ... Subaru Driver #1
Bert Convy ... Brad
Jamie Farr ... Sheik
Peter Fonda ... Chief Biker
George Furth ... A. F. Foyt
Michael Hui ... Subaru Driver #2
See full cast »
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Storyline

This comedy film brings Burt Reynolds, Sir Roger Moore, Farrah Fawcett, Dom DeLuise, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and an all-star cast to the starting line of the ultimate auto race, a madcap cross-country scramble that roars full-speed ahead. This action-comedy was inspired by an actual event: the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an anything goes, all-stops-out, and very much illegal, competition that has grown to legendary proportions within the last ten years. Written by Murray Chapman <muzzle@cs.uq.oz.au>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

batman character | van helsing character | batman | van helsing | three word title | See All (129) »

Taglines:

You'll root for them all...but you'll never guess who wins.

Genres:

Action | Comedy | Sport

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Country:

USA | Hong Kong

Language:

English | Cantonese | Japanese | Arabic

Release Date:

19 June 1981 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

The Cannonball Trophy See more »

Filming Locations:

St. Louis, Missouri, USA See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,765,654, 21 June 1981

Gross USA:

$72,179,579
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Golden Harvest Company,Eurasia Investments See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Legendary odds-maker Jimmy the Greek had a cameo in this movie, where he did a scene with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. Jimmy and Dean grew up in Steubenville, Ohio, and were friends since childhood. See more »

Goofs

During the "Big Roadblock" scene when the van explodes after hitting the patrol car, you can see the wire connecting the detonator to the explosives in the van. It flies across the far bridge piling. See more »

Quotes

J.J. McClure: what about a black trans-am? No, that's been done!
See more »

Crazy Credits

An animated car drives around the 20th Century Fox logo, hiding out in the zero. It is chased by a police car, which crashes into one of the searchlights. The sequence ends with Burt Reynold's trademark laugh. See more »

Alternate Versions

A 1981 laserdisc version from CBS/Fox replaces strong language with "tamer versions" of the words (darn for damn, heck for hell, etc.), although all later laserdisc reissues have the unedited film as does the 1997 HBO VHS. See more »

Connections

Features Behind the Green Door (1972) See more »

Soundtracks

Love Is on the Air
Written by Larry Henley (as L. Henley), Jim Hurt (as J. Hurt) and Johnny Slate (as J. Slate)
Performed by Lou Rawls
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the race in this movie based on any real race?
See more »

User Reviews

 
All-star madcap race to California
2 September 2000 | by filmbuff-36 – See all my reviews

This film is best summarized as a live action version of Wacky Races. Burt Reynolds leads on all star cast of freaky drivers competing in a no-holds-barred race competition called the Cannonball Run. The standouts in this film are Roger Moore who seems to enjoy spoofing his own James Bond character, Jackie Chan as a kung-fu foreign race champ, Jack Elam as the twisted doctor riding along in Burt's ambulance, and Jamie Farr as a mad sheik trying to show Islamic superiority by defeating his opponents.

This is not a movie to be taken seriously, especially with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. cruising around dressed up like priests. There are a lot of good stunts and chase scenes in this movie, as well as a long brawl towards the end with all the Cannonballers against a gang of bikers, led by Peter Fonda!

To quote the Brain Gremlin from Gremlins 2: "Check it out one time, won't you!" You won't be disappointed.
14 of 18 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
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