Powerful

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Excellent but underrated film

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

CONVOY is a middling truck chase movie from director Sam Peckinpah, who by all accounts was off his head on drugs for much of the filming. It's no surprise that the resultant film feels cheap and choppy, with a plot that seems cobbled together from various unrelated strands and a distinct lack of excitement despite the proliferation of stunts and high-octane action. Kris Kristofferson is the unremarkable lead, failing to ignite a romance with the unremarkable Ali McGraw, and seconding better actors like Burt Young to support. Ernest Borgnine is the best thing about the film as the antagonist sheriff villain. The stunts are cool, but the running time is too long and outside of the action it stalls. It doesn't help that the film just isn't very well directed either; for example, the repeated use of slow motion in the bar-room brawl just feels ridiculous.

This movie begins with three truckers driving under the handles of "the Rubber Duck" (Kris Kristofferson), "Pig Pen" (Burt Young) and "Spider Mike" (Franklin Ajaye) minding their own business and cruising down the highway. Suddenly, from out of nowhere they get a message that the highway is totally clear and advising them to speed up. Naturally, they eagerly follow this advice only to find out that the person on the other end of the CB radio is actually an Arizona sheriff named "Lyle Wallace" (Ernest Borgnine) and he has tricked them into violating the speed limit. Not only that, but he then proceeds to pocket their money in exchange for letting them go on their way. Needless to say, this doesn't make them very happy and when one of the Sheriff's deputies tries to harass Spider Mike at a nearby truck stop things quickly go south from there. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this movie is based on a song that came out a year or two earlier and helped to further a new American fad involving CB radios and films based on highway truck drivers. Although these films seemed quite new and exciting at the time, the luster has essentially vanished from most of these movies and this particular picture is no exception as it now seems rather dull and outdated. Slightly below average.

Convoy (1978) ** 1/2 (out of 4)It's not too uncommon to see a rip-off of a hit motion picture, in this case SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, but it is weird to see one coming from director Sam Peckinpah. It's fair to say that the director's career wasn't in the highest of spots but he adds a certain flair to the material that might not have been there in a lesser director's hands. In the film Kris Kristofferson plays a trucker known as Rubber Duck who leads a convoy after a worthless sheriff (Ernest Borgnine) assaults a driver. The mile long convoy soon gets the attention of the federal government and the media and it's up to the Duck to try and figure the best way out for everyone. If you're expecting to see something like THE WILD BUNCH or STRAW DOGS then it's best you watch one of those two films because the greatness Peckinpah is known for isn't going to be spotted here but at the same time there's no question that there's some mild entertainment to be had here. It's in question how much of this Peckinpah actually directed since his drug and alcohol abuse was pretty severe at the time but there are still some noticeable trademarks including the classic slow motion sequences. There's no question that this thing was made to cash in on the SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT craze but this picture never reaches the level of that one for a couple of reasons. For starters, there's not nearly as much fun going on here and this is really too bad. I think had there been some more charm and grace that the picture would have been more entertaining. I also think having so many people involved in the "chase" also made for way too many logical issues including why anyone would let something this big happen over something rather small. With that said, there's still some fun to be had and especially with the performances by both Kristofferson and Borgnine who appear to be having fun. Both of them fit their roles very well but the same can't be said for Ali McGraw and Burt Young since both of them are wasted. There's some great cinematography to be had here, some nice music and the scenes of the long convoy are certainly impressive. CONVOY is far from a classic or even a good film but it's mildly entertaining for those who just want to kick back for some entertainment.

"I ain't mad, I'm scared to death" This film is seminal, the excitement and influence it has had on small children over the last 30 years cannot be underestimated. It's not for everyone I admit but I'm pushing 40 and I still cannot stop watching it. The lines are classic and the climax is so over the top yet emotional it cannot be underestimated. There is suspense as well as really basic comedy. The direction is actually very slick and it will grip the viewers. There is no deep subliminal plot: a group of truckers try to out run the law. It's brilliant. Kristofferson is a cool calm legend and Bourgnine is every bit the frustrated Sheriff. Less cheesy than Smokey and the Bandit with a belting sound track. This film will make you laugh, cry and cheer. I got the Rocking Chair - Good Buddy!