Smokey and the Bandit from 1977 is a comedy classic! This is the kind of movie that caught lightning in a bottle, it was pretty much loved by everyone, and even to this day it is a fun movie. In typical Hollywood fashion, they would try to replicate what they did here with a second movie that is fun but lacks the spark this hand. They would follow that up with a god-awful third movie and a TV series.
How to Download Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit was released on July 29, 1977. You can download or stream the film from a digital platform such as Apple TV or Amazon Prime Video. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice.
The Movie Review
Growing up in the 80s and the early 90s, Smoky and the Bandit is a movie that felt like it was on TV all the time. I had it taped from the TV and it was a movie that I always had a fun time with. However, these days when I think of Smokey and the Bandit, my mind always goes to the hilarious scene from Mallrats where we are asked the question, “How many times do you get to see Smokey bang the Bandit?” I cleaned that up a little for you, but it is still a hilarious line.
Ok, back on topic, Smokey and the Bandit is a fun movie that is really just a bunch of crazy over the top car chases and crashes. The always suave and handsome Burt Reynolds plays the role of Bo, better known as The Bandit. Burt Reynolds is just Hollywood royalty both as an actor and as a man who has one of the greatest mustaches on screen, only bettered by the great Tom Selleck in my humble opinion.
Plot Summary and Characters
The premise of the movie is that there is a bet and the bet is that Smokey and his pal, The Snowman cannot take 400 cases of Coors beer from Texarkana to Atlanta in a certain time frame and without being caught. This sounds like such a paper-thin plot for a movie, but it works and it works really well.
Smokey is going to drive a car and play defense and distraction for The Snowman who is transporting the booze in his truck. However, this “bet” is complicated when a young woman called Carrie jumps in with the Bandit as she is on the run from her fiancé, who happens to be the son of the local Sherrif, better known as Smokey and he will stop at nothing to catch Bandit and get Carrie back.
The movie is just a whole lot of fun, it is full of cheesy comedy, over-the-top crashes, and some very memorable characters. Sally Field as Carrie… or The Frog has great chemistry with Bury Reynolds, but the whole cast including the great Jackie Gleason as Smokey and Jerry Reed as The Snowman are great. There are many great side characters here as well. However, it is Jackie Gleason who steals the show for me, the stuff he says is legit laugh out loud hilarious.
Watching Smokey and the Bandit in 4K
I have the Smokey and the Bandit trilogy on Blu-Ray, but there is a 4K release of the original Smokey and the Bandit which I have heard very good things about as far as the 4K transfer and the audio goes. Yet, I have not pulled the trigger on it yet, I really need to, although from what I have read, it has no new special features which is a bit of a bummer. No matter if you are watching this on DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K, or even a beaten-up old VHS, Smokey and the Bandit is a super fun time.
