White Lightning (1973)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

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 | Crooked Sheriff | Color In Title | Death Of Brother

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:

This was originally slated to be Steven Spielberg's first theatrical feature and he spent months on pre-production.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: There are several shots of Gators '71 Ford that show a stock front clip. Then there are some that show the left headlights covered in tape and a steel bracket that runs along the front bumper.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

What Burt Reynolds Should Have Been

Some people renting this expecting "Gator" style silliness are probably in for a surprise. This movie had a lot more of a "Deliverence" feeling than I expected, and felt authentic to the South of the 1970s. Ok, I wasn't there at the time, so it could be completely wrong. But it was convincing.

This is what Reynolds could have been--a middleweight serious Southern Action actor, like a cornpone Marlon Brando. There's just enough meat on the script to get the old mental wheels turning, and just enough action that it doesn't turn into one of those boring intellectual films about the Bad Ol' South. All in all, a good, interesting, tight movie.

Of course, it unfortunately led to "Gator" -- a bloated mess -- a few years later. Watching them back to back, it's pathetic to watch how Reynolds declined into a buffoon. As he showed in Boogie Nights, he's quite capable of playing serious dramatic roles. Too bad he didn't follow through on the promise of White Lightning, but I'm sure the $$$ were better for the garbage films he later made.