Woodyanders
Rough'n'tumble independent truck driver Rubber Duck (Kris Kristofferson in sturdy macho form) encourages his fellow oppressed gear-jammers to make a stand against no-count corrupt Sheriff Lyle Wallace (robustly played with lip-smacking wicked aplomb by Ernest Borgnine) and the whole crooked system that he represents.Director Sam Peckinpah maintains an amiable lighthearted tone throughout (this is probably the lone Peckinpah film in which nobody gets killed), stages the action scenes with gusto (a hilarious slapstick bar fight and a climax that copies "The Wild Bunch" rate as the definite rousing highlights), and explores his trademark themes of loyalty, betrayal, integrity, nonconformity, and corruption in a rather messy, but overall hugely entertaining manner. Bill W. Norton's script might not be that subtle or complex, but still possesses an amusing streak of blithely anarchic humor as well as a strong subtext concerning rugged individuality versus the dirty and repressive status quo.Rubber Duck's fellow Diesel demons are a colorful and engaging bunch: Burt Young as scruffy wannabe ladies' man Pigpen, Franklyn Ajaye as the easygoing Spider Mike, Madge Sinclair as the sassy Widow Woman, Bill Foster as the grizzled Old Iguana, and Jackson D. Kane as the rowdy Big Nasty. Cassie Yates adds plenty of spark as sad-eyed truck stop waitress Violet, Seymour Cassel does well as the opportunistic Governor Jerry Haskins, and Brian Davies amuses as nerdy press representative Chuck Arnoldi. Ali MacGraw sports a ghastly poodle hairdo and a deep tan in a thankless nothing role. Harry Stadling Jr.'s crisp widescreen cinematography photographs the trucks in a striking way that makes them come across like powerful majestic beasts. The spirited score by Chip Davis hits the stirring spot. Best of all, the fierce camaraderie the truckers have for each other gives this movie a winning surplus of genuine heart and soul. An immensely fun flick.
trashgang
Grown up as a child end seventies early eighties I never forgot this flick up to it's new unrated and remastered release on Blu ray, time to pick it up and watch it allover again.The story is rather simple, when a trucker , Rubber Duck (Kris Kristofferson) comes across Sheriff Lyle 'Cottonmouth' Wallace (Ernest Borgnine) trouble starts between the two of them. From there on all truckers around Arizona unite with Rubber Duck to make a convoy against the smokeys. To be honest, the story do remind you a bit of a good old western and in fact it does. But what makes this flick outstanding is the fact that no effects were used, it were all on-camera stunts and they do look amazing. Just see one muscle car crash into the air. See how trucks fall over or how the crush a police car. Or what about the ending. It's also very clear that Sam Peckinpah was the director in one of his final flicks, just see the use of slo-mo and the panoramic shots.Even as it is excellent it do has a few problems, i's rather slow sometimes but the action all over the flick makes it up. On the other hand made in the seventies racism was still going on and was a'normal' thing especially in the South. And we do see some racial aspects.Made after another excellent flick, Smokey And The Bandit (1977) this is a perfect example of how people looked and laughed towards the police. Worth picking up and watch it in full glory.Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5
Steve Pulaski
C.W. McCall's 1975 hit song "Convoy" is one of the most unique and different songs to ever come out of the country genre. Its unique blend of citizens band radio (CB radio) dialog combined with a catchy, spoken-word story about a group of rebellious truckers that decide to disobey all road signs, law enforcement, and trucker policies to just be one with the road, their trucks, and their individualism, which eventually results in the creation of a trucking convoy makes for a song that does nothing but get ones energy flowing and their excitement flourishing. Throw in inanely catchy instrumentation, trucker lingo appropriately imitating life on the road, and McCall's fittingly deep vocals and you have a song that just works on sight and creates a wonderful and original vibe.Adapting McCall's novelty song into a film bearing the same name was a wise choice because the song is so much a story and full of sometimes ambiguous lingo that showing how something like a trucker rebellion would play out if it were to happen only makes sense. The film follows McCall's hit nicely, as it focuses on a deviant trucker nicknamed "Rubber Duck" (Kris Kristofferson), who bands together with his road-friends "Love Machine" (later nicknamed "Pig Pen," played by Burt Young), and "Spider Mike" (Franklyn Ajaye) to protest the corrupt ways of Sheriff Lyle "Cottonmouth" Wallace (Ernest Borgnine), by driving their trucks at top speed to the state line of New Mexico and as far as they can possibly go. Also on board with "Rubber Duck" as a passenger is Melissa (Ali MacGraw), who initially tempts him by driving without pants in a Jaguar convertible at top speed down the road. The gaggle of truckers eventually start a convoy, made up of truckers from all over the country, "long-haired friends of Jesus in a chartreuse microbus," among many others who are riding in protest of police corruption and the pursuit of individuality.Sam Peckinpah directs Convoy with a necessary sense of fun, gusto, and clear enjoyment, filming many shots of truckers and their drivers flooring it down interstates, weaving in and out of traffic, and even working to stop law-enforcement by using two eighteen-wheelers to crush a police cruiser flying down the highway at top speed. In addition, Peckinpah works to develop the relationship these truckers have with their roads, but also each other, even if their friends exist predominately as voices on the other end of a scratchy CB radio, spouting slang and vague phrases at each other hoping to achieve a goal only a select few will understand. The individualism in the film is nearly unmatchable, as we see that "Rubber Duck," "Pig Pen," and "Spider Mike" have a genuine love for what they do and, as McCall stated in his song, "ain't nothing' gonna get in their way." On top of that, the film is filled with talents that are fun to watch, specifically Kristofferson and Borgnine, two instantly recognizable actors in roles they were built to play. Watching the film and seeing their relationship develop over time is a real treat because you can see the way each of them respond to each others quips and acts of deviancy and disobedience. On top of that, the supporting cast of Young and Ajaye are entertaining, especially in the early scenes in the film, where the central focus is on their dialog with each other. Last, but certainly not least, is MacGraw, who does a beautiful job of holding her own, being the only female lead in the entire film.Convoy also has the ability to surprise by becoming a surprisingly deeper story during the film's last act, addressing issues of racism, opposition to individuality and rebellion, and corruption within a system with a sense of honesty and seriousness. For a film that bears such an asinine premise and a cheesy aesthetic, it's easy to not expect this particular film to bear such a notion of competence in terms of illustrating a moral. But that is only one of several ways Peckinpah's Convoy surprises as it lives up to a terrific song and terrific idea in an entertaining manner.Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Burt Young, Franklin Ajaye, and Ernest Borgnine. Directed by: Sam Peckinpah.
gavin6942
Truckers form a mile long "convoy" in support of a trucker's vendetta with an abusive sheriff (Ernest Borgnine and his amazing facial hair)... Based on the country song of same title by C. W. McCall.While the film will obviously be compared to "Smokey and the Bandit" (both featuring semi trailers being hounded by a sheriff), let it be known that they are not at odds and actually complement each other well (a good double feature, perhaps).Is Kris Kristopherson the same as Burt Reynolds? No. Is Ernest Borgnine the same as Jackie Gleason? Of course not. So it is sort of like the same story told in two different worlds. This one is a bit lighter on the comedy and much lighter on the romance.
