Netflix movie of the day: Burt Reynolds is tons of fun in this classic action comedy
They don’t make ‘em like they used to. Smokey and The Bandit feels like time travel
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Smokey and The Banditwas made in 1977, and there’s a distinct line between it and this year’sThe Fall Guy, not least becauseSmokeywas directed by a former stuntman: it’s the kind of film Ryan Gosling’s character would have spent a lot of his career making, a film propelled by a mix of stunts and a charismatic leading man rather than much in the way of plot or characterization.
The leading man here is Burt Reynolds, who plays a beer-running bandit trying to get a lorry-load of illegal alcohol to Georgia. This is not a plan the local cops are fond of, and they give chase with largely amusing consequences. The results are well worth watching onNetflix.
Is Smokey and the Bandit worth streaming?
Smokey and the Banditis very, very seventies, right down to its attempts to cash in on the then-current CB radio craze. It has a very similar vibe toThe Dukes of Hazzardand the original series ofThe Fall Guy: it’s a film where everybody’s clearly having fun and nobody is under the slightest misapprehension that they’re making great art. AsTime Output it, “the film’s enthusiasm makes up for its lack of ideas”: it’s “fast-moving but essentially lazy”. Think a 1970sFast and the Furiousand you’ve got the idea.
The movie is a great example of “they don’t make ‘em like they used to”, both in terms of the thrilling stunt work – this was long before CGI available – and the lack of any real substance to the film: asThe Hollywood Reportersays, it’s really a one-joke movie and while it’s quite a good joke (it revolves around the increasingly unhappy cops and their patrol car) there’s not much more to the movie than that: it’s a 97-minute chase that the Reporter described as “mildly entertaining – and totally mindless”.
It may not have the depth of thebest Netflix movies, but it’s as fun as any of them, and a good way to start your week.
You might also like…
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir,Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock bandUnquiet Mind.
Arcane season 2 was reportedly going to run for five seasons, so why is my all-time favorite Netflix show ending after two?
Scavengers Reign co-creator says the hit Netflix show with 100% Rotten Tomatoes has been canceled and fans are heartbroken
HP Elite x360 1040 2-in-1 G11 review
