I haven't seen my dad laugh so much since I watched My Cousin Vinny with him. Excellent and a classic.

A long way to go, and a short time to get there!
Review date: 2005-07-15 Rating: 8 out of 10

The Smokey & The Bandit Trilogy brings together two great American pointless car chase movies, and a reason why you should give up when the goings good, to a single DVD boxset.

The original Smokey & The Bandit features Burt Reynolds as a wild US truck racer with his friend the Snowman (Jerry Reed) who are challenged by the Enos brothers to bring back a truck load of beer from Texas to Atlanta (where alcohol is illegal) in 18 hours.
The Bandit accepts and agrees to help the Snowman by using his famous black Pontiac Trans-Am to use as a decoy if the police get interested in the cargo.
He doesn't factor on picking up a runaway bride along the way, who is being chased by respected lawman Sheriff Buford T. Justice (played superbly by Jackie Gleason) after she jilted his halfwit son "Junior" at the alter. It soon turns into a full speed ahead chase to get to Atlanta with Buford in hot pursuit. Great dialogue between all characters but the real delight is Gleason as Sheriff Buford as he slowly causes mayhem in pursuit, and it is a treat to her Gleason spitting out the poisonous dialogue to everybody else, and particularly his idiotic son.

The second film delivers more of the same, although it starts with the Bandit having cashed in on his fame, and become a motel drunk. He is convinced to do another run, this time to transport an elephant across the US and by coincidence he once again snatches Junior's bride at the Alter. Another chase movie is drawn out with more of the same crash and smash mayhem.

Film three is the big let down, as Reynolds refuses to appear in the film. Sheriff Buford has retired and moved to Florida with Junior, but retirement around elderly folk isn't for him and the Enos brothers bet him to do one more run. The Snowman takes his place in the car as the Bandit and picks up a hitchhiker along the way for more of the same crashing and smashing action. It wears thin to be honest by this film and its only Gleason's acting during the scenes of him during his retirement which offer fresh comedy to the film.

All in all still good clean entertainment.

A work of art
Review date: 2005-06-10 Rating: 8 out of 10

GENIUS!!!!! Thats the only thing to be said about smokey nd the bandit one and two.

Would of given five stars, but unfortunatly the third one is terrible.

A definate must for all DVD collections

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