WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

gab-14712 If you ever wanted to see what The Fast and the Furious would look like in the 1970's, look not further than this 1977 feature, Smokey and the Bandit. The movie is filled to the rim with cars, more cars, and even more cars. The movie also displays a good amount of vehicle destruction, which is common in the fore-mentioned Fast and Furious series. The cars were quite impressive to look at, even though I am not a big fan of car watching. If it has an engine and a steering wheel, that is okay by me. But seeing these 1970's models was actually pretty cool. The main car was a 1977 Pontiac Trans Am, and that is my kind of ride. So if you're into cars, then this wouldn't be a bad film to check out. When these cars are put into action….look out! I desperately wanted to hate this movie. I refused to watch the movie for years because it did not seem so appealing. But my love for the Fast and Furious franchise got me curious to check this film out. Color me surprised when the credits rolled on screen, because I was pleasantly surprised. I did not expect to be thoroughly entertained the entire film. From start to finish, I was involved with the action, and most importantly the characters. My two favorite characters were the main character named Bandit and the sheriff chasing after him, Buford T. Justice. I wouldn't call these characters likable, but definitely entertaining.Admittedly, the story is very silly. But then even silly stories can work sometimes if you have the right actors and the right material. Bandit (Burt Reynolds) and Cledus (Jerry Reed) are two truck drivers who decide to take a dare from these bigshot rich men. The dare consists of picking up beer from Texas and transporting it to Georgia. After they pick up the beer, Bandit decides to pick up a runaway bride named Carrie (Sally Field). Her husband-to-be's father happens to be the Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason). When Justice realizes what is going on, they begin a pursuit of Bandit, his new lady, and his beer. Sounds silly, right? But my gosh, I was incredibly entertained. I also learned a fact, believe it or not, from this plot line. The famed Coors beer brand was actually illegal east of the Mississippi River during this time. So even high-profile people such as Dwight Eisenhower or Gerald Ford had to smuggle the beer from the West.The characters helped elevate the mediocre, silly story into something that was entertaining. At the time, Burt Reynolds was a movie superstar. I was impressed at his tough-guy performance in the 1972 drama, Deliverance. He brings more of that persona into this role, but with a sense of humor. His character was actually funny at times in the midst of the action that is occurring. He is also portrayed at times as a drunk and a womanizer, but compared to people he is dealing with, I'd consider Bandit a hero. I also loved the character of Sheriff Buford T. Justice. His high-speed pursuit ended up in failure most often, but one thing his character is known for is his foul mouth. (He actually gave credence to the term "sumbitch") I also thought Sally Field turned in a strong performance as Carrie. This is one of her early roles, and she gained instant fame because of this role.Smokey and the Bandit turned out to be a much better film than I could have ever anticipated. It's not an all-time favorite, but it is a solid, serviceable action film. Watching Bandit escape dozens of cops was entertaining for me. There are plenty of car chases, cool stunts, and enough characterization to give any action junkie a rush of adrenaline. There is also a good sense of humor. I particularly loved the scenes between Cledus and his dog. They were funny, but it helps there was a cute dog. I would hesitate to call the movie a classic as some people do. This movie may be silly and over-the-top at certain points, but I was incredibly entertained.My Grade: B+

jacobjohntaylor1 This is what people think is a good movie. The story line is awful. It is a comedy write. There nothing funny about this movie. It is not 6.9 it is a 4. There are good actors in this movie I just do not know why there were. They were just wasting there time. Do not see this movie. I am warning you. You don't want to see this movie. Not if you what to see something funny. You will just be wasting your time. If you do not lesion to me a believe everyone else you will regret it. This is a very big waste of money and life is to short.

FilmBuff1994 Smokey and the Bandit is a mediocre movie with a lackluster plot and a decent cast. The main thing that makes it worthwhile is Burt Reynolds, he shines as the Bandit, really embodying the role and delivering all his dialogue with pure confidence and charisma. There is no sense of excitement or adventure to the story. We are never told how much time they actually have to do this beer run and as a result of that we are not kept at the edge of our seat since it feels like they have limitless time. As well as that, there is no moment where the Sheriff has the upper hand over Reynolds. The protagonist never appears to be in any type of danger, as a result of him always being one step ahead, we never really support him. As far as comedies go, it is all too typical, you can tell the punchline to every joke from a mile away, I understand it may have been somewhat groundbreaking for 1977, today however, it is all too familiar. Modestly funny but lacking in any engagement, Smokey and the Bandit may entertain some, but I would not recommend it. In pursuit from a Sheriff, The Bandit is hired on a beer run across the county. Best Performance: Burt Reynolds / Worst Performance: Jackie Gleason

Cole Lindsey In the very beginning of Smokey and the Bandit, Sheriff Buford T. Justice makes it clear what the problem is: "What we're dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law!" The main character in the movie goes by the name Bandit (Burt Reynolds), he is the one Sheriff Buford T. Justice is referring to about the lack of respect for the law. Many would argue that is what makes a good cop chase, but in this case Bandit never gets caught or punished for anything he does. Which is a problem because the whole movie consists of him breaking the law. Bandit is a very prideful person and is very well known in the south. It is clear that the fame has gone straight to his head. He even says in the movie that "showing off" is what he does best. At first Bandit is a little too cocky for some to like, but as the movie progresses Bandit slowly finds himself and realizes that everything isn't about him. Buford is presented in an authoritative position from the beginning of the movie. As we are introduced to Buford there is music being played that almost makes you scared to be on his bad side. He constantly gets frustrated with his son, Junior, and always makes him feel like an idiot. Buford also consistently tries to talk to Bandit on his CB radio. When asked by Bandit where he is, Buford replies "My handle's Smokey Bear and I'm tail grabbing your ass right now!" What Sheriff Buford T. Justice doesn't know is Bandit and his friend, Cledus (Jerry Reed), are attempting to transport a truckload of Coors beer from Texarkana, Texas to Atlanta, Georgia in under 28 hours. It was thought impossible to do this trip in 28 hours so as you can guess, they had to go pretty fast. While Sheriff Buford T. Justice is chasing Bandit he fails to notice Cledus in the semi- truck right behind him. The reason Bandit is in a fast car (a 1977 Pontiac Trans-am) is to keep the cops, or as they call them "Smokey's", away from the truckload of beer. Throughout the movie Bandit averages a speed of over 100 miles per hour. Somehow Sheriff Buford T. Justice always catches up to him, despite having a car that realistically would never keep up with Bandit's Trans-am. As this cross country police chase continues, Sheriff Buford T. Justice picks up some unwanted help along the way from other police officers in the areas he travels through. While the other police officers' crash or can't keep up with Bandit, Sheriff Buford T. Justice never loses sight of his trail. Bandit is a living legend and he gets help along the way from locals. Some of the locals even trash a few cop cars and never get in trouble and once again "…we are dealing with a complete lack of respect for the law!" This only emphasizes how much the producers of the movie want the audience to like Bandit. All of the police officers in this movie seem to hurt each other more than help each other, but that is what makes for some of the comedy in this film. Even though Bandit never gets caught and gets away with everything it wouldn't be a movie worth watching if there wasn't stupid cops or if the cops caught him in the beginning and arrested him. This is a very good movie and I would highly recommend it to anyone that wants a good laugh, but to solve the problem of the "…complete lack of respect for the law!" and getting away with it, there should be some sort of resolution in the end that could lead into the sequel.