Review of Stroker Ace (1983) by Sally Z — 24 Mar 2011

Even though Burt Reynolds and director Hal Needham said they wouldn't do anymore car chase action films, even turning down a third Smokey and the Bandit film, they were lured back into doing one with this, based on a 1971 book called Stand On It.

It's not a bad film, better than what some critics have made out, but you can see why Reynolds and Needham had grown weary of films like this. Stroker Ace (Reynolds) is a champion NASCAR racer, a brilliant driver, but he doesn't have a good sense of business.

He's just lost his current sponsor by filling their car with cement, but Stroker finds a new one with Clyde Torkel (Ned Beatty), who is the owner of fast food outlet The Chicken Pit. Stroker signs up, but he soon finds out he's locked into a bad deal, where Torkel is controling Stroker, and making Stroker has to make public appearances at Chicken Pit restaurants.

Sick of it, Stroker tries to find a way out of the deal by trying to get sacked, but eventually comes up with a fool proof plan with his chief mechanic Lugs Harvey (Jim Nabors) and PR agent Pembrook Feeny (Loni Anderson) to get out of the deal.

It has some good laughs and good action, but it doesn't have the likeable quality of Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper or The Cannonball Run. But, the NASCAR racing comes out good on film, thankfully.