Review of White Lightning (1973) by Isaac J — 22 Oct 2007

This was interesting just to see all the vintage '71 Ford Custom 500s in action. It was definitely weird to see Burt Reynolds (a) without a mustache and (b) driving an unmarked cruiser rather than a Trans Am.

I can see why those things were corrected in later movies. Also interesting is that the "rednecks", including the sherrif, weren't cartoonish per later 70s films...some empathy was built up for the "bad guys", which was a trait I appreciate of some classic early 70s movies.

Also, the film lends some sympathy to political/countercultural themes of the time, which were completely missing by Smokey and the Bandit and thereafter.