Gator (1976)

So much average

Excellent but underrated film

Entertaining from beginning to end, it maintains the spirit of the franchise while establishing it's own seal with a fun cast

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Gator (1976) ** (out of 4) Gator McKlusky (Burt Reynolds) is asked by the Federal government to help them track down and get evidence on Bama McCall (Jerry Reed), a bad man doing bad things and not paying taxes so it's the one way to bust him. The only thing is that Gator and Bama used to be good friends.This sequel to WHITE LIGHTNING was the directing debut for Reynolds and for the most part it's a mildly entertaining movie, although there's no question that it falls well short of the entertainment value of the first. There's basically one major problem with this sequel and that's the fact that it's pretty much like every other "chase" picture that came before it. It's almost as if the writer had a checklist he went down to make sure everything you'd expect from a picture like this was here.This film does offer up some nice performances, which certainly help the extended running time. Reynolds is pretty much playing that lovable "good ol' boy" and he was certainly a pro at that. He manages to make the Gator character a fun one and one that you could root for. Lauren Hutton is good as the love interest and Jack Weston really stands out in his role as the agent. Jerry Reed also deserves a lot of credit for his turn as the bad guy as he actually made for a good and menacing villain. And yeah, he sings the pretty good title song as well.The problem with GATOR is that it's pretty much a "been there, done that" type of movie as everything we're seeing is something we've seen countless times before and there's just nothing fresh here. Reynolds direction is good but there's nothing overly great about any of it. I'd also argue that there's not as much comedy that works here. With that said, there are some good stunt work and especially towards the end with a certain jump onto the beach.

It's kinda hard to believe that "Gator" is a sequel to "White Lightning". Not really a bad movie, per se, but they're two completely different beasts. The brooding is gone, and while Burt Reynolds is comfortable in his movie-star persona (and this movie has a couple of good scenes that prove he's a capable director), it's in pure lazy sequel mode. Sleepy is the word I'd choose to describe it, and that's putting it lightly; the pacing is way off, even taking into account the requisite fistfights and chase scenes. It just meanders along.That said, Jerry Reed makes a good heavy. His easy grin is disarming, and it masks a really mean bastard. He easily steals the movie.5/10

1970s superstar Burt Reynolds made his directorial debut with this sequel to his 1973 vehicle "White Lightning". He also returns to the title role, and Gator is now living a quiet existence with his cantankerous, talkative old pop (John Steadman) and spunky nine year old daughter (Lori Futch). Justice Department agent Irving Greenfield (Jack Weston) is pretty sure Gator is still making and running moonshine, so he intends to offer Gator a proposal. He won't be arresting him (a bust this time would make Gator a three time loser), but asking him to hook up with a childhood buddy, Bama McCall (Jerry Reed). Bama is a crooked politician and crime kingpin, and it's really him that the authorities are after. Gator isn't happy about the assignment at first, but he changes his tune when he realizes the depths of Bamas' depravity.The main problem with "Gator" is that it goes on so long (at least a couple of minutes could have been trimmed) and is so heavy on comedy, that when it takes a side step into ugliness, it's ultimately too jarring. It should have tried striking more of a balance throughout. At first we think it might be "Smokey and the Bandit" type hijinks, with Greenfield bumbling quite a bit for a character who is supposed to be a crack Federal agent. It is mildly funny at times, but it's mostly the performances that keep this watchable for close to two hours. Reeds' title song, which he wrote and sang, gets us in a good mood, and the widescreen Todd AO 35 photography by William A. Fraker is first rate.Burt is good as Gator. He's charming when he needs to be, but is also believable when he's required to get serious. Reed makes Bama a rather engaging villain, full of personality, for a while. Lauren Hutton is appealing as the reporter who becomes Gators' love interest and co- conspirator. TV personality Mike Douglas has a pre-credits cameo as The Governor. Particularly fun in supporting roles are the ever smiling Burton Gilliam as a henchman, Dub Taylor in peak hammy form as a corrupt mayor, Alice Ghostley as a former public servant, and William Engesser as towering creep Bones. Incidentally, there's a 'Dukes of Hazzard' connection here, as James Best (Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane) was assistant to the producers, and Sonny Shroyer (Deputy Enos Strate) has a tiny part as a Federal agent."Gator" is fairly enjoyable, but isn't among the best of Burts' work from this period.Six out of 10.

Movie starts off good enough with an exciting speedboat chase, but I would have preferred two hours of that as opposed to the forced, embarrassing comedy attempted in this film. Running around with cats draped over their necks, the cast attempts to cram jokes down your throat. This was Reynolds charming era, but his charm skipped this one.