Convoy

Uneven but at times entertaining Peckinpah film. It doesn't feel as nasty today as it maybe did in the late 1970´s. Kris Kristofferson is cool in his role but it doesn't hold the film together enough. "Convoy" is made in typical Peckinpah style but it doesn't seem to match that good in this case. The slow-motion fist fight on the bar is not astonishing. Even if it is based on a song, the story seem to work, but there should have been some changes and maybe the scriptwriter should have add something more. Rating: 5 of 10.

Truckers form a mile long "convoy" in support of a trucker's vendetta with an abusive sheriff (Ernest Borgnine and his amazing facial hair)... Based on the country song of same title by C. W. McCall. While the film will obviously be compared to "Smokey and the Bandit" (both featuring semi trailers being hounded by a sheriff), let it be known that they are not at odds and actually complement each other well (a good double feature, perhaps). Is Kris Kristopherson the same as Burt Reynolds? No. Is Ernest Borgnine the same as Jackie Gleason? Of course not. So it is sort of like the same story told in two different worlds. This one is a bit lighter on the comedy and much lighter on the romance.

I don't think this film is as bad as it's reputation suggests. I've seen a fair number of these kind of truckin'/car chase films from the late 70's, and I think it's a fairly average representation of the genre ... perhaps even a bit better than average given the presence of Kris Kristofferson, Ernest Borgnine and Burt Young. What's disappointing is that you expect Peckinpah to elevate anything he works on to something better than "average genre film" status, and he fails to do that. There are moments when you sense his presence ... a slow motion shot of big trucks hightailing it along a sandy back road achieves a certain poetic majesty ... but mostly you get the feeling that he simply didn't care about this film. It's a giant missed opportunity.

CONVOY is a middling truck chase movie from director Sam Peckinpah, who by all accounts was off his head on drugs for much of the filming. It's no surprise that the resultant film feels cheap and choppy, with a plot that seems cobbled together from various unrelated strands and a distinct lack of excitement despite the proliferation of stunts and high-octane action. Kris Kristofferson is the unremarkable lead, failing to ignite a romance with the unremarkable Ali McGraw, and seconding better actors like Burt Young to support. Ernest Borgnine is the best thing about the film as the antagonist sheriff villain. The stunts are cool, but the running time is too long and outside of the action it stalls. It doesn't help that the film just isn't very well directed either; for example, the repeated use of slow motion in the bar-room brawl just feels ridiculous.