On G List of Movie Reviews
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Gator (1976)
Rate:
4
Viewed:
6/26
6/26:
I really expected a lot from Gator, the sequel to White Lightning.
The first twenty minutes starts off well, but the rest of the film is as mundane as it gets, offering no
story. Might the problem be attributed to Burt Reynolds the director for the first time? I will have to say
yes. What he didn't pay attention to in White Lightning are the
ambience and the colorful characters that reflect the spirit of the South although there are good stunts that
look dangerous, breaking Hal Needham's back when he jumped out of the truck on the sand.
It's weird to see Jerry Reed playing the bad guy in this considering how affable he was in
Smokey and the Bandit. On the other hand, Burt Reynolds is fine
and has a nice co-star in Lauren Hutton, who makes fun of the gap in her front teeth, but is sucked into an
overwhelming mess that he's unable to get out of. Jack Weston isn't even in Ned Beatty's league.
I recently read a book called Burt! The Unauthorized Biography by Marc Eliot and couldn't believe how
much he went on and on about Gator being the primary inspiration of
Smokey and the Bandit. It's simply not true.
White Lightning is the one that did with so many parallels. Even
Burt Reynolds said it was "the beginning of a whole series of films made in the South, about the South, and
for the South."
All in all, White Lightning is a certified success while Gator
is a massive dud.