Burt Reynolds returns as Bo "Bandit" Darville, and he and his friend Cledus "Snowman" Snow (Jerry Reed) once again take up a challenge proposed by Big Enos (Pat McCormick) and Little Enos (Paul Williams) to make a run for cash. Sally Field comes back and Dom DeLuise joins the crew. And, of course, Jackie Gleason returns as Sheriff Buford T. Justice, only this time he plays two of Buford's brothers as well, Reginald and Gaylord. Gaylord is played effeminately which, in conjunction with the name Gaylord, signals the first of the problematic content. In 1980, making gay characters something to be laughed at was, sadly, a common motif that doesn't translate to anything near funny today.
The major problem, though, is the story. The first time around, it was simple: deliver beer across state lines, don't get caught. This time, well, it's complicated. There's an elephant and a governor's race. There's a GOP convention and a doctor enlisted to care for the elephant. And the elephant's pregnant. And she likes Bandit because he pulled a thorn out of her foot. How you get from running booze to this? No one knows, but here we are.
But that doesn't mean the film is void of great moments. Obviously, with actors like Field, Gleason and Reynolds, we get some great acting and perfectly timed comic delivery. But the real stars of the movie are the stuntmen and women who worked on the film under the direction of the lead stunt coordinator, Buddy Joe Hooker.
Hooker was one of the few truly famous stuntmen, and it was a stuntman turned director, Hal Needham, who gave him some of his best work. Needham had car chases and jumps in every movie he did and Smokey and the Bandit II was certainly no exception. In one of the more spectacular stunts, Hooker jumped a 1974 Dodge Monaco 163 feet under its own power. That is to say, they didn't have it rigged with rocket engines or nitrous oxide canisters. Unfortunately for Hooker, he suffered back damage from the landing.
Smokey and the Bandit II will likely never be anyone's first choice movie for Reynolds, Field or even director Needham. But it was made before CGI and the accidents, car jumps and police car smashing trucks are all real and the work of dedicated stunt people. And that's worth seeing in and of itself, even if there happens to be a rather underachieving movie surrounding it.
Director: Hal Needham
Screenplay: Jerry Belson, Brock Yates
Story: Michael Kane
Producer: Peter Burrell
Music: Snuff Garrett
Cinematography: Michael C. Butler
Editing: Donn Cambern, William D. Gordean
Production Design: Henry Bumstead
Art Direction: Bernie Cutler
Set Decoration: Richard J. DeCinces
Cast: Burt Reynolds (Bandit), Jackie Gleason (Sheriff Buford T. Justice / Gaylord Justice / Reginald Van Justice), Jerry Reed (Cledus), Dom DeLuise (Doc), Sally Field (Carrie), Paul Williams (Little Enos), Pat McCormick (Big Enos), David Huddleston (John Conn), Mike Henry (Junior), John Anderson (Governor), Brenda Lee (Nice Lady)
By Greg Ferrara
