Really Surprised!

Boring, long, and too preachy.

This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

No doubt about it, Sam Peckinpah was a gifted director, and he made several movies that bore his genius. American film wouldn't be the same were there no "Wild Bunch," "Straw Dogs," "Cross of Iron," "Ride the High Country," "The Getaway," "Killer Elite," "Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia," and "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid." As his life ran down, so did the quality of Peckinpah's films. "Convoy" exemplifies this problem. Made in 1978 on the basis of a hit county music single by C.W. McCall, aka Bill Fries, "Convoy" qualifies as a non-stop road farce in the tradition of Hal Needham's "Smoky and the Bandit." Whereas Burt Reynolds and Needham produced what essentially amounted to a good ole boy road picture with comedy galore, Peckinpah's "Convoy" doesn't share the light-hearted spirit. Scenarist Bill Norton draws on the song for inspiration, but reportedly Fries reconfigured the song to accommodate the whims of the film. A study in rebellion, "Convoy" chronicles the trials and tribulations of the Rubber Duck (Kris Kristofferson of "Payback") who finds himself caught up in a pseudo political movement between truckers and law enforcement that turns into a media farce before it grinds to a halt atop a bridge over a muddy river. Unlike "Smokey and the Bandit," "Convoy" plays it straighter and its characters have a nasty side that generates the whole subplot about African-American trucker Spider Mike (Franklyn Ajaye) is beaten up and thrown into jail when he leaves the convoy to see his pregnant wife who is about to pop. Slimy, low-down Sheriff Lyle Wallace (Ernst Borgnine of "The Wild Bunch") and good guy, activist Martin 'Rubber Duck' Penwald have a history that would have been interesting to know more about. Suffice to say, they are each other's enemy, at least until the ending. Everything gets off onto the wrong foot when 'Rubber Duck' is cruising down the highway in his 18-wheeler and he encounters sexy, brunette Melissa in her convertible sports car and the two toy with each other until they notice an Arizona Highway Trooper that they force off the road. The rest is history as Melissa hangs out and rides with the 'Rubber Duck' until he sends her packing before he streaks across a bridge and runs into Lyle on a machine gun. Peckinpah and "Little Big Man" lenser Harry Stradling Jr., have created a beautiful looking movie with scenic terrain and splendid stunts. At its best, "Convoy" represents a collection of dramatic scenes culled from Peckinpah's own classics. The chief problem is the lack of characterization and the reason behind all the strange relationships that occur in the film. Nevertheless, Peckinpah aficionados will appreciate all the references to previous Peckinpah films, so that "Convoy" is a better-than-average road trip that could have been better. The stunt driving is top-notch, especially the scene when Lyle smashes a car through a billboard with 'Take a Friend to Church' on it. The opening credit sequence with the snowy white deserts and the heat waves wrinkling on the horizon are cool to look at.

Grown up as a child end seventies early eighties I never forgot this flick up to it's new unrated and remastered release on Blu ray, time to pick it up and watch it allover again.The story is rather simple, when a trucker , Rubber Duck (Kris Kristofferson) comes across Sheriff Lyle 'Cottonmouth' Wallace (Ernest Borgnine) trouble starts between the two of them. From there on all truckers around Arizona unite with Rubber Duck to make a convoy against the smokeys. To be honest, the story do remind you a bit of a good old western and in fact it does. But what makes this flick outstanding is the fact that no effects were used, it were all on-camera stunts and they do look amazing. Just see one muscle car crash into the air. See how trucks fall over or how the crush a police car. Or what about the ending. It's also very clear that Sam Peckinpah was the director in one of his final flicks, just see the use of slo-mo and the panoramic shots.Even as it is excellent it do has a few problems, i's rather slow sometimes but the action all over the flick makes it up. On the other hand made in the seventies racism was still going on and was a'normal' thing especially in the South. And we do see some racial aspects.Made after another excellent flick, Smokey And The Bandit (1977) this is a perfect example of how people looked and laughed towards the police. Worth picking up and watch it in full glory.Gore 0/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 4/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

C.W. McCall's 1975 hit song "Convoy" is one of the most unique and different songs to ever come out of the country genre. Its unique blend of citizens band radio (CB radio) dialog combined with a catchy, spoken-word story about a group of rebellious truckers that decide to disobey all road signs, law enforcement, and trucker policies to just be one with the road, their trucks, and their individualism, which eventually results in the creation of a trucking convoy makes for a song that does nothing but get ones energy flowing and their excitement flourishing. Throw in inanely catchy instrumentation, trucker lingo appropriately imitating life on the road, and McCall's fittingly deep vocals and you have a song that just works on sight and creates a wonderful and original vibe.Adapting McCall's novelty song into a film bearing the same name was a wise choice because the song is so much a story and full of sometimes ambiguous lingo that showing how something like a trucker rebellion would play out if it were to happen only makes sense. The film follows McCall's hit nicely, as it focuses on a deviant trucker nicknamed "Rubber Duck" (Kris Kristofferson), who bands together with his road-friends "Love Machine" (later nicknamed "Pig Pen," played by Burt Young), and "Spider Mike" (Franklyn Ajaye) to protest the corrupt ways of Sheriff Lyle "Cottonmouth" Wallace (Ernest Borgnine), by driving their trucks at top speed to the state line of New Mexico and as far as they can possibly go. Also on board with "Rubber Duck" as a passenger is Melissa (Ali MacGraw), who initially tempts him by driving without pants in a Jaguar convertible at top speed down the road. The gaggle of truckers eventually start a convoy, made up of truckers from all over the country, "long-haired friends of Jesus in a chartreuse microbus," among many others who are riding in protest of police corruption and the pursuit of individuality.Sam Peckinpah directs Convoy with a necessary sense of fun, gusto, and clear enjoyment, filming many shots of truckers and their drivers flooring it down interstates, weaving in and out of traffic, and even working to stop law-enforcement by using two eighteen-wheelers to crush a police cruiser flying down the highway at top speed. In addition, Peckinpah works to develop the relationship these truckers have with their roads, but also each other, even if their friends exist predominately as voices on the other end of a scratchy CB radio, spouting slang and vague phrases at each other hoping to achieve a goal only a select few will understand. The individualism in the film is nearly unmatchable, as we see that "Rubber Duck," "Pig Pen," and "Spider Mike" have a genuine love for what they do and, as McCall stated in his song, "ain't nothing' gonna get in their way." On top of that, the film is filled with talents that are fun to watch, specifically Kristofferson and Borgnine, two instantly recognizable actors in roles they were built to play. Watching the film and seeing their relationship develop over time is a real treat because you can see the way each of them respond to each others quips and acts of deviancy and disobedience. On top of that, the supporting cast of Young and Ajaye are entertaining, especially in the early scenes in the film, where the central focus is on their dialog with each other. Last, but certainly not least, is MacGraw, who does a beautiful job of holding her own, being the only female lead in the entire film.Convoy also has the ability to surprise by becoming a surprisingly deeper story during the film's last act, addressing issues of racism, opposition to individuality and rebellion, and corruption within a system with a sense of honesty and seriousness. For a film that bears such an asinine premise and a cheesy aesthetic, it's easy to not expect this particular film to bear such a notion of competence in terms of illustrating a moral. But that is only one of several ways Peckinpah's Convoy surprises as it lives up to a terrific song and terrific idea in an entertaining manner.Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Burt Young, Franklin Ajaye, and Ernest Borgnine. Directed by: Sam Peckinpah.

"I ain't mad, I'm scared to death" This film is seminal, the excitement and influence it has had on small children over the last 30 years cannot be underestimated. It's not for everyone I admit but I'm pushing 40 and I still cannot stop watching it. The lines are classic and the climax is so over the top yet emotional it cannot be underestimated. There is suspense as well as really basic comedy. The direction is actually very slick and it will grip the viewers. There is no deep subliminal plot: a group of truckers try to out run the law. It's brilliant. Kristofferson is a cool calm legend and Bourgnine is every bit the frustrated Sheriff. Less cheesy than Smokey and the Bandit with a belting sound track. This film will make you laugh, cry and cheer. I got the Rocking Chair - Good Buddy!