Convoy came out in 1978, a peak year in the CB radio craze and just when the fascination with trucks was on the way down. Movies and shows like "White Line Fever" and "Movin' On" catered to the fans of the big rigs and "Convoy" definitely satisfied in that respect.
Of course, Kris Kristofferson plays Rubber Duck, a legendary trucker with "more stories than Jesse James" as one trucker says. How a guy who simply hauls stuff with his truck can become such a legend (and at a relatively young age) is unknown. But Kris is perfect in the part as the trucker all other truckers look up to.
Ernest Borgnine is also perfect as his nemesis, Dirty Lyle, a bad cop out to take down the duck. Doing so across state lines never seems to bother him. Borgnine shows what a good actor he is, because in addition to playing very likable characters, he succeeds at playing a real bastard here.
After some trouble with Lyle (started by the Duck's trucker buddies actually), they start a convoy which soon becomes packed with seemingly an endless line of trucks. It's never really clear tho' just what the purpose of the convoy is. Duck says it's to keep moving, but to where? And why? He also hooks up with passenger Ali Macgraw, who is more an annoyance than anything, and there just for eye candy (although she really doesn't look that great here, kind of manly honestly).
A subplot about a politician getting involved because people love the truckers is quickly forgotten. And it is also forgotten that the truckers actually have loads to deliver. The black woman (Black Widow) has an accident where her truck falls sideways on a turn, and she just leaves it there and hops into another truck. Later, nine trucks take a multi-state detour to Texas to rescue a friend trucker. During the rescue, the truckers destroy a small town, by simply ramming their trucks into countless structures and buildings, with no regard as to who may be in them or even if they will crash for good, like when one truck destroys a "farm equipment" building by merely plowing through it! (I guess it was empty that day.)
At one point,the entire convoy (at the Duck's suggestion of course) decide to head to Mexico. Mexico! Don't they have a job to do? They all just follow the Duck to Mexico?
There is some good action, chases and crashes. One really funny thing is that sometimes the film inexplicably goes into slow motion at really weird times, especially during a bar fight which turns into a keystone-kops kinda thing, with the odd use of slow motion and especially with the goofy music playing.
"Convoy" is definitely a fun watch. It may be strictly fantasy but that's what movies are supposed to be about, right?
Of course, Kris Kristofferson plays Rubber Duck, a legendary trucker with "more stories than Jesse James" as one trucker says. How a guy who simply hauls stuff with his truck can become such a legend (and at a relatively young age) is unknown. But Kris is perfect in the part as the trucker all other truckers look up to.
Ernest Borgnine is also perfect as his nemesis, Dirty Lyle, a bad cop out to take down the duck. Doing so across state lines never seems to bother him. Borgnine shows what a good actor he is, because in addition to playing very likable characters, he succeeds at playing a real bastard here.
After some trouble with Lyle (started by the Duck's trucker buddies actually), they start a convoy which soon becomes packed with seemingly an endless line of trucks. It's never really clear tho' just what the purpose of the convoy is. Duck says it's to keep moving, but to where? And why? He also hooks up with passenger Ali Macgraw, who is more an annoyance than anything, and there just for eye candy (although she really doesn't look that great here, kind of manly honestly).
A subplot about a politician getting involved because people love the truckers is quickly forgotten. And it is also forgotten that the truckers actually have loads to deliver. The black woman (Black Widow) has an accident where her truck falls sideways on a turn, and she just leaves it there and hops into another truck. Later, nine trucks take a multi-state detour to Texas to rescue a friend trucker. During the rescue, the truckers destroy a small town, by simply ramming their trucks into countless structures and buildings, with no regard as to who may be in them or even if they will crash for good, like when one truck destroys a "farm equipment" building by merely plowing through it! (I guess it was empty that day.)
At one point,the entire convoy (at the Duck's suggestion of course) decide to head to Mexico. Mexico! Don't they have a job to do? They all just follow the Duck to Mexico?
There is some good action, chases and crashes. One really funny thing is that sometimes the film inexplicably goes into slow motion at really weird times, especially during a bar fight which turns into a keystone-kops kinda thing, with the odd use of slow motion and especially with the goofy music playing.
"Convoy" is definitely a fun watch. It may be strictly fantasy but that's what movies are supposed to be about, right?