Convoy (1978) is based on the country western novelty song by C.W. McCall which also soundtracks the movie itself, stretching out and teasing the audience with sections of the tune and only letting rip with its anthemic chorus near the climax. Big rig trucker “Rubber Duck” (Kris Kristofferson) runs afoul of corrupt, racist Sheriff “Dirty Lyle” (Ernest Borgnine), defending his buddy Spider Mike (Franklyn Ajaye) from unlawful arrest at a diner, resulting in barroom brawls, car chases, and mass destruction. Alongside fellow trucker “Pig Pen” (Burt Young) and hitchhiking photojournalist Melissa (Ali MacGraw), Rubber Duck leads an anti-authoritarian convoy across state lines, on the run from the law, while also starting a revolution of truckers and lost people who want to follow, using the power of CB radio. Director Sam Peckinpah was apparently struggling with alcohol and drug issues, to the point where actor friend James Coburn, who wanted to get some directing experience doing second unit work, had to also take over. The producers also took the film away from Peckinpah, and his original four hour cut, and edited it without him; the result was critically derided but a big success at the box office, Peckinpah’s highest earner in his career. I had a good, fun time watching Convoy; it’s definitely in the genre of “good ole boy” movies following after the success of Smokey and the Bandit, but there’s also still a bit of Peckinpah’s original vision left in there with its anti-authority spirit, which is all well-served by Kristofferson’s mythic yet easy-going characterisation. One for 1970s car chase movie fans and Peckinpah completists. Poster art by Victor Gadino.
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