Smokey and the Bandit II
Short description
The Bandit, once a celebrated trucker, has fallen on hard times and been left by his girlfriend Carrie. His friend Cledus brings him back into action with an unusual job: hauling a pregnant elephant across the country, from Florida to Texas, within a tight deadline. The wealthy Enos brothers are behind the scheme, offering a substantial payout. As the convoy sets out, Sheriff Buford T. Justice, still fixated on catching the Bandit, gives chase with a large force of patrol cars, turning the journey into a sprawling road battle involving fellow truckers.
Hal Needham directed, following Smokey and the Bandit, Hooper and The Villain in his filmography; Jerry Belson and Brock Yates wrote the screenplay. Burt Reynolds returns as the Bandit, with Jackie Gleason as Buford T. Justice, Sally Field as Carrie, Jerry Reed as Cledus, Dom DeLuise as Doc and Paul Williams as Little Enos, among 35 credited cast members and 131 credited crew.
Released in August 1980, the film had a budget of 17 million USD and took 66 million USD worldwide. On IMDb it holds 5.3/10 from around 19,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.6/10 from roughly 326 votes, a smaller sample. A critics' rating of 4.2/10 from eight reviews places it below both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Jackie Gleason (1916-1987) was ill during filming, so all the scenes with him were shot first, as the actor wanted to finish this project as quickly as possible.
- The Pontiac Turbo Trans Ams disappointed the film crew, so nitrous oxide-powered engines had to be installed in the cars to give them speed.
- The roller coaster attraction destroyed in the film was located in Atlanta, Georgia. It had been deemed unsafe for further operation and was slated for dismantling, so its destruction was simply incorporated into the script.
- During an aerial combat scene with five vintage World War II-era aircraft, 5.5 thousand liters of orange paint and 5.5 cubic meters of cow manure were dropped, respectively.
- A world record for the longest car jump using its own engine power (almost 50 meters) was set during the filming of the movie. Gary Davis achieved this driving a 1974 Dodge Monaco. Unfortunately, Davis sustained an injury upon impact with the ground.
- The scene in which Sally Field’s character decides to break up with the character played by Burt Reynolds (1936-2018) was written into the script by the actress herself, who was actually considering ending her relationship with Reynolds at the time. Reynolds insisted that she write the scene herself, as he wanted to understand her true feelings about their relationship.
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