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Smokey and the
Bandit II (1980)
Preceded by:
Smokey and the Bandit
(1977)
Succeeded by:
Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 (1983)
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Director:
Hal Needham |
COUNTRY
USA |
GENRE
Action/Comedy |
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Burdette som guvernør |
RUNNING
TIME
100 minutes |
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Producer:
Mort Engelberg |
Screenwriter:
Michael Kane
Jerry Belson
Brock Yates |
Review
It's sad to see a successful and
highly original formula being milked dry of all the juice it once
had, even if the motivation for the filmmakers was just as much to
have fun as to make money. Smokey and the Bandit II sets up
an almost identical premise as the original, adds an elephant and
Dom DeLuise, and hopes the performers' charisma will do the rest. At
first glance, the film might seem like fun, but this time the fun is
superficial and gimmickry. It comes from a desire to copy a winning
formula, but without the spontaneity which made the first
Smokey
so great. It's much like trying to recreate that fun trip you had in
your youth after you've grown up and settled. The result here is a
film with no sting or relevance, and even Burt seems dejected by
what he's in on. I guess it's safe to say that this was the
beginning of the decline for the Needham/Reynolds partnership.
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