rdoyle29 I don't think this film is as bad as it's reputation suggests. I've seen a fair number of these kind of truckin'/car chase films from the late 70's, and I think it's a fairly average representation of the genre ... perhaps even a bit better than average given the presence of Kris Kristofferson, Ernest Borgnine and Burt Young. What's disappointing is that you expect Peckinpah to elevate anything he works on to something better than "average genre film" status, and he fails to do that. There are moments when you sense his presence ... a slow motion shot of big trucks hightailing it along a sandy back road achieves a certain poetic majesty ... but mostly you get the feeling that he simply didn't care about this film. It's a giant missed opportunity.

garyldibert CONVOY Release Date: 6/28/1978 Runtime: 110 MinutesSTARRING: Convoy is a 1978 action film directed by Sam Peckinpah and starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine and Burt Young. The movie is based on the 1975 country and western and novelty song "Convoy" by C.W. McCall. It is considered a member of the CB Radio/trucker film genre which rose to prominence in the 1970s following the success of Smokey and the Bandit, White Line Fever and the television series Movin' On.SUMMARY: Truck driver Martin "Rubber Duck" Penwald (Kristofferson) comes into conflict with Sheriff "Dirty Lyle" Wallace (Borgnine). Rubber Duck and his trucker friends, Pig Pen (Burt Young), Spider Mike (Franklyn Ajaye) and Black Widow (Madge Sinclair), get into a fight with Wallace and his deputies at a truck stop. After handcuffing Wallace to a barstool, they decide to head for the state line to avoid prosecution. Melissa (MacGraw), a photographer whose car has broken down, agrees to ride with the Rubber Duck, and the pair soon falls in love. The truckers drive across Arizona and New Mexico, with Wallace in belated pursuit. Additional independent truckers join them to form a mile-long convoy in support of the Rubber Duck's vendetta against the abusive Wallace. The truckers communicate with each other via CB Radio, and much of the jargon associated with the CB craze is sprinkled throughout the film. The trip touches on social empowerment issues of class, race and gender as well as the place of the law in society. As the rebellious truckers run from the police, Rubber Duck becomes a reluctant folk hero. It becomes apparent the truckers have a great deal of political support and the Governor of New Mexico, Jerry Haskins (Seymour Cassel), meets Rubber Duck. At about the same time, Wallace and Alvarez, a brutal Texas sheriff, arrest Spider Mike, who left the convoy to be with his wife after giving birth to their son. Wallace's plan is to trap Rubber Duck. A janitor at the jail, unaware of the plan, messages by CB radio that Spider Mike has been arrested and beaten. Various truckers relay the message to New Mexico. QUESTIONS: Why did Governor Jerry Haskins want to meet with the Rubber Duck? Why was Spider Mike in jail? Why did some of the other truckers join the Rubber Duck and head to East Texas? Why was Wallace and the National Guard called in on this situation? MY THOUGHTS: This was a good truckers movie. Once again this was the type of movie that kept you on the edge of your seat. However once again in my eyes this movie had no leading lady. Based on the action and no leading lady I give this movie 8 weasel stars.

Michael_Elliott Convoy (1978) ** 1/2 (out of 4)It's not too uncommon to see a rip-off of a hit motion picture, in this case SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT, but it is weird to see one coming from director Sam Peckinpah. It's fair to say that the director's career wasn't in the highest of spots but he adds a certain flair to the material that might not have been there in a lesser director's hands. In the film Kris Kristofferson plays a trucker known as Rubber Duck who leads a convoy after a worthless sheriff (Ernest Borgnine) assaults a driver. The mile long convoy soon gets the attention of the federal government and the media and it's up to the Duck to try and figure the best way out for everyone. If you're expecting to see something like THE WILD BUNCH or STRAW DOGS then it's best you watch one of those two films because the greatness Peckinpah is known for isn't going to be spotted here but at the same time there's no question that there's some mild entertainment to be had here. It's in question how much of this Peckinpah actually directed since his drug and alcohol abuse was pretty severe at the time but there are still some noticeable trademarks including the classic slow motion sequences. There's no question that this thing was made to cash in on the SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT craze but this picture never reaches the level of that one for a couple of reasons. For starters, there's not nearly as much fun going on here and this is really too bad. I think had there been some more charm and grace that the picture would have been more entertaining. I also think having so many people involved in the "chase" also made for way too many logical issues including why anyone would let something this big happen over something rather small. With that said, there's still some fun to be had and especially with the performances by both Kristofferson and Borgnine who appear to be having fun. Both of them fit their roles very well but the same can't be said for Ali McGraw and Burt Young since both of them are wasted. There's some great cinematography to be had here, some nice music and the scenes of the long convoy are certainly impressive. CONVOY is far from a classic or even a good film but it's mildly entertaining for those who just want to kick back for some entertainment.

p0rto More than 20 years ago my most favorite movie... and still has been! Has seen it multiple times. This movie is damn good, no modern movie won't even come close to it; very good acting from some very good actors and funny too. The raw action is good, the (true) racism against black people in Texas good displayed, the free spirit of the profession excellent displayed (pity nowadays it's just gone). Displays the real life of truck-drivers all over the world and their constant battle against corrupt and money hungry police agents who are, as most non-truck-drivers are, not loving truckers very much, despite they're merely human and doing only what they are (under)paid for, just like anybody else. A must be seen movie for all your truckers out there and wanna-be's! Haul a$$!