MovieChat Forums > Convoy (1978) Discussion > One of the dumbest movies

One of the dumbest movies

posted 19 years ago by MountainMan
33 replies | jump to latest

Action! Action! Lot's of action, for sure, but this movie is premised on the most ridiculous concept ever. It starts with a barfight with cops and ends up a free-for-all with all these truckers joining in with the convoy. We would all have to think truckers all hate cops enough to give up their load distribution to join in. Never mind even that they are all performing criminal acts!!!! The concept is simple, a bad sheriff (Borgnine) has it in for the truckers and harasses them, and this justifies utter contempt for the law. Ali MacGraw is a total washout as an actress, good thing she wore short white shorts and looked cute, cause that's all she had going for her. So anyway, the truckers knock down barricades, hit police cars, endanger lives, etc. etc., so if the big law enforcement firepower comes into play they could all be dead. Good for inane illogical action movie.
Mountain Man

[–] jason-728 19 years ago

You obviously don't remember the climate of the 70's. ;-)

[–] MountainMan 19 years ago

Actually I remember the 70's quite well. Without giving my age away directly, I can say that I got my drivers license in Arizona in 1956, and had my first CB installed in my car 5-6 years later. That was in the hey-day of CBing and the airways were not cluttered like they are now. Most early CBers had 102" whip antennas on their cars, and I was one of them. Oh, the movie was fun, to be sure, just a little "outre" on the reality side. I am too critical; when I was a teenager, my best friend and I enjoyed watching bad movies on TV and "tearing" them apart, Beavis & Butthead types.
Mountain Man

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] convoy34 19 years ago

Many said Sam Peckinpah was way past his prime as a director to film this but he tried. The bottem line problem I saw was editting and filming not directing or script. Franklyn Ajaye said in my interview it had a weak scipt and I fully agree. The movie was based on the song and book but it did resemble the 1970's car chase and crash genre although ironically CW McCall had to recreate the song for the movie.

Many critics gave it very bad reviews but for the cast they did their best. I never called it the greatest movie just my all time fav, everyone has their own opinion of a favorite and why. EMI took the movie from Peckinpah and edit it down for theater release. Imagine if Sam was in his prime, how it may of turn out?

www.convoytm.com

[–] mackninja 19 years ago

And what's with all the talk about fighting for a cause?
There is no cause, not that i can remember anyways. Just a bunch of truckers on the run.

This movie makes no sense. The fight scenes are rubbish and the plot is.. well I don't even know, it's simply not there. This movie is all about watching big trucks run down empty roads and occasionally you get to see some cop cars get smacked.. (not worth waiting for)
This movie was a total waste of time.

If your'e on the hunt for a good action flick, keep on trucking.. this one ain't worth it!

[–] rocketj1693 19 years ago

I can tell YOU aren'told enough to know what the song was about much less the movie!!!!

[–] jbawsel 19 years ago

This movie had a lot of dark undertones that the typical 70's CB/car chase/truck movies did not have. I like this far better than Smokey & the Bandit. Kristofferson portrays a very dark, nihilistic character in this. He seemed to be flirting with his own destruction throughout the movie. As another post said, it definitely has parallels to the Billy the Kid story. The Borgnine character is also much more complex than the cartoon "smokies" in the other movies. Anyone that would overlook or write off this gem by Peckinpah is missing one heluva movie!

[–] MyDarkStar 18 years ago

<<<And what's with all the talk about fighting for a cause?
There is no cause, not that i can remember anyways. Just a bunch of truckers on the run. >>>

yeah, did you like how the script kinda tip-toed around that fact ? Rubber Duck meets w/ the Governor and the Governor is already talking about helping him w/ "his cause" - AND THEY NEVER EVEN SAY WHAT HIS "CAUSE" IS !!!

That's because there is no "cause". It's just a bunch of redneck truck drivers running away from a corrupt cop who apparently has a limitless supply of police cars at his disposal.

This movie should have been on the Mystery Science Theater 3000. Oh man, that would have been awesome !

[–] whatda-3 18 years ago

This is one of, if not my most favorite movie. It reminded me of the days when we'd stand at the road waiting on the school bus in the mornings after hearing 18 wheelers pull off from the stop light over a mile away and still changing gears as they passed us and some would even honk their horns when we'd give the sign. Being female, big trucks have fascinated me since then and Kris Kristofferson was the icing on the cake...sexy sexy sexy. Complicated plots and special effects not needed -- it was just a feel good movie based on one man's sense of justice, fair play and friendship pitted against the tyranny of an unethical cop who was pretending to uphold the law while extorting payoffs from truckers who were pushing the limits to deliver their payloads. Not a country and western fan but for this movie I loved every note...

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] doctorbiobrain2005 18 years ago

"Name a better movie based on a song."

I'll go with Amadeus, which as we all know is based on the hit song Rock Me Amadeus by Falco.

"His mind was on rock and roll and having fun
Because he lived so fast he had to die so young.
But he made his mark in history.
Still ev'rybody says:
Rock me Amadeus"

[–] jhutchi63 17 years ago

Heh... i'll watch Convoy over Amadeus any day... watching Amadeus is comparable to sitting out in my back yard in a lawn chair to watch the grass grow........

Either you get it or you don't.... apparently you don't

[–] doctorbiobrain2005 17 years ago

Either you get it or you don't....

Kind of like the clap, huh. I'll let you keep it, thanks.

I thought watching Convoy was like watching Smokey & the Bandit without the humor, acting, or plot. And the fact that you weren't able to be entertained by Amadeus says a whole lot more about you than about the movie.

[–] Hancock_the_Superb 15 years ago

Name a better movie based on a song.

You'll admit that's a pretty low bar by which to judge a film.

"Some men will say we are traitors. Some will say we're patriots. Both will be wrong."

[–] Bandit-One 17 years ago

Shut up MountainMan. Calling this movie dumb is a criminal act! You not get...you never will!
There is more behind this movie, but i'm sick of it, try to explain it to people like you!
Even some not get the story...it's still fun to watch. It's a classic! Don't dare to talk bad about it! If you don't like it: Shut up!

Quack, quack!

[–] MountainMan 17 years ago

Ban-one: you sound pretty foolish with your verbal tantrum and your inane autocratic statement that my opinion is a criminal act. It makes a fascist redneck type like yourself lose all credibility, and anyone's opinion would gain merit in the presence of your silly ranting.

Pretend you are not yourself, and go back and read your own post. Kinda dumb, huh?
Mountain Man

[–] Bandit-One 17 years ago

...Mountain Man is mad...oooooh! How old are you! Five? Let the adults talk here...alright! Get out of this room! If you don't like that movie...just keep it for yourself.

[–] Bandit-One 17 years ago

...by the way, i'm Swiss...so sorry if my not-too-correct English offends you. But i guess my english is better than your swiss-german knockledge (i talk french too ;)

Baa Baa Mountain Man

[–] MountainMan 17 years ago

Ban-one: from your last posts I can see that you are actually an innocuous type person. Now I am just amused when you post.

You said ...by the way, i'm Swiss...so sorry if my not-too-correct English offends you. , even though I never mentioned your English offending me. You sure struggle for words, that's for sure.

Also, I don't believe you are Swiss.... regardless, fascists and redneck types can exist in any culture.

Keep your posts coming, it's more entertaining than "Larry The Cable Guy".
Mountain Man

[–] Bandit-One 17 years ago

Hey hey Mountain Man...

so i do entertain you! Well, that's at least something! But who's the bigger fool? Me, the silly writer, or the guy that actually answers all my stupid posts!

By the way I AM Swiss, what's so hard to believe?

"regardless, fascists and redneck types can exist in any culture"...right, for sure you are a good example for that! You shouldn't call yourself MountainMan...should be more like CaveMan!

Not everybody is blessed with a high IQ...

By the way, give Convoy another chance...it's a good movie...and not too hard understand too. If you not get it, watch it with subtitles...

[–] Gloede_The_Saint 17 years ago

I agree with you completely. One of the most stupid crapfests I have ever seen.

Somebody here has been drinking and I'm sad to say it ain't me - Allan Francis Doyle

[–] Bandit-One 17 years ago

Should match your IQ then!

[–] borglaw00 17 years ago

I agree with Mountain Man in that this movie really made no sense. I could never figure out what it was they were fighting for, how a convoy was supposed to further that cause, or how a vendetta based upon "he gave me my first speeding ticket" lead to a machine guns and a tank on a bridge. Be that as it may, I still love the movie and own a copy. When I bought it, I announced to a buddy that "I had just purchased one of the worst movies ever made." Its still has memorable, fun moments, though.

[–] tnbmmb 17 years ago

I love dumb movies!

[–] UN_Jefferson 17 years ago

The cause was the abolishment of the 55 MPH speed limit. They mentioned it once or maybe twice. This held them back and they couldn't turn around loads fast enough.

[–] mark6785 17 years ago

what they REDUCED it?
whats the limit in the US now? 30?

[–] d.lodewijks 11 years ago

No it wasn't. There was no cause. It is being mentioned, but that's part of the point being made about everyone having a completely different answer to the question about the cause. People were jumping on the bandwagon, and everyone was pasting his own cause on the event. In the end, it was just some trucks trying to get out of there, and others joining them, each for their own reasons. Rubber Duck doesn't understand this dynamic either, until finally he mentions something like "they are all joining, because they don't belong to anything else".... Something like that. Even the politician tries to put it own handle on the "movement", but they crap on him by driving away while he's talking his *beep* It was never about a cause, and it never will be.

[–] joonas1038 17 years ago

Great Film.One Of My fav songs is Convoy..i havent seen It.I would Love To see it

[–] Mississippi20 16 years ago

I did like Kris Kristoferson in the role.

I didn't think it was bad, but I would certainly expect something better from Sam Peckinpah. And especially for its time, with the whole southern trucker/CB radio genre.......it wasn't exactly an original piece of filmmaking either.

Just fair entertainment.