Gator, the 1976 follow-up to the hit White Lightning, finds Burt Reynolds not only reprising his role as the charming ex-con Gator McKlusky but also stepping into the director’s chair for the first time.
The film follows Gator, now a family man, as he is blackmailed by a New York federal agent, Irving Greenfield (Jack Weston), into helping take down his old friend turned crime boss, Bama McCall (Jerry Reed). This task forces Gator back into the world he tried to leave behind, and he quickly finds his loyalty tested and his life in danger as he infiltrates Bama’s brutal, corrupt empire.
Along the way, he crosses paths with a feisty television reporter, Aggie Maybank (Lauren Hutton), who becomes both a moral compass and a love interest.
The action sequences, particularly a memorable boat chase through the swamplands, are a highlight, a testament to Reynolds’s love for stunts. However, the film can feel tonally inconsistent, sometimes veering into melodrama or slapstick in a way that undercuts the more serious themes.
Reynolds’s signature charisma carries the movie, and he shares a great dynamic with both Weston, who provides comic relief as the out-of-place urban agent, and Hutton, whose character adds a touch of sophistication to the rural setting.
The standout performance, however, is Reed, who is chillingly effective as the charismatic yet sadistic villain.
Gator is a showcase for Reynolds’s rising star power and his first attempt at directing. It solidified his “good ol’ boy” persona and was a stepping stone to his later blockbuster successes like Smokey and the Bandit.
The on-screen pairing of Reynolds and Reed as adversaries is particularly notable, given their famous on-screen friendship in their future collaborations.
Lauren Hutton and Burt Reynolds in Gator (Photo/United Artists)
Reception for Gator
Gator grossed $11 million at the box office in its theatrical run.
Roger Ebert gave the film one and a half stars in his review, saying “yet another Good Ol’ Movie … If only it had a Good Ol’ Plot worth a damn, it might have even been a halfway tolerable ol’ movie.”
Legacy
Gator remains a beloved example of 1970s Southern action cinema, a fun, if flawed, popcorn movie that perfectly captures the charm and laid-back attitude that made Reynolds a superstar.
It’s a film that embodies the era’s blend of rough-and-tumble action with a generous dose of down-home humor.
