“He was raised in the swamp. In the back of a slough. He grew up eatin’ rattlesnake meat and drinkin’ homemade brew. Now, folks here about call him Gator. And everybody knows him well. Meanest man ever to hit the swamp. Folks swear he come straight outta hell.”
Quite the catchy little ditty. One-word-title movies intrigue, especially those named after a specific character. It suggests that the titular character has or should have significant presence. And when you have a whole song dedicated to you, you certainly need to walk the walk. And who better to walk that walk than Burt Reynolds, as he reprises his role of Bobby “Gator” McKlusky in this sequel to White Lightning. Reynolds even decided to up the ante this time by making this film his directorial debut.
Despite being a sequel, the film does all right as a standalone property. Granted it is clear that there is more to the story when it comes to the legend of Gator McKlusky, and my nature would encourage viewers to see White Lightning to ensure that they have the whole story. However, I did not have such an opportunity, and from my vantage point of only seeing this film, I can confidently say that, while seeing the first film would have been nice, this film functions well enough on its own. I did do my research, and this film follows a similar trend as the first film, with Gator being forced to work on the behalf of law enforcement despite his natural criminal leanings.
Specifically, Gator is dispatched to fictional Dunston County to reconnect with a local crime boss by name of Bama McCcall, who is also an old acquaintance of his. Essentially, the feds want Gator to infiltrate McCall’s criminal empire, which includes extortion, drugs, and corruption at every level and provide them with evidence that will allow them to take McCall down, particularly in time for the governor of Georgia’s re-election. However, if he’s going to do it, it has to do it his way.
Gator is an entertaining film, albeit a bit dated given the gap in time periods. Or perhaps it could be better categorized as a canyon. That said, viewers with an appreciation for classic cinema, such as myself, will be more than entertained by the film. I wouldn’t label it as a great masterpiece, but it has consistent storytelling and an engaging lead character. It can drag at times, mainly due to certain scenes running longer than necessary, particularly the opening boat chase scene. It is evident from the start of it that Gator will run circles around the feds’ clumsy attempts to capture him. On the one hand, the chase was entertaining. However, it went on a beat too long. The point was made within the first few minutes.
I can see why Reynolds chose to reprise this character. Gator certainly is a layered individual. On one hand, he is a criminal, a moonshiner, and he isn’t afraid to resort to violence if the situation calls for it. On the other hand, he isn’t without morals. This is shown very clearly when he is confronted with a situation that offends his own ethics. Given the situation, you can’t blame him, so his reaction is exactly what you would want to see in that situation. What follows puts the together on a one-way destruction course that nearly cost him his life and the lives of those around him. This is where the character’s dogged determination comes into play. When confronted with walking away or standing his ground, he commits himself firmly to the latter.
This film pretty much follows the trajectory that I expected it to follow with the conclusion that I expected, with one variation when it comes to a particular love interest. This variation added authenticity to the film, as it showed that such is life that not everything falls neatly into place.
I expected that there would be another film to give the character of Gator a proper cherry-on-top ending. Alas, that does not appear to be the case, as there was no third film. However, the franchise lives on through its mentions on popular FX show Archer, as the film is regarded as the titular character’s favorite movie.
