White Lightning (1973)

Plot: An Ex-con moonshiner goes undercover to get the County Sheriff who killed his brother
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Bo Hopkins, Ned Beatty
Best Quote: The film was a breakthrough in that area of blending comedy and action. And it made a lot of money, so other people began trying to do the same thing. They thought, 'Well, he smashed up sixty cars and it made a lot of money, so we'll do a hundred crashes.' But that had nothing to do with its success as a comedy. - Burt Reynolds

Filmed on location in Arkansas,  White Lightning has an authentic "Backwoods" feel to it. Its entertaining action-comedy film, its main flaw is it doesn't know what it wants to be. One moment, its a serious crime film with people being tortured or drowned - the next, its comedy and car chases. Its an uneasy mix, but to Reynolds credit, he's completely comfortable in either situations  Also good is the supporting cast, with R.G. Armstrong standing out as the hard-nosed moonshiner.

 Summary: One of the first "Redneck Exploitation" flicks, White Lighting is a well done comedy-action film with Reynolds playing a Good O'l Boy with a hard edge. It paved the way for films like: Mason County Line, Convoy, and Smokey and the Bandit.  A  good movie of its kind.