The Great Smokey Roadblock (DVD, 2004)

it a real odd movie on older trucker sick in the hospital, he leave the hospital early and steal's his truck back, driving the rig to florda for the hitch hiker he picket up on the run from the cops, says at a hoar house and after the police busted them, he come to their hoar house to sleep the night, to get a load the guy find out he on the run they mad him unload the truck then, i quit watching it ok i see it again it kept my interest, i liked the trucks in it and the truck stops too gregg

It has to be said that this is a pretty terrible film. Nevertheless I watched it again recently and quite enjoyed it so I feel I ought to say something positive. First of all you would think that a film with a cast which includes Henry Fonda, Eileen Brennan, Dub Taylor and Susan Sarandon should have something going for it. The tone of the overall film is of a rather cartoonish comedy but the early scenes hint at something more substantial. Henry Fonda as Elegant John is ill probably dying and the cross country drive he undertakes is his way of defying death. Yet this theme is never explored any further. Elegant John's reminiscences about meeting Eleanor Roosevelt in the Depression era clearly evoke Henry Fonda's role in John Ford's film "The Grapes of Wrath". Indeed when Elegant John picks up Beebo this exactly parallels the opening scene of "The Grapes of Wrath" when Tom Joad hitches a lift. None of this is played out in the rest of the film The women from the whorehouse are endearing and funny and if the film had stuck to playing out their adventures it might have been much more rewarding. But half way through the film something goes horribly wrong. Perhaps the filmmakers lost their nerve, ran short of funds or had the film cut to ribbons in editing but the latter part of the film bears no relation to what has gone before. The women virtually disappear without explanation. The John Byner and Austin Pendleton characters appear and take over uninvited. This whole element of the film feels like a reshoot or reedit grafted on to the earlier picture. Pity. There is also, incidentally, a really excellent score by Craig Safan which deserved far better.

This move is a great watch.Henery Fonda does his usual great job.
a good story with a comical side.
I really liked it.