Michael_Elliott Gator (1976) ** (out of 4) Gator McKlusky (Burt Reynolds) is asked by the Federal government to help them track down and get evidence on Bama McCall (Jerry Reed), a bad man doing bad things and not paying taxes so it's the one way to bust him. The only thing is that Gator and Bama used to be good friends.This sequel to WHITE LIGHTNING was the directing debut for Reynolds and for the most part it's a mildly entertaining movie, although there's no question that it falls well short of the entertainment value of the first. There's basically one major problem with this sequel and that's the fact that it's pretty much like every other "chase" picture that came before it. It's almost as if the writer had a checklist he went down to make sure everything you'd expect from a picture like this was here.This film does offer up some nice performances, which certainly help the extended running time. Reynolds is pretty much playing that lovable "good ol' boy" and he was certainly a pro at that. He manages to make the Gator character a fun one and one that you could root for. Lauren Hutton is good as the love interest and Jack Weston really stands out in his role as the agent. Jerry Reed also deserves a lot of credit for his turn as the bad guy as he actually made for a good and menacing villain. And yeah, he sings the pretty good title song as well.The problem with GATOR is that it's pretty much a "been there, done that" type of movie as everything we're seeing is something we've seen countless times before and there's just nothing fresh here. Reynolds direction is good but there's nothing overly great about any of it. I'd also argue that there's not as much comedy that works here. With that said, there are some good stunt work and especially towards the end with a certain jump onto the beach.

bensonmum2 A two-time loser like Gator McKlusky (Burt Reynolds) will do anything to avoid a third strike and a long prison stint. So when a big city revenuer asks for Gator's help, what choice does he have? Gator's mission is to get the goods on Bama McCall (Jerry Reed), the nasty crime boss of a neighboring county. Gator gets something else he hadn't counted on, however, when he falls for television reporter Aggie Maybank (Lauren Hutton). Can he get the girl and the goon?As is the case with most sequels, Gator is a vastly inferior movie to its predecessor, White Lightning. Everything that made that movie so good and so memorable is missing from Gator. While there are a few good moments like the opening boat chase, the movie doesn't have the same gritty feel to it that characterized White Lightning. Gator trades much of the action of White Lightning for a tired, dull romance between Reynolds and Hutton. Not only isn't it believable (especially if you know the Gator character from the first movie), but the outcome of the relationship is terribly predictable. "Sappy" and Gator McKlusky just shouldn't be used together.But the most offensive part of Gator is Burt Reynolds. In White Lightning, he played it straight. From my review of White Lightning, "One of the coolest things about White Lightning is that it presents Burt Reynolds as an actor at the top of his game. This was a Burt Reynolds who seemed to actually care about the final product and not just yucking it up with his buddies on screen." In Gator, far too often Reynolds reverts to the clown he would become in movies like Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball Run. That laugh of his just grates on my nerves. There are times in Gator when Reynolds and Reed are on screen together that I swear it's like a test run for Smokey and the Bandit. And it's not surprising to see Hal Needham's name in the credits as Second Unit Director.Overall, Gator is a huge disappointment. I'm being generous with my 3/10 rating.

luigifan88 This movie might of been stupid to some people. I think it was funny. The part where Burt notices this pretty lady and it plays that love music. Also it was funny when Jerry gave Burt yellow pills in his drink. Burt started acting drunk. It was good comedy. Jerry played a good role as Bama though. I watched Smokey and the Bandit and Jerry was just a happy, relaxed person. In this one, he was much more evil and like a pimp. He did a really good job but didn't get enough credit though. They should've put him in more movies like this.

jbels Movie starts off good enough with an exciting speedboat chase, but I would have preferred two hours of that as opposed to the forced, embarrassing comedy attempted in this film. Running around with cats draped over their necks, the cast attempts to cram jokes down your throat. This was Reynolds charming era, but his charm skipped this one.