Burt Reynolds was an icon in both the movie and television industry. He was a definitely an influential person being thrown out in the '60s, '70s and '80s because of his suave and cool personality that made him a name in many households. He passed away at the age of 82 due to a cardiac arrest as he had years of heart problems.
Now, even though I do know the name and know most of his movies, honestly, I was never quite fond of most of his work. But, Reynolds seemed to have a keen eye of looking for not just work, but work that gets the fans' attention and not the critics' attention. As the movies were successful during his run in the '70s and '80s, the critics seem to deride his work and performances. I remember the late critics, Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, always ridiculed his movies repeatedly as they deemed a couple of them the worst movies ever made. But, one of the funnier and well-recognized episodes of their show was their review of the awful Cop and a Half, which Ebert liked but Siskel deemed as the worst movie of that year.
Anyway, I have to mention even though these are definitely are my favorite performances from him, including one voice-animated performances, but a couple of the movie I was initially mixed on but after watching them again, it geared towards finally liking or almost liking the movie. Nevertheless, the performances from these movies were still great.
Deliverance (1972)
This movie was dark, gritty and crazy from the opening scenes surrounding the dueling banjos to the nightmarish wilderness where many obstacles could potentially kill one or the whole group. Even though it is a great ensemble with Jon Voight, Ronny Cox, Ned Beatty and Reynolds himself, Reynolds stands out as the outlandish, experienced outdoorsman who uses his recurve bow to protect himself and his group from harm. It is undoubtedly one of Reynolds' few best performances.
The Longest Yard (1974)
This 1974 original version of The Longest Yard is deemed an underrated football film about Reynolds portraying Paul Crewe, a former star quarterback who gets into trouble and steals his girlfriend's car and is sentenced to prison. It's basically an underdog story where the prisoners take on the prison guards in an exhibition match. Even though a bit more slow-paced but much more character-developed than the 2005 Adam Sandler version, I thought Reynolds was excellent here as a bumbling, drunken former football icon who grew to become likable to the audience and to the prisoners to attempt to defeat the guards. Even if you have seen the Sandler version, please rent and stream the original.
Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
I saw this movie for the first time years ago and I have to admit despite the very good performances and great chemistry between Reynolds and Sally Field, I did not know what the people were raving about backing then. Was it the sign of the times? Was it dated for me? I just felt the premise was thin and I did not care as much but was I having a good time watching the movie? Well, yes, but the further I got from it, the more forgettable it was. I guess I may have to see it again. But, I digress. It is without question that Reynolds and Gleason stole the show. And, you can tell that Reynolds was having a great time on the set during the making of this movie.
All Dogs Go To Heaven (1989)
Now, I have to admit that I am not a fan of this movie as this was a more violent approach to this sweet premise than usual and the gangster setting was over my head and does not translate onto Don Bluth's storytelling and animation. But, one of the few praises that I'll give to is Reynold's voice talent of Charlie B. Barkin, as he is a con dog on the outside but he has a sweet vulnerability and sentiment on the inside after he gets killed and tries to redeem himself by going to heaven in the end. Spoiler Alert! But, it's in the title. I guess it can be a treat to rent for the kids but obviously, this is not one of the good animated movies in my opinion.
Boogie Nights (1997)
This is my favorite performance alongside his performance in The Longest Yard as he is Jack Horner, a porn filmmaker trying to get Eddie Adams, portrayed by the young Mark Wahlberg, to become an adult star. It is a great, restrained, well-developed and powerful performance. He evokes that subtle and powerful quality from the uproarious scenes to the quiet moments that is so emblematic of the cool persona that Reynolds truly was. Reynolds did not get along with director Paul Thomas Anderson so he fired his agent, refused to campaign, and despite the Oscar buzz, he did not win his sole-nominated Supporting Actor Oscar, which went to Robin Williams for Good Will Hunting. It does not matter to me that an Oscar defined his performance, it is the movie and the performances that will live on and surely, Reynolds' performance lives on along with others.
Here are some video clips.
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