Convoy [Blu-ray]

Director: Sam Peckinpah Sam Peckinpah

Overview

The CB (citizen's band) radio fad had nearly run its course when this feel-good action film was made by director Sam Peckinpah. In the story, based on C.W. McCall's song "Convoy", a group of struggling truckers (who stay in touch by CB) run into a situation which ignites their indignation. They arrange to form a truck convoy under the leadership of the man whose CB nickname is "Rubber Duck" (Kris Kristofferson). He is the most aggrieved of the bunch, having been harassed beyond the point of endurance by Lyle Wallace (Ernest Borgnine) a blackmailing traffic cop who pursues him ever more frantically through several states after he fails to submit to the phony speed trap he had set up. As news of the truck convoy spreads, unexpected allies join the line, and the now-gigantic illegal protest becomes the subject of national news reports.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/28/2015
UPC:	0738329160227
Original Release:	1978
Rating:	PG
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[DTS 5.1-Channel Surround Sound]
Language:	English
Time:	1:50:00
Sales rank:	20,322

Special Features

Audio commentary by film historians Paul Seydor, Garner Simmons & Nick Redman; Passion & Poetry-Sam's trucker movie (73 minutes); US radio spots (animated with C/B&; W photos); US TV spot & theatrical trailer; "Promoting Convoy" featurette; Three deleted scenes; Injokes, friends & cameos; Trucker notes from Norway; More production stills

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kris Kristofferson	Martin "Duck" Penwald
Ali MacGraw	Melissa
Madge Sinclair	La dame veuve
Ernest Borgnine	Lyle Wallace
Burt Young	Pig Pen
Franklyn Ajaye	Spider Mike
Brian Davies	Chuck Arnoldi
Seymour Cassel	Gou Haskins
Cassie Yates	Violet
Walter Kelley	Hamilton
Anna Lynn Brown	Rubber Duck
Bob Orrison	Bob Bookman
Tommy Bush	Stacey Love
Bill Coontz	Actor
Whitey Hughes	White Rat,Pack Rat
Jackson D. Kane	Actor
Tommy J. Huff	Actor,Lizard Tongue
Allen Keller	Rosewell
Jim Burk	Frick
Jorge Russek	Sheriff Tiny Alvarez
Tom Runyon	Runyon
Donnie Fritts	Reverend Sloane
Herb Robins	Mechanic Bob
Don Levy	Senator Myers
Spec O'Donnell	18 Wheel Eddie
Stacy Newton	Bubba
John Bryson	Texas Governor
John Gill	Jack - Garage Attendant
Stephen Bruton	Actor
Chip Davis	Composer

Technical Credits

Bill Norton

Chip Davis

Bill Fries

Sam Peckinpah	Director
Robert M. Sherman	Producer
Michael Deeley	Executive Producer,Producer
Barry Spikings	Executive Producer,Producer
Bill Norton	Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Scott Hecker	Sound Effects
Robert G. Henderson	Sound Effects
Sass Bedig	Special Effects
Jophery C. Brown	Stunts
Chip Davis	Screenwriter
Bill Fries	Screenwriter
Marcel Vercoutere	Special Effects
Candy Flanagin	Special Effects
Lynn Stalmaster	Casting
Steve Maslow	Sound/Sound Designer
Bill Randall	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

It's hard to believe that Convoy is the work of Sam Peckinpah, one of the cinema's most interesting and singular directors -- and indeed, if oft-repeated stories are true, it indeed hardly is Peckinpah's work. Apparently, the director was not in good enough shape throughout much of the shooting to actually be in charge, and a wide range of second unit directors -- along with actor James Coburn -- are alleged to have filmed the majority of the film. One certainly hopes this is true, as it would at least explain why Convoy is such a mess of a movie. It would not explain, however, why Peckinpah undertook the project in the first place. True, the basic idea of an outsider forced into the role of hero resonates with the director, and the film did provide plenty of opportunities for action, often rendered in the director's trademark slow-motion style. But the action is simple-minded and lacks depth, the story surrounding the action is trite and dull and the whole thing is clearly just an attempt to cash in on the song that gives the film its name and on the "redneck" success of Smokey and the Bandit. The cast tries hard, and the presence of Kris Kristofferson and Ernest Borgnine is helpful, especially in comparison to the non-performance of Ali Mac Graw. But, despite the protests of diehard Peckinpah fans who insist that there's more to Convoy than meets the eye, the truth is that it's a shallow and surprisingly boring misfire.