Convoy 35th Anniversary (uncut special edition) Blu-ray Review

24th Sep 2013

“’Cause we got a little ol’ convoy, rockin’ through the night.
Yeah, we got a little ol’ convoy, Ain’t she a beautiful sight?
Come on and join our convoy ,Ain’t nothin’ gonna get in our way.
We gonna roll this truckin’ convoy ‘Cross the U-S-A.
Convoy!”

That’s a big 10-4 Rubber Duck, Convoy headin out on DVD and Blu ray. Do you want a copy? Copy..

Director Sam Pekinpah’s (Straw Dogs, The Wild Bunch) open road movie based on C.W. McCalls country hit of the same name has been given the restoration treatment and comes rolling back for its 35^th anniversary UNCUT for the very first time.

Convoy stars country singer and actor Kris Kristofferson (Blade, Blade II) as the rebel truck driver Rubber Duck, who lets actress Ali Macgraw (Love Story, The Getaway) ride shotgun for this epic road movie from 1978.

Also part of the thundering convoy is the quirky Burt Young (Rocky, Amityville II) as Pig pen and widow woman Madge Sinclair (The Lion King, Roots).

What starts as a protest against corruption and a race to the state line away from the local bully police officer sheriff Wallace, played as convincingly as always by the great Ernest Borgnine (The Wild Bunch, The Dirty Dozen), soon turns into a political fairground with freedom and the war on independence being broadcast from the American highways.

Convoy is a great tale and superbly told by its stars and supporting cast alike, with a story that would probably still ring true today with agendas being twisted and retold for the politicians personal gain! Although it slightly treads on the toes of Burt Reynolds territory for its era, it manages to hold its own with a good mix of slight humour and a serious edge that unfolds brilliantly as the film goes on.

The new release also comes with some great special features which include the obligatory TV spots and trailers. But the most interesting featurette was one around the films cameo appearances and nods throughout the movie towards the actors characters from their previous roles. This one will be sure to have you watching the film differently second time round.

There is also a very interesting feature on Sam Pekinpah and his story around how he came to direct Convoy in Passion and Poetry – Sam’s Trucker Movie.

An all-round great effort from Studio Canal with this juggernaut of a release, which hits stores on the 30^th Sept.