Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.5

Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 19, 2019

Dick Lowry's "Smokey and the Bandit Part 3" (1983) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. There are no bonus features on the this release. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The new Bandit

I have a theory about Smokey and the Bandit Part 3. The folks that made it knew that it would be a bad film, so they actually doubled-down on the silly and outrageous material and had a ball. The end product is still a bad film, but it is so over-the-top that now it looks entertaining.

After a lavish retirement ceremony, the cranky Sheriff Buford T. Justice (Jackie Gleason) arrives in Florida to live the good life. However, he very quickly becomes annoyed by the local scene, and when the Enos boys (Pat McCormick and Paul Williams) reappear and throw a silly challenge at him that would reunite him with the Bandit, he decides to give it a shot. The Enos boys then publicly declare that they will pay $250,000 to the first person that successfully delivers a big plastic shark from Miami to Texas in twenty-four hours. Soon after the Sheriff and his son (Mike Henry) leave the city, the Snowman (Jerry Reed) jumps in his Firebird and hits the road, pretending to be the notorious Bandit. At first, he only enjoys his partner’s image, but then fate introduces him to the sexy Dusty Trails (Colleen Camp) and sends him on a collision course with the cranky sheriff.

It is a shame that during the DVD era no one bothered to record an audio commentary with director Dick Lowry because it would have been quite a treat to hear precisely how the third Smokey and the Bandit film came to exist. Indeed, even now it is very easy to see that this film was neither cheap nor amateurishly made. A lot of the highway footage, for instance, has all sorts of fancy aerial shots with some great editing work, while the big boat sequence at the end seems as dangerous as the ones that made Race for the Yankee Zephyr famous. Lowry likely would have had a lot of hilarious comments about the film’s risky sequences as well, such as the bizarre road chase with the goofy KKK gang, or the visit to the sex club where the sheriff and his dim-witted son encounter the ‘happy people’. (The midget’s line is pure gold). Of course, it would have been most interesting to hear Lowry’s thoughts on the Bandit that Reed plays because he is a very different ‘hero’ now. Even though he dresses like Burt Reynolds, Reed often looks as if he is under the influence of some sort of a stimulant that makes him look like a comic book character that accidentally landed in the wrong film.

Reynolds’ absence does have a transformational effect on the film, but somewhat surprisingly it does not impact negatively its energy or the quality of the action. In fact, the chemistry between the leads is noticeably improved, and once the mayhem gets going it feels like everyone is genuinely enjoying it as much as possible. This is what saves the film and makes it hilarious -- it just looks genuinely bonkers, not like a second-grade copycat that is desperately trying to rehash familiar material. (Reynolds has a small cameo in the second half, but it is part of what is essentially a meaningless flashback).

Lowry used the services of cinematographer James Pergola, who started his career as a camera operator and worked on such ‘70s genre hits as Dillinger and Lady Ice. Contrary to the claims that are made in old reviews of the film, the quality of his lensing here is very impressive.

The soundtrack features original music by Larry Cansler as well as some memorable tracks by Lee Greenwood (“he Bandit Express” and “The Legend of the Bandit”) and John Stewart (“Ticket for the Wind”).

Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Dick Lowry's Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.

The master that was used to source this release is very nice. It is not brand new, but it is very healthy and with all-around strong organic qualities. Needless to say, even on a large screen the film looks quite wonderful. This being said, there are still certain parts where trained eyes will recognize that shadow definition isn't optimal and as a result small nuances are lost. Some highlights and backgrounds can be balanced better as well. Early into the film there are even a few spots where it just feels that contrast is a tad higher than it should be. Still, the overall technical presentation is quite strong and the lack of distracting digital anomalies ensure a very pleasing experience. The color grading is convincing -- the primaries are solid and nicely balanced, plus there is a very attractive range of nuances. My score if 4.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The audio track must have undergone a complete makeover when the current master was prepared because it is free of any age-related anomalies. Stability, depth, and balance are outstanding. I only wonder if modern technology can optimize dynamic intensity even more, because there are a few areas where it just feels like there could be even more oomph. Overall, however, I have to say that the lossless track is very solid.

Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Most unfortunately, there are no bonus features to be found on this release.

Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I will have to side with the small group of people that find this film more entertaining than Smokey and the Bandit II. There are two major improvements here that make a huge difference for me. First, even though Jerry Reed is a rather awkward Bandit, the leads look a lot looser. (In the second film Burt Reynolds and Sally Field just don't look right together, and this has an impact on everything that happens in it). Second, there is so much outrageous material here that it almost feels like the screenwriters wanted to get in trouble -- and of course they did not because in the early '80s it was still perfectly fine to create comedy while plowing through all kinds of 'risque' stereotypes and cliches. So, while next to the original Smokey and the Bandit Part 3 is still a bad film, it is so over-the-top that I actually find it entertaining. Universal's release is sourced from an older but strong organic master. RECOMMENDED.