Bootleggers (1974) User Reviews

Moonshine drama, shot in Arkansas

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 7 May 2017]

BOOTLEGGERS is a low budget, localised 1970s movie about a bunch of rival redneck families producing moonshine and battling each other for supremacy in the great outdoors. It was made in Arkansas by director Charles B. Pierce, the man perhaps best known today for his BOGGY CREEK Bigfoot movies. The film feels a little like them in terms of look and feel, but it's quite a shoddy production that lacks energy and finesse.

The story isn't dissimilar to that told in HATFIELDS AND MCCOYS, although it's hardly as exciting. The actors give, shall we say, naturalistic performances, but nobody really shines or convinces in their part. There's some mild suspense in terms of working out what's going to happen next but it all feels quite passe and predictable, and there's really nothing going on here to get worked up about. The film's low rent, non-Hollywood realism is probably the most interesting thing about it.

Southern fried drama

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 6 August 2019]

If there's a redneck movie hall of fame, let me nominate Charles B. Pierce. If all he did was create The Town That Dreaded Sundown and The Legend of Boggy Creek, he'd make it. But he was also quite possibly the writer of Dirty Harry's "Go ahead, make my day." He also directed The Norseman, a movie that improbably placed Lee Majors into Viking gear. It's as amazing as it sounds.

Here, he tackles a really familiar redneck movie trope: bootlegging. Did you think it'd be about something different from the title?

The movie starts in 1921, where 10-year-old Othar Pruitt watches as his dad is murdered by a rival family. Twelve years later, Othar (Paul Koslo, who was as redneck as an actor from Germany can get) and Dewey Crenshaw (Dennis Fimple, a redneck actor if there ever was one) are running hooch across statelines.

When Other's Grandpa Pruitt (Slim Pickens) is murdered by the Woodall clan, Othar and Dewey go to war. Along the way, Jaclyn Smith shows up in one of her first roles.

Unlike Pierce's other - and perhaps better - films, this one isn't celebrated and won't be getting a 4K reissue.

Pruitt Family Values

[bkoganbing · 5/10 · 21 July 2020]

Paul Koslo and Dennis Fimple star in Bootleggers as cousins who are following the Pruitt family business of making mooonshine. As family patriarch Slim Pickens says, the soil where they live is so rocky and thin it won't grow decent crops so what is there left to do?

It would be a good life other than the fact the Pruitts have a blood feud going with another Arkansas hill family the Woodalls who are also business rivals.

Shot in Arkansas Bootleggers is set during the Roaring 20s and has a nice bit of authenticity to it. Dennis Fimple sees Al Capone as some kind of role model and when you come down to it, their feud with the Woodalls is no different than Capone's with Bugs Moran.

Jaclyn Smith is 'introduced' here and she sure looks different than she would be on Charlie's Angels. You can hardly believe this hillbilly girl is Kelly Garrett and who sold a line of beauty products.

Bootleggers never got a New York or Hollywood premiere. But I'm sure it did brisk red state business.

Highly Entertaining....

[speedo68 · 24 January 2004]

Saw this movie many years ago and got interested when Jaclyn Smith became popular, so popular in fact, that the producers decided to re-titled the movie as "Bootlegger's Angel," to capitalized Smith's later stardom.

There's nothing extra special about the film but it's highly entertaining with excellent performances from all the cast. Smith is a revelation -- she's really born to play Charlie's angel and boy, oh, boy, she can hold a gun with poise and style!

Nice physical detail but not much action, this won't be everybody's cup of moonshine.

[mark.waltz · 5/10 · 12 March 2021]

Nice rural photography and a pretty bluegrass score are the highlights of this slow moving drama with moments of comedy about a feud between bootlegging families and how one of the family's secret revenge when their patriarch is murdered by the other.

Paul Koslo and Dennis Fimple play the cousin heirs to the bootlegging estate, left to them by grandfather Slim Pickens who explains in an early scene to one of them as a child how the business began because the land wasn't proper for raising crops.

A young Jaclyn Smith will be the calling card for most people interested in this, and she's quite enjoyable to watch several years before "Charlie's Angels". Coslo and Fimple discover her while she's with a friend skinny dipping, and they underestimate her small stature, finding her quite formidable. Rather lengthy, this really needed more work done in the editing room.

two families compete for the (illegal) business.

[ksf-2 · 5/10 · 24 December 2022]

Period piece film, 1921. You'll recognize slim pickens as grandpa. Competing families trying to earn a living bootlegging moonshine during prohibition, the federal law from 1919 to 1933. Various states had their own versions in addition. The two families get into showdowns now and then, hatfield and mccoy style. Lots of harmonica and banjo music. Every now and then we hear cartoon music, keeping it light and fluffy. And silly. One of the keywords is "hixploitation"....that's pretty accurate! Jaclyn smith ( charlie's angels) is in here, teasing one of the moonshiners. Moves pretty slowly, and the film is badly in need of restoration. But i'd be surprised if that happens. Picture is pretty dark, bad in some spots. The sound is just fine. Just moves soooo slowly. Big violent showdown at the end, as expected. Directed by charles pierce. He also wrote sudden impact, a dirty harry story. Pierce played homer in the bootleggers, and got his whole family in on the act. It's okay.

saw this on HBO when it first started

[weefunk · 7/10 · 5 February 2019]

Can't really remember much about this movie, except that it was shown in the very early days of HBO, over and over. I remember HBO being a huge novelty (movies on TV! without commercials!) but the novelty soon faded as they had a pretty limited set of titles to show. Bootleggers seems to have been one of them; I feel like they showed it several times a week at least. Anyway, I watched it, and enjoyed it, back then when I was 13 or 14. Would love to see it again and find how it compares to my memory.

An enjoyable 70's redneck drive-in comedy/drama winner

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 30 October 2008]

Arkansas, 1933. The Prohibition era. Serious Othar Pruitt (a fine performance by Paul Koslo) and his more easygoing buddy Dewey Crenshaw (a wonderfully engaging portrayal by Dennis Fimple) are a couple of moonshine runners who find themselves involved in a bitter and deadly territorial feud with the no-count rival Woodall clan who are lead by ruthless and vicious patriarch Rufus (a neat'n'nasty turn by Seaman Glass). Director Charles B. Pierce and screenwriter Earl E. Smith (who also has a sizable role as the gruff sheriff) not only offer a vivid and flavorsome evocation of the desolate, yet still beautiful rural region, but also show a genuinely moving warmth and affection for both the place and the people that populate it. For example, the Pruitt family are depicted as basically decent and honest folks who are forced to make and sell bootleg whiskey out of complete financial necessity. Moreover, Pierce relates the engrossing plot at a leisurely, but still steady pace, tosses in a few amusing moments of good-natured humor, and stages the sporadic action scenes with reasonable aplomb (the climactic showdown between the Pruitts and the Woodalls is especially tense and exciting). This film further benefits from bang-up acting by a uniformly tip-top cast: Koslo and Fimple make for likable leads, the always great Slim Pickens almost steals the whole show as folksy Grandpa Pruitt, and a pre-"Charlie's Angels" Jaclyn Smith is delightfully spunky as tough, feisty hick chick Sally Frannie Tatum. Tak Fujimoto's sumptuous cinematography uses slow motion to occasional striking effect and fills the screen with often breathtaking panoramic shots of the gorgeous sylvan area. Jaime Mendoza-Nava's spirited, harmonic score and the tuneful soundtrack of catchy hillbilly songs both score a bull's eye as well. A nice little movie.

Funny movie I'd love to see again.

[sam-136 · 14 January 1999]

Bootleggers was filmed just across the 'holler' from me many years ago. It was a funny film with some pretty good acting and yes, some pretty lousey acting but still funny. Slim Pickens was perfect for the role of Grandpa Pruitt,and I'd love to see him making moonshine again.

Perfectly produced

[joeestlinbm · 10/10 · 18 February 2005]

This movie was filmed in my part of the country, and I have virtually been to every location that Othar, and Dewy were. What can I say, this movie was perfect in every way. I'm familiar with the process involved in making whiskey,and the movie depicted it perfectly. Dewy, And Othar were pent on getting revenge for the killing of their grandpa (Slim Pickins). I won't say more because I don't want to spoil the movie , but I will say it's exciting, and well worth the time it takes you to watch it. There is also some of the most beautiful scenery you;ll ever see. I've lived in this area all my life, and I've never taken it for granted. Thanks for this opportunity to let me express my opinion.

Upbeat

[gwenearnold · 23 March 2004]

My family and I particularly enjoyed this film because it rang true to its era and area. My husband's grandfather was so important to Mountain View, AR that the army would not accept him for service in the Civil War; he was the town's only miller and needed there. My husband's father died at age 104 fourteen years ago and was proud to be from Arkansas, loved to tell of the history. The old-time singing was especially authentic. How I would like to have a video. Taped it from TV the one time we ever knew it to be on here but the local station cut some of the best scenes! I have to say we are not, were not a drinking family, but we surely enjoyed The Bootleggers movie, anyway!

Calico Rock, AR to host Bootleggers Day

[kevlmatthews · 10/10 · 15 March 2007]

Bootleggers was filmed in and around Calico Rock, AR. In celebration of this film and historic Calico Rock, AR the city will host Bootleggers day June 15-16, 2007 to celebrate our historic past, especially the connection to "The Bootleggers." You can get more information on the "Days" and order copies of the movie from the Calico Rock Chamber offices at 870-297-4129.

All of the historic buildings used in the filming are still present, except for the "jail" that was destroyed to break the boys out. Of course it was just a prop to begin with. Many of the "extras" still live in and around Calico Rock and many more residents can share true stories about real Bootleggers from the era.

BOOTLEGGERS - Good Ol' Fun With A Terrific Paul Koslo

[shark-43 · 8/10 · 18 January 2019]

I saw this in the theatre when I was 13 and I loved it! Plus it was when the actor Paul Koslo was in a groove - I saw him in The Omega Man, Mr. Majestyk and then Bootleggers - all around the same time. So I was very aware of him and he's terrific in this as is Slim Pickens and a very young Jacklyn Smith! Good regional filmmaking.