Smokey and the Bandit
Plot
Plot
----

Wealthy Texan Big Enos Burdette and his son, Little Enos, frequently bet notable truckers in [Atlanta](/wiki/Atlanta%2C_Georgia "Atlanta, Georgia") to [bootleg](/wiki/Rum-running "Rum-running") 400 cases of [Coors Beer](/wiki/Coors_Beer "Coors Beer") from Atlanta to [Texarkana, Texas](/wiki/Texarkana%2C_Texas "Texarkana, Texas") and back to Atlanta in 28 hours, but all have either failed or been arrested. They find local legend Bo "Bandit" Darville at a truck [rodeo](/wiki/Rodeo "Rodeo") at [Lakewood Fairgrounds](/wiki/Lakewood_Fairgrounds "Lakewood Fairgrounds") and offer him $80,000 () to take the bet. The Bandit accepts, and recruits his friend Cledus "Snowman" Snow and his dog Fred to drive the truck, while Bandit drives a black Pontiac Trans Am as a "blocker" to divert attention away from the truck and its illegal cargo.

The pair arrive in Texarkana one hour early and load up the truck, but just as they head back, Carrie, a runaway bride, intercepts Bandit and jumps in his car, unwittingly making him an indirect target of Sheriff Buford T. Justice, a career Texas lawman whose witless son, Junior, was to have married Carrie. The Justices engage in a [high\-speed hot pursuit](/wiki/Fresh_pursuit "Fresh pursuit") and doggedly chase Bandit all the way to Georgia to retrieve Carrie and arrest the Bandit, while successive comical mishaps cause their cruiser to experience increasing damage along the way.

Bandit attracts more police attention across [Dixie](/wiki/Dixie "Dixie") as Cledus barrels on toward Atlanta with the contraband beer, but they are helped en route by many colorful characters via [CB radio](/wiki/Citizens_band_radio "Citizens band radio"). Neither Buford nor any other lawmen know of Cledus's illegal manifest, while Bandit is likewise unaware that Buford is chasing him because of Carrie, whose jumpiness inspires Bandit to give her the [CB handle](/wiki/Citizens_band_radio%231970s_popularity "Citizens band radio#1970s popularity") "Frog".

Just after re\-entering Georgia, Cledus is rescued by Bandit after being stopped by a [Georgia State Patrol](/wiki/Georgia_State_Patrol "Georgia State Patrol") motorcycle trooper, as state and local police intensely pursue Bandit with roadblocks and a helicopter to track his movement. With four miles (6\.4 km) left, Bandit, discouraged by the unexpected mounting attention, is ready to give up, but Cledus, who initially thought they would fail, takes the lead and smashes through the roadblock at the fairgrounds' main entrance. They make it back with ten minutes to spare, but instead of taking the payoff, Carrie and Bandit accept a [double\-or\-nothing](/wiki/Double_or_nothing "Double or nothing") offer from Little Enos: a challenge to run up to [Boston](/wiki/Boston "Boston") and bring back [clam chowder](/wiki/Clam_chowder "Clam chowder") in 18 hours. They quickly escape in one of Big Enos's [Cadillacs](/wiki/Cadillac_Eldorado "Cadillac Eldorado") as police flood the racetrack.

After passing Buford's badly damaged cruiser on the roadside, Bandit gets on the CB and initially directs him to the Burdettes, but then respectfully gives his real location right behind Buford, who continues his chase leaving Junior behind, and with more parts falling off his cruiser as he limps off after Bandit.


Is bootlegging of beer always successful?