This 1975 redneck classic is one of the movies I thought of while sitting through that endless CGI-enhanced chase scene in the latest Indiana Jones epic.
There's so much to love about this movie--well-delineated characters, a surprisingly complex script, an ace supporting cast (Slim Pickens, L.Q. Jones, Dick Miller, R.G. Armstrong)--and, of course, the fact that the hero is named Carroll Jo Hummer!
But mostly, what impresses most about White Line Fever is Jonathan Kaplan's economical direction. Kaplan's style is resolutely non-flashy--his set-ups and cutting never call attention to themselves, but he gets the job done with maximum impact. Modesty has become a sin in the big-dick world of the contemporary action movie, with gargantuan set pieces and inflated running times being the order of the day. But Kaplan conjures more white-knuckle excitement, more fun, into ninety minutes than you'll see in any mammoth blockbuster.
Oh, and needless to say, no CGI.
