Gator

A sequel to the thick-eared White Lightning, this offers marginal interest as Burt Reynolds' directorial debut. The plot is formula pulp - Reynolds is blackmailed into exposing a former buddy, now a big-shot Southern crook - but it takes far too long to tell. Much of the two hours rather quaintly concerns Reynolds' star image. After a tongue-in-cheek he-man opening, and between further bouts of action, things dawdle to a standstill while Reynolds projects his sensitivity, lazy singalong good nature, and old-fashioned romanticism; he even expresses doubts about his 'style' and inability to cope with independent women. Too much of this is tedious, rather like off-cuts from his recent movies, but the reasonable photography and good action material help. Country singer Jerry Reed makes a good heavy, and when Reynolds keeps it simple, his direction suggests the makings of a modest craftsman.