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White Lightning

White Lightning

Drama · Action · Crime · 1973

An ex-con teams up with federal agents to help them with breaking up a moonshine ring.

Movie details

White Lightning

“Meet the Bayou's baddest good ol' boy.”

1973 Drama · Action · Crime 1h 41m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.1 / 10

Community rating

An ex-con teams up with federal agents to help them with breaking up a moonshine ring.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over White Lightning?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Empire

Empire

Crime · 2002

Big time drug dealer Victor Rosa is looking to get out of the game and sees his chance with a big deal with a new friend who happens to be a Wall St. stockbroker. Thinking this will be his chance to go out on top, Victor soon finds out that he's been double crossed and his last option is to get revenge.

Fast Charlie

Fast Charlie

Action · 2023

When his aging mob boss is whacked, Charlie Swift, a loyal friend and hired gun, will stop at nothing to destroy the upcoming crew that took him out.

A Man Apart

A Man Apart

Action · 2003

When Vetter's wife is killed in a botched hit organized by Diablo, he seeks revenge against those responsible. But in the process, Vetter and Hicks have to fight their way up the chain to get to Diablo but it's easier said than done when all Vetter can focus on is revenge.

What Doesn't Kill You

What Doesn't Kill You

Action · 2008

Two childhood friends from South Boston turn to crime as a way to get by, ultimately causing a strain in their personal lives and their friendship.

The Baker

The Baker

Action · 2023

A quiet, stoic man, lives a monk-like existence in self-imposed exile. When his estranged son is killed in a drug deal gone bad, he is left to look after a granddaughter he never knew existed, and he is forced back into a life he tried to put behind him.

State Property

State Property

Crime · 2002

A Philadelphia gang member becomes a drug kingpin and starts a feud with vicious rivals in his quest for the American Dream.

Contraband

Contraband

Thriller · 2012

When his brother-in-law runs afoul of a drug lord, family man Chris Farraday turns to a skill he abandoned long ago—smuggling—to repay the debt. But the job goes wrong, and Farraday finds himself wanted by cops, crooks and killers alike.

Rapid Fire

Rapid Fire

Action · 1992

College student Jake Lo is pursued by smugglers, mobsters and crooked federal agents after he witnesses a murder by a Mafia kingpin.

Shaft

Shaft

Action · 2000

New York police detective John Shaft arrests Walter Wade Jr. for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted -- especially since he's paid a drug kingpin to kill the witness.

Year of the Dragon

Year of the Dragon

Action · 1985

In New York, racist Capt. Stanley White becomes obsessed with destroying a Chinese-American drug ring run by Joey Tai, an up-and-coming young gangster as ambitious as he is ruthless. While pursuing an unauthorized investigation, White grows increasingly willing to violate police protocol, resorting to progressively violent measures -- even as his concerned wife, Connie, and his superiors beg him to consider the consequences of his actions.

Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Joseph Sargent

Written by

William W. Norton

Burt Reynolds

Burt Reynolds

Bobby "Gator" McKlusky

Jennifer Billingsley

Jennifer Billingsley

Lou

Ned Beatty

Ned Beatty

Sheriff J.C. Connors

Bo Hopkins

Bo Hopkins

Ray Boone

Matt Clark

Matt Clark

Dude Watson

Louise Latham

Louise Latham

Martha Culpepper

Diane Ladd

Diane Ladd

Maggie

Court is in session

Put White Lightning on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Adrenaline Seeker

“Momentum is a formal choice.”

The velocity sharpens instinct and tension, making every beat land before self-importance can settle in.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“Speed as an alibi.”

The film races past its weak spots and hopes acceleration will keep the audience from inspecting the evidence.