Big Bad John (1990)

Pretty Good

Excellent adaptation.

best movie i've ever seen.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A good ol' boy film is almost required to have moonshine, car chases, a storyline that has a vague resemblance to "plot" and at least one very pretty country gal, barefoot with short shorts and a low top. The pretty gal is here (dressed in designer jeans)-- but the redneck prerequisites stop there. Jimmy Dean is a natural as a sausage spokesman but as a tough guy former sheriff, he comes up way short. Big John is big, but he isn't convincing with the "bad" part of his moniker. Bug-eyed Jack Elam is a hoot as always and Bo Hopkins has been playing this same part for decades; Ned Beatty also does his part in a small role... but there is no STORY. It smells more like an episode of In The Heat Of The Night than a feature film. Cornball cornpone with easily predictable sentiment. Perhaps the most glaring problem with this movie is Charlie Daniels singing the theme. You know the one; it was made famous by... Jimmy Dean.

The popular song by Jimmy Dean in the 1950s leads to this really terrible motion picture that never does make a whole lot of sense. Two young people decide to elope to escape her abusive step-father in this cut-and-paste mess that looks like it was thrown together on a boring weekend for the film-makers. The film includes the likes of Doug English (in the titled role), the usually dependable Ned Beatty (I don't know what he is doing in this film) and of course Jimmy Dean himself. Do anything other than sit and watch this. Turkey (0 stars out of 5).

This movie has always been a favorite of mine. The cast is superb and draws on the American experience as a whole. Jimmy Dean is a classic all American Sheriff who takes his buddy along on a cross country trek to find Big Bad John. What more of an American tale could you think of? Not only does this movie create a picturesque vision of the American experience, it also takes the viewer on a whirlwind of action and adventure. I would recommend this movie to everyone, and if possible you should find a copy of this so you can enjoy watching it over and over. The acting is superb, the action is superb, the emotions are real, and the story is encompassing. Great movie!

I'm a sucker for these kinds of movies but I really enjoyed Big Bad John. I'm sure no one has ever heard of it and I seriously doubt if any one will EVER read this review but since no one has bothered, I think I will "do the honors".I first saw this movie when I was nine years old. Well, I'm twenty now. It was cool then and it's cool now. I usually like anything with Bo Hopkins in it and this is no exception. Even though he is one of the baddies. This is just an old-fashioned, good ole boy flick. If that's your sort of thing and you can actually find a copy of this, give it a run