Jan-Michael Vincent gives his usual forthright performance as an honest Arizona trucker (named Carrol Jo!) who refuses to transport stolen goods and is blackballed by the local racketeers running the produce-hauling industry; he's forced to take a load by force, but the head honcho calls out his goons to stop him. Meanwhile, back home, Vincent's wife just found out she's pregnant... Redneck thrills for the drive-in crowd has lots of wrasslin' and gun-toting action...and, if that's not enough, there's also Slim Pickens as a slimy worm in a white cowboy hat (who does get an outlandish exit!). Director Jonathan Kaplan barrels through his and co-writer Ken Friedman's screenplay without regard to logic or credibility, but fans of trucker flicks won't mind. Good supporting cast includes Kay Lenz, Don Porter, Martin Kove and Dick Miller, but L. Q. Jones offers nothing new in his repertoire as the slow-talking baddie. *1/2 from ****

I Saw White Line Fever many years ago when I was doing my weekend warrior thing and this was playing on the post theater in I believe Fort Stewart, Georgia. This is the kind of film that at best had a limited run in New York City, but played I'm sure to big crowds in every small town in red state America. I wouldn't be surprised, but that back in those days Jan Michael Vincent was a number one star there.

It's actually a pretty good film in which Vincent plays a working class hero who stands up to gangsters trying to control the trucking industry. He's an Air Force veteran who marries the girl of his dreams in this case Kay Lenz and buys a big rig which he names the Blue Mule and pronounces himself ready to enter the truck driving game.

Some really nasty people are in control of it though and when Vincent proclaims he won't haul illegal cigarettes and slot machines they come down on him like a ton of bricks. They hurt him in every way possible, even people like Slim Pickens who was once his father's best friend.

But Vincent is a charismatic figure and the independent drivers rally to him. It all comes at a big price.

A nice group of the best character actors around including Don Porter, L.Q. Jones, and R.G. Armstrong are some of the foes he faces as Jan Michael goes up the food chain of villainy.

The film owes a lot to some of Frank Capra's work, especially Mr. Smith Goes To Washington. Thirty years earlier I could have Jimmy Stewart doing the part of Carrol Jo Hummer. Nice country music score moves the action along and sets a red state mood. I could see Taylor Lautner doing a remake today.

Carrol Jo Hummer (Jan-Michael Vincent) returns home from the Air Force to marry Jerri (Kay Lenz). He borrows money to buy an used truck to be an independent trucker. He seeks work from his late father's partner Duane Haller (Slim Pickens) but he finds the business corrupt. Carrol Jo is unwilling to haul contrabands and gets beaten up by thugs. He is blackballed and decides to fight back.

It's a little ridiculous that he gets a load from Buck. It would be easy for them to call the corrupt cop and plant something on him. This gets geared up quickly. The danger starts high and has trouble going higher. They can't start with violence, corrupt cop, and a powerful cabal, then scheme a setup. The setup could have been great but they let him off too easily. Carrol Jo is not particularly smart. Once the killings start, it's time to go Rambo. There is a potential for this to be Rambo but the movie can't let him kill. It's a little infuriating. This should be about a lone driver being driven to take revenge on his tormentors. Instead, this insists on a man of the people movie. There is an obvious edit decision. When he's the lone Rambo at the end, Pops is riding shotgun in one of the action scenes. That's obviously from the earlier ride. His final rampage is not nearly enough and again he's not allowed to kill. This story is begging for revenge but it insists on justice.