Macon County Line Blu-ray Review

Jethro Bodine had a sixth grade education, if you remeber that Beverly Hillbillies reference. However Max Baer Jr, the actor who portrayed him was actually a very intelligent man, and a really good actor who just ended up being typecast.

His breakout role came in a 1974 exploitation film titled Macon County Line. It was considered the most profitable film in 1974 and has managed to gain cult status over the years. Shout Factory, under their Shout Select Banner is releasing this for the first time on Blu-ray in January 2018, And I have to say it looks great.

It's the story of Chris and Wayne Dixon 2 brothers blowing off steam on a road trip before they ship off to the Air Force. They pick up a cute hitchhiker when there car breaks down in a small hick town outside Louisiana. The local sheriff Reed Morgan (Max Baer) doesn't take kindly to strangers and tells them to leave as soon as the car is fixed or he will arrest them all in a vagrancy charge.

They get their car fixed but it breaks down again and they set up camp, unbeknownst to them, not far from where the sheriff lives. Unfortunately things go bad fast when a pair of criminals break into the sheriff's house and murder his wife.

Seeing there broken down car causes Reed to think the Dixon's are the killers. Thus begins a great chase and suspense style exploitation film that has one of the greatest endings to a film of this style. Also, keep your eye peeled for a young Leif Cassidy paying the role of Reeds young son Luke.

The film, although on made on a budget of 225 thousand went on to gross over 30million worldwide. It was also a rental hit durring the VHS boom of the 80's and 90's and made close to 10million in rental sales.

Well acted and we'll produced this is one of the best Drive In films of the 70's Shout Factory has done there usual fantastic job regarding the transfer in both video and audio and included the following special features

• NEW Interview With Editor Tina Hirsch
• Audio Commentary With Director Richard Compton
• Vintage Featurette – "Macon County Line: 25 Years Down The Road"
• Theatrical Trailer

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Great story and a must for all fans of exploitation films make this another must own from Shout Factory

Overall 3 out of 5 Stars