The silver screen re-hash of that classic TV series The Dukes of Hazzard is really nothing special. It has a few laughs. It has some car chases. It has some fist fights. Much like the original TV really.
Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville are well cast as the Duke cousins and seem to have a good chemistry - it's easy to imagine them as friends... Jessica Simpson has an amazing body, perfect for the short short wearing Daisy Duke. It's just a pity she can't act. Willie Nelson pops up as Uncle Jesse and, while he has the hair and accent, he's missing the paunch and attitude of the original. Likewise, Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg seems wrong. He's a good actor for sure, but he is missing some of the characture of the TV series.
Still, for all it's flaws, this remake is pretty good fun. Its detractors say that it has far more language and sex in it than the original, but really, these are the times we live in. Swearing and nudity are FAR more commonplace on our screens now than when those good old boys were originally tearing up the small screen.
The car chases are well filmed, with a minimum of CGI and speeding up - a lot of the stunts were done for real, as in the original - and it shows. The only unfortunate side-effect of this is the destruction of so many Dodge Chargers during filming.
Overall, The Dukes of Hazzard is an entertaining (if unremarkable) way to pass a couple of hours, although it will certainly help your enjoyment if you have fond memories of the TV series, an affinity for modern cinematic 'teenage' humour and a few beers inside you.
My rating: 5.8 / 10
IMDB rating: 4.7 / 10
Running time: 106 mins
IMDB link
