Action

A Small Town in Texas

ActionAdventureCrime

A crooked sheriff in a small Southern town frames an ex-convict in a drug bust and takes his girlfriend.

Year

1976

Duration

1h 36m

IMDb

5.6

Trailer

Cast

Jack Starrett

Director

Timothy Bottoms

Poke Jackson

Susan George

Mary Lee Carter

Bo Hopkins

Sheriff Duke Calley

Morgan Woodward

C.J. Crane

John Karlen

Deputy Lenny

Art Hindle

Boogie

Hank Rolike

Cleotus

George 'Buck' Flower

Bull Parker

Clay Tanner

Junior

MS

Mark Silva

Kevin

SR

Santos Reyes

Jesus Mendez

DB

Debi Bieberly

Mrs. Carter

Jack Starrett

Buford Tyler

James N. Harrell

Old Codger

RM

Ron McPherson

P.R. Man Jimmy

LD

Leotis Duffie

Butler

KL

Kathryn Lacy

Mrs. Cruse

JS

John Starrett Berry

Cooter

WW

William W. Norton

Writer

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Comments

10 comments

Kwasi Wired🇬🇭Nov 15, 2023

Ex-con and former high school football star Poke Jackson (a solid and likable performance by Timothy Bottoms) returns to his small country home town only to discover that his old flame Mary Lee (a fine and charming portrayal by Susan George) is now involved with the corrupt sheriff Duke (Bo Hopkins in peak slimy form), who also was responsible for sending Poke up the river in the first place. Director Jack Starrett, working from a compelling script by William A. Norton, keeps the engrossing and entertaining story moving along at a steady pace, offers a strong and flavorsome rural redneck hamlet atmosphere, and stages several exciting action set pieces with his trademark rip-snorting gusto. Bottoms and George display a winning and convincing chemistry as the personable main characters; they receive able support from Morgan Woodward as flinty local bigwig C.J. Crane, John Karlen as bumbling deputy Lenny, Art Hindle as amiable grease monkey Boogie, and George "Buck" Flower in an especially lively and funny turn as scruffy hick hell-raiser Bull Parker. Both Charles Bernstein's spirited harmonic score and Robert C. Jessup's sharp widescreen cinematography are up to par. A fun flick.

SimranNov 15, 2023

I usually like Jack Starret's films, this director was so typical of the seventies, my favourite period. This movie is one more example; It takes place in a deep Texas town it involves borderline sheriff, car chase, and because it is made during the second part of this decade, it is more light hearted, less gloomy than what it had been several years earlier. No real surprise here, where the hero wants to clear his name; watch it only for the atmosphere of countryside, red necks and some elements that you will also have in movies such as GATOR, SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT or WHITE LIGHTNING. And also here some figures of the seventies, such as Timothy Bottoms, Bo Hopkins.

مدو القنينNov 15, 2023

This movie was a cross between BILLY JACK, DUKES OF HAZZARD and that's it. It was a fun movie. Tim Bottoms is always a good person to watch act. The ending was sudden and typical of that decade of movies. If it's on, see it.

use jerry jerryNov 15, 2023

These cool seventies movies, courtesy of Mr Arkoff, set a cool trend in the movie world for me. If you expect a lot of gore in this, you'll be plenty disappointed. What we have is a fatal love triangle. I like any Bottoms actor, they're all good. Timothy my favourite, makes a meal of the role, throwing in a naturalistic and lovable performance, as an ex con, Poke Jackson, framed, who's just got out of prison, now about to rub the same guy up the wrong way, small town local sheriff, the corrupt Duke (Hopkins in another nasty piece of work). Duke has been makin' it with Bottom's old lady, Mary Lee (the versatile Susan George) who you kind of get the feeling, she's wasted in this. Duke is about to give Poke a second serving of misjustice by setting him up again for a murder of important figure at a country fair, and this time properly doing the job. So the other half has Bottoms fleeing the cops, which culminates in a couple of cool car and bike chases, and god, can Bottoms ride. Bottoms is funny too: Helium voice scene, and we take guilty delight seeing both nemesis go at each other, where in the end, only one can walk away. Great action, and revenge that never gets old, plus sincere performances, make this a gem of a seventies movie, though it's not great, but definitely a golden 70's find.

Rockstar🌟🌟⭐⭐Nov 15, 2023

In the 1970s there were a lot of these grade-B, drive-in type movies set in rural Southern locations. Typically, there was a sheriff, a youngish protagonist, lots of car chase action, and some kind of conflict involving the sheriff and protagonist. "A Small Town In Texas" clicks all these boxes. And so the underlying idea here isn't original. Yet, the down-home rural atmosphere seems fairly realistic, as the movie was filmed in and around small towns near Austin. Male characters are generally good ole boys with minimal education; and the women are fairly inconspicuous. The main character is Poke (Timothy Bottoms), a local hick just out of prison who has a score to settle with Sheriff Duke (Bo Hopkins). The corn pone dialogue is about what you would expect for local yokels. There's some fairly good suspense in the second half. And part of the plot involves corruption surrounding a political event. The script has several major problems, apart from being unoriginal. First, the inciting incident is postponed too long, so that the plot's first thirty minutes meanders. Second, the scriptwriter overuses the car chase cliché; here there are three, complete with inept cops and screeching tires. Third, the script leaves dangling the subplot involving character C.J. Crane. Casting is less than ideal. Bo Hopkins seems to have become typecast. Timothy Bottoms looks too young to play a hardened criminal, though his performance here is acceptable. Secondary characters seem more like two-dimensional stick figures. I really like that mournful score, played at the beginning and at the end. Cinematography and production design are okay, but the film's color seems highly muted. Life in a small, rural town in the American South, combined with some contrived drama sums up the premise of this film. "Macon County Line" is much better. But "A Small Town In Texas" is acceptable if other similar movies are unavailable.

Ahmad JaberNov 15, 2023

Stereotypical corrupt southern sheriff flick. Wronged ex-con returns to girlfriend & child, friends pay the price for loyalty, takes forever to set up final confrontation . . . zoned out before that happened. 3 stars is benefit of the doubt.

L❤️Nov 15, 2023

A Small Town In Texas is a film that I put high on the list of genre action films that were a staple at drive-in's during the '1970's and '80's. The car action is great with real stunts. A great cast of film supporting actors and the always cool directing of the late Jack Starrett. Bo Hopkins is great as the sheriff, Morgan Woodward as the corrupt rich local, John Karlen and Clay Tanner as deputies, Susan George as the girlfriend is '70's hot!,Art Hindle is always good and Buck Flower steals the show as a cussin', spittin', tough-as-nails hick who helps Timothy Bottoms against the crooked law man. I hope a DVD release will be in the near future.

Okoro Blessing Nkiruka.Nov 15, 2023

Susan George gave an excellent performance in this film, over powering Timothy Bottoms, and Bo Hopkins. Susan George with her excellent British acting background gave class to this SMALL TOWN IN TEXAS. Lots of small town police corruption with daring bike and car racing and a close miss of a train. This film is going to be another classic film collection. It is worth viewing and the Texas locations and photography are fantastic.

Siku NkhomaNov 15, 2023

Folks who dig car chases and car crashes will find a fair bit to enjoy here; "A Small Town in Texas" is particularly enjoyable when it gets down to the vehicular stunt aspect. As for the rest, well, it's definitely a formula script (by William W. Norton), with engaging but familiar types of characters. Actor / director Jack Starrett ("Slaughter", "Cleopatra Jones") guides it with his customary efficiency, and does the expectedly solid job of capturing life in the South. Our hero is likable enough (although, after a while, you wish he'd shut up about going to California) and our villain is very much a heel. Timothy Bottoms stars as Poke Jackson, who tangles with his sheriff nemesis Duke Calley (Bo Hopkins), the man who set him up (resulting in Poke spending five years in jail) and stole Pokes' girl Mary Lee (Susan George) in the process. Poke, who reconnects with Mary Lee and the son (Mark Silva) that they had together, ends up witnessing a crime in which the crooked Duke is involved. So now Poke is obliged to take it on the lam and evade Duke (who now wants Poke dead) and his deputies. Nicely shot in Panavision by Robert C. Jessup, this features a wonderful score by Charles Bernstein, is sufficiently rousing when it gets to its more action oriented scenes, and has some poignant moments as well as some humorous ones. The capable supporting cast includes Morgan Woodward as local fat cat C.J. Crane, John Karlen and Clay Tanner as deputies, Art Hindle and Hank Rolike as Pokes' good friends Boogie and Cleotus, and the always very amusing George 'Buck' Flower (who doesn't appear until late into the movie) as Pokes' ornery old uncle. Bottoms and Hopkins make for fun adversaries, and George is of course lovely to look at. Director Starrett has a cameo as the drunken Buford Tyler. Nothing special but still a good example of this type of "hicksploitation" entertainment. Seven out of 10.

EdenNov 15, 2023

Even within its own and secluded subgenre (that genre being the good ol' boy hixploitation), "A Small Town in Texas" is a largely unremarkable and utmost derivative effort. The film has all the mandatory ingredients, like corrupt sheriffs, bluegrass music and virulent car chases, but the plot is overly simplistic, and the three lead characters are weak and unmemorable. Timothy Bottoms has zero charisma as the ex-con on the run for the corrupt Sheriff who wants to frame him for murder. The Sheriff, as played by Bo Hopkins, is alright, but not nearly as grim and menacing as the rotten lawmen in other contemporary semi-classics. Susan George is a lovely woman and a more than decent actress, but she one major handicap for starring in this film. She's far too British to depict a Texan local gal and can't really hide her accent. The makers must have noticed this as well, since she doesn't have many significant lines. The undisputed highlight of the film is a random but outrageous appearance by George 'Buck' Flower - who else - as the sneering Uncle Bull. "A Small Town in Texas" certainly isn't a total waste of your precious time, but there are much better and equally obscure hixploitation classics out there to discover (notably "Moving Violation", "Jackson County Jail", "Poor Pretty Eddy", "....tick...tick...tick", "Nightmare in Badham County", etc")