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People are voting emotionally.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

Following a string of successful movies in which Steve McQueen developed his brash, cool, loner persona, he decided to take an artistic leap of faith and portray a character going against type. The decision caused him much concern because he wasn't sure if he could do comedy well, and at times felt like the picture might have led to career suicide. In a way, McQueen felt he might have been letting down his fans, betraying the public for doing a comedy.He needn't have worried. "The Reivers" was well received at the box office in this country, although the foreign market was not as receptive to the story, based on a slice of William Faulkner's Americana. Notwithstanding McQueen's starring role, the story has more to do with a young boy's coming of age, as eleven year old Lucius McCaslin (Mitch Young) embarks on an auto excursion from Jefferson, Mississippi to Memphis, Tennessee with rascally Boon Hogganbeck (McQueen) and his own woodpile cousin Ned McCaslin (Rupert Cross). This may be one of the very few times in movie history a familial relationship is suggested between a white boy and a black man, but it works for the story and isn't really a prevailing factor in the telling.Probably the most effective scenes in the picture involve young Lucius as well. Particularly moving are his conversation with Corrie (Sharon Farrell), a hooker with a heart of gold, and later on with his granddad 'Boss' (Will Geer), after having learned a valuable life lesson about lying, cheating, brawling and womanizing. Those last two were traits of father figure Boon, but Lucius kept his eyes wide open and was a good student of the human condition.According to Steve McQueen though, the real star of the picture was the yellow Winton Flyer that grandpa Boon bought, which was hijacked by the principal players on their merry journey. The car was made especially for the movie, and was kept by McQueen after filming as part of his personal collection until his death in 1980. It can still be seen and admired at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, California.

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS Sandwiched in between two big hits, 'Bullitt' and 'The Thomas Crown Affair' and the labours of love that followed - 'Le Mans' and 'On Any Sunday' - this is one of Steve McQueen's supposedly lesser efforts.It is classed as lesser because a) it is not as popular as most of his movies b) It isn't seen that often.However, this is a lovely, life-affirming coming of age movie. Mitch Vogel is perfect in the role of the innocent 12 year old boy taken on a journey of self discovery by his best friend Boon, expertly played by McQueen. Rupert Crosse was Oscar nominated for his role.The best scene in the film is the climactic horse race, expertly photographed and full and excitement and tension. However my favourite scene is where Boon affirms his respect and admiration for his 12 year old charge, rather than vice versa.Unfortunately this movie has been relegated to an afternoon filler on TV, and really deserves better.

Steve McQueen stars as a nice jerk in Northern Mississippi in 1905. However, the focus of the film really is on young Mitch Vogel and is about his initiation into the sluttier side of life. Odd that despite his prominence in the film he received such low billing. This is a coming of age story about the South from William Faulkner and while in many ways it is a family film, the themes that appear in it make it far from family-friendly. This is certainly not a Disney flick! Now for older kids, it's probably okay but with the sexual content, whore house setting and morally shaky lead characters, it's a bit problematic for the younger crowd.Now if you ignore all the debauchery in this film and the cliché about "hookers with hearts of gold", then it is an excellent character study and does have some lovely performances and is finely crafted--just don't let your kids internalize the messages or you'll be sorry!

For a movie that starred one of the greatest box office stars of his time, based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by one America's greatest writers, "The Reivers" has continued to be something of an answer to a trivia question ("In what movie did Steve McQueen portray a semi-comic character involving a stolen automobile and a horse race?") I'm not sure of the reasons myself, but this movie has remained at the top of my "Favorite Movies" list since I first saw it in 1969. Maybe it was the out-of-character role of McQueen. Maybe it was the excellence of his supporting cast that includes Mitch Vogel, Rupert Crosse and Will Geer. Maybe it was the direction by Mark Rydell. Or maybe it was the outstanding score by John Williams (which has remained my favorite movie score of all time). Most likely, it is a combination of all the above. All I can say is that this movie has never lost its appeal for me. Watching the movie is like visiting an old friend with whom the passage of time will only strengthen the bonds of affection. This movie may not be for everybody, but I recommend it on the chance that you may be smitten by its special charm.