The Cannonball Run

"You'll root for them all...but you'll never guess who wins."

1981 1h 35m EN

😐

6.2

MID

🥫

29%

ROTTEN

😬

METACRITIC

⭐

6.3

IMDB

★6.2TMDB · 732🥫29%Rotten Tomatoes●28Metacritic★6.3IMDB · 44,336

ActionComedyFamily

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A cross-country road race is based on an actual event, the Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, organized by Brock Yates to protest the 55 mph speed limit then in effect in the U.S. The Cannonball was named for Erwin G. "Cannonball" Baker, who in the roaring 20's rode his motorcycle across the country. Many of the characters are based on ruses developed by real Cannonball racers over the several years that the event was run.

“You'll root for them all...but you'll never guess who wins.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Burt Reynolds
J.J. McClure
Roger Moore
Seymour
Farrah Fawcett
Pamela
Dom DeLuise
Victor
Dean Martin
Jamie Blake
Sammy Davis Jr.
Fenderbaum
Jack Elam
Doctor
Adrienne Barbeau
Marcie

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hal Needham
Writers: Brock Yates
Languages: Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, English
Countries: United States of America, Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

45 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Hong Kong.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Cannonball Run Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hal Needham, shot by Michael C. Butler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Al Capps. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Donn Cambern shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hal Needham directs. Michael C. Butler behind the camera. Al Capps scores. Donn Cambern cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America, Hong Kong. Dialogue in Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.
245 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Japanese, Mandarin, Arabic, English.
4International production across 2 countries: United States of America, Hong Kong.
5Part of the "Cannonball Run Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
6Directed by Hal Needham, shot by Michael C. Butler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Al Capps. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Donn Cambern shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Burt Reynolds and Roger Moore and Farrah Fawcett carry the top of the cast.
10Marketing tagline: "You'll root for them all...but you'll never guess who wins.".
11IMDB entry: tt0082136 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Michael C. Butler
Original score: Al Capps
Editing: Donn Cambern
Makeup / hair: Tom Ellingwood
Sound: Donald O. Mitchell
Stunt coordinator: Bobby Bass
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $18,000,000
Box office: $72,179,579
Return: 401% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Cannonball Run (1981)
Rotten Tomatoes: 29% 🥫 Rotten
Metacritic: 28/100
IMDB rating: 6.3/10 · 44,336 votes
MPAA: PG

Awards

1 win & 4 nominations total

Part of

Cannonball Run Collection

A series of films which revolve around an eccentric group of competitors in wild and illegal road races.

Also by

Hal Needham

Stills · wallpapers

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Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

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Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-12-16
★ 6/10
Though some of the wheezes employed by the drivers do raise a smile or two, this really doesn't catch fire as Burt Reynolds' brand of mischievous charm struggles to hold it together. He and his pal "Victor" (Dom DeLuise) are determined to win the eponymous, infamous and illegal transcontinental dash - and hit on the idea of commandeering an ambulance so they can blue-light their way across their country. A synch, surely? They are not the only contestants, though, and Roger Moore is also intent on a bit of debonaire skulduggery with his very own Aston Martin - yep, that very one; whilst a couple of priests in a red Ferrari (Sammy Davis Jr. & Dean Martin) do their utmost to "bless" their way to the winning post. It's a star-studded affair with Peter Fonda; an entertaining, if fleetingly used, Jackie Chan and Farah Fawcett all in there too to complement some scene stealing scenes from permanently out of it doctor "Van Helsing" - Jack Elam, but the story soon starts to tire as it becomes a sort of live-action version of "Whacky Races" tinged with a few "Carry On" double-entendres. The "Rat Pack" contingent look like they are just along for the fee and Fawcett adds little but her usual degree of fluffiness as the damsel not really in distress. It's not a patch on "Smokey and the Bandit" (1977) though there are some fairly obvious cop-baiting similarities and by the end it has largely fizzled out. It has it's moments, just nowhere near enough of them until the bloopers reel under the credits.

Production companies