In 1905 Mississippi, the arrival of a yellow Winton Flyer automobile, purchased by the McCaslin family patriarch (Will Geer), marks an event for the town. A charming scamp named Boon (Steve McQueen) persuades the McCaslin’s eleven-year-old grandson (Mitch Vogel) to take the car on a trip to Memphis while his grandfather is away at a funeral. Rupert Crosse tags along, and Sharon Farrell portrays a woman of questionable character in Memphis. Adapted from William Faulkner's final novel, "The Reivers” (1969), this picaresque story is worth watching simply for the antique automobile. McQueen reportedly considered the car “the real star of the picture” and later added it to his personal collection. The adventures of these memorable characters are enjoyable in a lighthearted way. However, the film’s tone feels odd at first, blending elements of an older Disney-style children's movie with more mature content, such as a stay at a brothel and all that entails. It's worth noting that there is no nudity beyond a full-figure painting on the wall in the boy’s bedroom, which he looks at with amusement. The film seems too grown-up for kids but not substantial enough for adults, so it didn't find an audience when it was released, causing McQueen to later say it made him appear like “the village idiot.” He does seem like a naive simpleton, though the character of Boon is essentially a man-child—an adult who acts irresponsibly. The boy himself is really the central figure since the story revolves around his transition into adulthood. Sharon Farrell’s performance evokes Ann-Margret and she was undeniably one of the most beautiful women of her time; Diane Shalet, with her red hair, also appears as Hannah. If this description sounds appealing, give it a look, but "Paper Moon" (1973) is a stronger choice for something like this. It doesn’t have McQueen's peculiar over-the-top style (and that of a few others to a lesser extent). The film has a running time of 1 hour and 47 minutes and was filmed in Greenwood & Carrolton, Mississippi. The horse racing scenes were shot at Walt Disney's Golden Oak Ranch in Newhall, California, located in the hills north of Hollywood and east of Santa Clarita. GRADE: B-/C+

Source on TMDB