Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw (1976)

(On Cable TV, July 2021) The 1970s were perhaps the heyday for outlaw cinema, and so there’s a familiarity to low-budget copycat Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw that’s hard to shake considering how closely it sticks close to better “outlaw lovers on the run” films. You know the ur-story: a charming young man with thoughts of crime gets a girlfriend, and together they go on a multistate rampage until they’re gunned down. Maybe they make a few friends along the way. Accordingly, Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw is a road movie enlivened by crime, some exploitation providing commercial prospects for a cheap production. There’s a bit of southwestern local atmosphere to be found in how the filmmakers went for location shooting. Still, as far as I can determine, there’s only one reason for twenty-first century viewers to have a look at the result: the original screen Wonder Woman Linda Carter, looking gorgeous in one of the lead roles — she carries the film in-between the action highlights. Unfortunately, there’s not much more to Bobbie Jo and the Outlaw—Maybe a few car chases and crashes. Otherwise, though, you’d be better off with Badlands (hmmm, I can’t believe I wrote that, considering my low opinion of Badlands), The Sugarland Express or the classic Bonnie and Clyde.