Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

In my high school film class we had to make a short film that was edited entirely inside the camera. We also had about an hour to do it. To make things exciting, we decided it should be a chase film. It was a simple story about a kid trying to do his homework when someone steals his pen and runs off. We titled it De-Penned. The simplicity of the story, our limited timeline and the propulsive energy of a good chase all combined to make our short the clear stand-out from the rest. This is exactly why I enjoy Smokey and the Bandit so damn much. The story is insanely simple and the limited budget/shooting schedule gives the whole chase aspect an added OOMPH! Also - Jerry Reed's music is damn catchy. De-Penned didn't have music.