The Movie Poster Sez: Sledge is an S.O.B.!

Sledge is a real son of a bitch! Luther Sledge may even be THE quintessential sumbitch. Indeed 'A Man Called Sledge' was difficult for me to watch the first time. James Garner played him wholeheartedly humorless. This made it hard for me to empathize with this antihero that I really wanted to root for, but...Sledge is a son of a bitch in a class with 'Hud'. How the hell did Ria love him or even like him? I don't know!!! However,...
Seeing Sledge a second time, 18 years after the first, I came to accept him and realize how good Garner is as an actor and admiring him for portraying an uncompromising bad ass son of a bitch character that was probably hard for mother Sledge to love. Hence, realizing that Ria was his redemption and was the spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, so to say. Indeed, James Garner showed off his acting chops with Luther Sledge! This takes guts, to play against type. I'm glad he only did it once and pulled it off so damn well.
I miss James Garner, but having most of his movies in my movie collection, I'm glad to have 'A Man Called Sledge' among the rest of his best work like Maverick & Rockford Files TV shows and his more likable movie characters like Support Local Sheriff/Gunfighter, Murphy, Americanizing Emily, Skin Game, and the rest...
Now, I should watch Mr. Budding again.