"Poker Run" Review: Southern Horsepower Comedy Cranks It Up and Burns Rubber!
Hold onto your hats, folks, because John Schneider’s Poker Run is tearing up the backroads with a vengeance, proving once again that Southern horsepower comedy can’t resist taking it back to the dirt!
This 2021 sequel to Stand On It doesn’t just rev the engine—it floors it, delivering a wild, funny, and poignant ride that’s as thrilling as a bootlegger outrunning the law.
Like its predecessors—Smokey and the Bandit, The Dukes of Hazzard, and Schneider’s own Stand On It—this film is a love letter to fast cars, quick wit, and the rebel spirit, but it’s got an edge that makes it one of the most exciting independent films in years. And here’s the kicker: they shot the whole damn thing without permits, believing it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission. That’s the kind of gutsy filmmaking that’ll make you cheer!
Schneider returns as Duke Marietta, the retired Stuntman legend with a lead foot and a knack for trouble, fresh off his Stand On It win with $500,000 burning a hole in his pocket. This time, he’s roped into a Texas Hold’em poker game with a $2.5 million pot, bankrolled by the shady Tiny (Michael Sullivan) and Timmy Needham (Dane Rhodes). The twist? Each round—the flop, the turn, the river—plays out at a different backwoods location, forcing Duke and his crew (Cody McCarver’s Frosty, Mindy Robinson’s Fred, Dion Baia’s Sonny, and Rhodes’ Papa) to race across Louisiana in a blur of race cars, cop cars, boats, jet skis, and Frosty’s 18-wheeler. It’s a high-stakes, high-speed mashup of cards and carburetors, and it’s a hell of a lot funnier than it has any right to be.
From the jump, Poker Run is a nitrous-boosted blast. Schneider, who wrote, directed, and stars, channels his inner Bo Duke with a grin and a gleam, tossing off one-liners as he barrels through stunts that’d make Hal Needham proud—like jumping his Dodge Challenger Hellcat through a fishing camp while some poor sap sips beer on the porch. The comedy is sharp and unpolished, leaning on Southern charm and slapstick chaos, but it’s the poignant undercurrent that sneaks up on you: a tale of friendship tested by greed, loyalty stretched thin, and the sheer joy of living life wide open. Schneider’s chemistry with McCarver—a real-life pal of 25 years—grounds the madness, making Frosty the Jerry Reed-inspired sidekick you can’t help but root for.
What makes Poker Run truly exhilarating, though, is its indie soul. Shot guerrilla-style without permits in Livingston Parish and beyond, this movie embodies the outlaw ethos it celebrates. No studio suits, no red tape—just Schneider and a scrappy crew chasing the next shot, whether it’s a cop car splashing into a river or a dirt-track showdown on Louisiana Highway 190.
It’s raw, it’s real, and it’s got a pulse-pounding energy that Hollywood’s polished blockbusters can’t touch. The stunts are practical, the cars are loud, and the cameos—from Jon Reep to Tyrus—add a rowdy flair that keeps you guessing.
Why should you snag this on DVD from johnschneiderstudios.com or stream it on CineFlix DOD? Because Poker Run is a rare breed: an indie flick that doesn’t just play it safe—it grabs the wheel, pops the clutch, and leaves you grinning in the dust. It’s a middle finger to convention, a tribute to Schneider’s heroes (Burt Reynolds and Needham nod approvingly from the great beyond), and a reminder that movies can still be a damn good time. So crank up the volume, gather your crew, and dive into Poker Run—it’s the Southern horsepower shot of adrenaline you didn’t know you needed!
Available with no autograph, with autograph and with autograph and personalized (different prices).
