Macon County Line (1974)

You keep expecting James Gammon to casually mention his dream of managing the Cleveland Indians one day...

Not exactly 'hicksploitation,' MCL is a more thoughtful, less salacious drive-in flick which adopted the Fargo approach 20 years earlier by purporting that the ensuing events were all based in fact. The predictability of the plot does betray that claim since you more-or-less know how things are going to pan out, yet it's produced with a loose, amiable, shaggy dog style that's engrossing and even a bit tragic.

The performances are natural and believable, the early use of period-appropriate tunes lend the opening scenes momentum, and it's a solidly-made drama sold as an exploitation picture.