A couple of years ago a friend of mine jokingly suggested that someone should do a big-screen version of “The Dukes of Hazzard” starring Cedric the Entertainer and Bernie Mac as Bo and Luke Duke.

I mention this because that version couldn’t have possibly been any worse than “The Dukes of Hazzard” movie currently playing in theaters.

“Dukes” isn’t just a bad movie, it is a horrendous mess of a film – with terrible acting, horrible writing and no direction whatsoever.

Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville are cast as Bo and Luke Duke, a pair of “good ole boy” southern moonshiners who are always trying to stay one step ahead of the local sheriff (M.C. Gainey) and a crooked businessman named Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds).

Scott (“Dude, Where’s My Car?”) and Knoxville (“Jackass”) have never proven to be very good actors, but their work here makes their previous films look like “Citizen Kane.”

Reynolds isn’t very good either and Willie Nelson is terrible as Uncle Jessie. In fact, only Jessica Simpson – as cousin Daisy – escapes this junk with her dignity intact (not that she had much to start with).

I’ll admit that I was never a fan of the television series, but at least it had its moments. There is absolutely no reason to see the movie version of “The Dukes of Hazzard” – which vaults to the top of the list when it comes to the worst films of 2005.

Discount dandy of the week

This week’s discount dandy is “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” (B+) which was billed as the final chapter of the Star Wars saga. If that is the case, then the franchise goes out with a bang. The last installment of the second trilogy is buoyed by three strong action sequences that easily makes it the best of this group – and perhaps the second best of the entire series.

“Sith” begins with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) rescuing Chancellor Palpatine from the grips of Count Dooku and General Grievous in a 30-minute action sequence that really gets the film off to a rousing start.

From there, “Sith” deals more with Anakin’s slow evolution into Darth Vader and how Palpatine rises to become the Emperor and lead the evil Empire.

Since everyone knows how it all turns out, the fun in “Sith” is getting each new piece to the puzzle that eventually crystallizes into the start of the original trilogy from 1977-83.

“Sith” has the darkest tone of any of the six films, but then again, it’s not as if the movie is destined for a happy ending.

“Sith” also gets a lot of strength from its action sequences. In addition to the rousing opener, there is a great sequence midway through that involves the overthrow spearheaded by Palpatine and the finale on the volcanic planet of Mustafar is one of the most visually impressive of the franchise.

“Sith” opens Friday at the Plaza 6, where all movies are $1.50.

– Sportswriter/ movie reviewer Micheal Compton yearns for the good ole days of redneck cinema, including the underappreciated classic “Smokey and the Bandit.” Even if you have a long way to go and a short time to get there, drop Micheal an e-mail at mcompton@bgdailynews.com and share your favorite “Smokey” moments.