Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Michael Cimino

Writer:

Michael Cimino (written by)

Release Date:

2 September 1974 (Sweden)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Thunderbolt... the man with the reputation. Lightfoot... the kid who's about to make one!

Plot:

With the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organize a daring new heist.

Plot Keywords:

Heist | Nudity | Carjacking | Female Frontal Nudity | Hidden Money

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	John "Thunderbolt" Doherty
Jeff Bridges	...	Lightfoot
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Eddie Goody
Catherine Bach	...	Melody
Gary Busey	...	Curly (as Garey Busey)
Jack Dodson	...	Vault Manager, Montana Armor
Gene Elman	...	Tourist at Schoolhouse
Burton Gilliam	...	Welder
Roy Jenson	...	Dunlop
Claudia Lennear	...	Secretary
Bill McKinney	...	Crazy Driver
Vic Tayback	...	Mario Pinski, Contractor
Dub Taylor	...	Station Attendant
Gregory Walcott	...	Used Car Salesman
Erica Hagen	...	Waitress

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:18 | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:R16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:X (original rating) | USA:R | West Germany:16 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Fort Benton, Montana, USA

Company:

Malpaso Company, The

Trivia:

'Michael Cimino' was given the chance to write and direct this picture for Clint Eastwood after Eastwood was impressed with a rewrite Cimino did on the second "Dirty Harry" script, Magnum Force (1973).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Thunderbolt is delivering his sermon in the church, his hair is heavily oiled but it appears quite dry when he emerges from the church, chased by Dunlop.

Quotes:

Lightfoot: You ain't no country preacher, Preacher.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Big Lebowski (1998)

Soundtrack:

Where Do I Go from Here

Somewhere between "The Man With No Name" and "Dirty Harry"....

"Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" is somewhat of a puzzle. It is an uneasy mixture of comedy, buddy road movie, and action film. While Eastwood's "spaghetti western" anti-hero was a "good" bad guy, "Thunderbolt" fails to elicit the same reaction. He plots a heist with bad guys, and were it not for Eastwood's support of the highly likable "Lightfoot", his character would be difficult to embrace as anything but just another criminal. In fact, Eastwood's "Thunderbolt" is completely overshadowed by Jeff Bridges endearing performance. The movie benefits from terrific supporting characters, great on location photography, and surprising comic moments. It is weakened by uneven transitions from comedy to drama, and about 10 minutes of car chases that could have been trimmed. - MERK