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Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Michael Cimino (written by)
Release Date:
2 September 1974 (Sweden)
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Tagline:
Thunderbolt... the man with the reputation. Lightfoot... the kid who's about to make one! more
Plot:
With the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organize a daring new heist. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Oscar.
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NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
The Trailer for 'Crazy Heart' Starring Jeff Bridges
(From CinemaSpy. 16 November 2009, 9:25 PM, PST)
Trailer, Poster, and Oscar Buzz for Crazy Heart Starring Jeff Bridges
(From Collider.com. 16 November 2009, 8:16 PM, PST)
(From CinemaSpy. 16 November 2009, 9:25 PM, PST)
Trailer, Poster, and Oscar Buzz for Crazy Heart Starring Jeff Bridges
(From Collider.com. 16 November 2009, 8:16 PM, PST)
User Comments:
"Where do I go from here?"
more (65 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| 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 |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
115 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
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).
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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.
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Quotes:
Soundtrack:
Where Do I Go from Here
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (65 total)
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Michael Cimino's first film is an arresting fusion of early 70's road movie, 'Buddy' picture and 'planning a heist' action-thriller. That it manages to incorporate these elements into a poetic study of male friendship and the unquenchable restlessness at the heart of the great American pioneer/drifter mentality makes it a remarkable piece of work.
Cimino avoids the 'arty' distance of Terence Malick's 'Badlands' or the po-faced existentialism of Monte Hellman's 'Two Lane Black-top', but entertains the same thematic concerns within the framework of an accessible genre piece. From it's opening vista of a deserted wheat field, accompanied by the haunting strains of a single acoustic guitar, the film resonates with loneliness and loss. "Tell me where, Where does a fool go", sings Paul Williams, "when there's no-one left to listen, to a story without meaning, that no-body wants to hear?"
It is also funny and tender in it's observation of male camaraderie. Eastwood has never been more effective and affecting on-screen than in his interplay here with Jeff Bridges. We get a real sense of his character's connection to Bridges which makes the 'Midnight Cowboy'-ish ending genuinely moving.
Like all the great 70's movies, it has some wonderfully memorable scenes and dialogue: Dub Taylor ranting about the imminent collapse of the American economy at a nocturnal gas station; Bill Mckinney as a crazed speed-freak with a trunk full of white rabbits; Bridges encountering a hammer-wielding female motorcyclist, etc, etc.
Throw in some breath-taking scenic photography of Montana by Frank Stanley (prefiguring the use and role of landscape in relation to character later explored by Cimino in 'The Deer Hunter') and some beautifully understated character work in the smaller roles, and you have a fondly remembered minor classic ripe for some serious re-appraisal.