"Thunder In Dixie" represents a great triumph in the American film industry. To this date, no other film has come nearly as close to capturing the true meaning of the human spirit and what we as human beings have to offer the world. The acting is superb, as Harry Millard brilliantly captures Mickey Arnold's struggle to come to grips with the reality that Lillie Arnold (Judy Lewis) and Ticker Welsh (Mike Bradford) aren't the people he once thought they were. However, the film will be remembered most for Richard Kuss' brief, but unforgettable appearance as the hilariously comical Link Duggan; allowing the film to have shining moments of comedy in the midst of its darkly dramatic storyline. I truly believe that this is the greatest movie of all time, and will be remembered as such for generations to come.
3 Reviews
I have never seen a better movie
tekid112528 May 2002
Thunder in Dixie is truly a movie for movie lovers. William Naud's greatest film to date, this movie captures the true essence of humanity and examines the human soul, using the guise of a simple racing movie. The story is as follows: Mickey Arnold, played by Harry Millard, realizes that he has been betrayed by his best friend Ticker Welsh, brilliantly portrayed by Mike Bradford, and his wife, Lillie Arnold (Judy Lewis). What follows is an amazing struggle between Arnold and Welsh, climaxing with a test of Arnold's value as a man at a local derby.
Harry Millard's acting in this movie is phenomenal. After seeing Millard portray Arnold, I was shocked to find that it was his last film before his death. He certainly would have done a far better job than Steve McQueen in Bullitt. It is a great loss to the movie industry that such an amazing actor lost his life at such a young age. Throughout the movie, I cried for Mickey Arnold as his world shattered around him, my heart warmed when he triumphed, and I cheered him on during the final scene.
If you have not seen this movie yet, you are truly missing out on one of the greatest movies of our time.
Harry Millard's acting in this movie is phenomenal. After seeing Millard portray Arnold, I was shocked to find that it was his last film before his death. He certainly would have done a far better job than Steve McQueen in Bullitt. It is a great loss to the movie industry that such an amazing actor lost his life at such a young age. Throughout the movie, I cried for Mickey Arnold as his world shattered around him, my heart warmed when he triumphed, and I cheered him on during the final scene.
If you have not seen this movie yet, you are truly missing out on one of the greatest movies of our time.
A really excellent, exciting and engrossing car racetrack drama corker
Woodyanders6 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This surprisingly potent and involving low-budget 60's car racetrack drama centers on the heated rivalry between anxious, but adamant and determined ace driver Mickey Arnold (splendidly played by Harry Millard) and intense and surly aspiring champion Ticker Walsh (the equally excellent Mike Bradford). You see, not only does Ticker resent Mickey for always finishing first and thus seeming second-rate in comparison, but also Ticker has a personal beef with Mickey concerning the accidental death of his girlfriend in a car wreck three months ago. This bitter feud reaches its harrowing all-or-nothing apex at a big race which serves as the thrilling climax for the film.
Director William T. ("Hot Rod Hullaboo") Naud, working from an exceptionally smart, compact and astute script by George Baxt, wrings plenty of arresting drama and sweat-inducing tension from compelling story. Moreover, the uniformly fine acting from a solid cast constitutes as a substantial asset: Besides the two terrific male leads, there are similarly strong performances by Judy Lewis as Mickey's loving, but fed-up wife and smoldering brunette Nancy Berg as an opportunistic hussy who falls hard for Ticker. Pat McAndrew has a memorably funny bit as a drunken barroom floozy Ticker hits on. Thomas E. Spalding's stark, gritty black and white photography, a fantastic sequence at a nightclub in which a slick smoothie singer heartily belts out the swooning ballad "Maybe Tomorrow" and stripper Sheri Benet performs a racy stage number, the tart dialogue ("You can't kill ten years on a front porch"), Elliot Lawrence's groovy swinging bebop jazz score, the remarkably well-drawn and engaging characters, and the expected exciting pedal-to-the-metal tire-shrieking, rubber-burning, eat my dust reckless and dangerous automobile racetrack action further enhance the overall sterling quality of this bang-up little sleeper.
Director William T. ("Hot Rod Hullaboo") Naud, working from an exceptionally smart, compact and astute script by George Baxt, wrings plenty of arresting drama and sweat-inducing tension from compelling story. Moreover, the uniformly fine acting from a solid cast constitutes as a substantial asset: Besides the two terrific male leads, there are similarly strong performances by Judy Lewis as Mickey's loving, but fed-up wife and smoldering brunette Nancy Berg as an opportunistic hussy who falls hard for Ticker. Pat McAndrew has a memorably funny bit as a drunken barroom floozy Ticker hits on. Thomas E. Spalding's stark, gritty black and white photography, a fantastic sequence at a nightclub in which a slick smoothie singer heartily belts out the swooning ballad "Maybe Tomorrow" and stripper Sheri Benet performs a racy stage number, the tart dialogue ("You can't kill ten years on a front porch"), Elliot Lawrence's groovy swinging bebop jazz score, the remarkably well-drawn and engaging characters, and the expected exciting pedal-to-the-metal tire-shrieking, rubber-burning, eat my dust reckless and dangerous automobile racetrack action further enhance the overall sterling quality of this bang-up little sleeper.
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