| Thunderbolt and Lightfoot | | Cast : | Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges | | Director : | Michael Cimino | | Studio : | Mgm/Ua Studios | | Format : | Color, Widescreen, Closed-captioned | | Released Date : | January 01, 1974 | | DVD Released Date : | July 30, 2002 | | Language : | Unknown (Dubbed), English (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed), English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 22, 2005 | | Summary | "If I knew the way, I'd go back home..." | Content
 | The subject of this movie is a bank heist pulled off by a veteran safecracker and his inexperienced young partner. But director Michael Cimino makes this more than just another action movie. There's a real poignancy to this film that captures a feel for mid-1970's America that is hard to find anywhere else. It is also perhaps Eastwood's finest film of that decade. Paul Williams' soundtrack brings out the inherent loneliness of this film in a wonderful song, "Where Do We Go From Here." But don't get me wrong. This is a movie with some really funny moments, like Clint and Jeff's encounter with the couple at the gas station, or George Kennedy's turn as an ice cream salesman. A frequently overlooked film that deserves more attention. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 12, 2005 | | Summary | THIS IS CLINT'S BEST MOVIE DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!! | Content
| This movie is SO underrated-I can't begin to describe it. It really is Clint's best movie as an actor. Never has he taken a role that was more perfectly suited for his abilities and his personality than this one. The direction, acting, photography, script, and plot are 5 stars all the way. I'll admit it's a very 70s movie, but that shouldn't matter. It's funny, insightful, smart and both character and plot driven to perfection. It really does have it all. AND THE BEST PART IS that this is one of those movies that is so good, on so many levels, that you can watch it over and over, and appreciate it more with each viewing. The sad part is that United Artists did not promote it well (at the time, but also over time), so this 5 star gem has become an obscure footnote in the careers of those involved rather than one of the highlights as it should be--It kills me that most people have never even heard of this movie, let alone seen it. While crap like THE EIGER SANCTION, THE ROOKIE, HEARTBREAK RIDGE, and PINK CADILLAC get so much airplay and notoriety, this masterpiece (YES MASTERPIECE!!!) gets overlooked and often ignored. Read the other reviews for a plot summary, but please take the time to see this movie. Although it bespeaks of a vanished America, even though it wasn't really that long ago, it is more than a 3 or 4 star movie. It truly is a 5+ star movie that has languished for decades without getting the true respect that a movie this good honestly deserves. Never has a movie so perfectly combined the genres of a buddy, road, and caper movies so cohesively AND PULLED IT OFF--SO IT'S NO BULLSH#$ WHEN I SAY THAT THEY DON'T MAKE MOVIES LIKE THIS ANYMORE--THANK YOU TO CLINT EASTWOOD AND MICHAEL CIMINO FOR MAKING THIS MOVIE A REALITY--THOUGH OTHERS CONTINUE TO OVERLOOK IT, THERE'S (AT LEAST) ONE PERSON WHO KNOWS THAT THIS IS WHAT FIRST RATE FILMMAKING IS ALL ABOUT--I CAN'T RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE HIGHLY ENOUGH--SEE IT, BUY IT, COME TO UNDERSTAND ITS BRILLANCE--YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID- |
| Rating | | | Date | November 29, 2004 | | Summary | Sets the standard for buddie and road movies | Content
| I have to say, along with Midnight Cowboy, this is one of the great Movies of recent times. There is no need for superflous fx, or stupendous budgets, not when you have chemistry, script, and cinematography like this. Lightfoot is a hero of mine. I always aspired to be this freewheelin, take every day as it comes kinda guy. But somewhere along the line... I grew up. Damn!
Anyway, the story. I wont ruin it by explaining anything! Just get the damn thing and remember when the American dream really wasnt that far outta reach. And look out for lightfoot's laugh! |
| Rating | | | Date | November 14, 2004 | | Summary | Caper Film That Defies Expectations | Content
| Michael Cimino makes any effective directing debut with this surprisingly offbeat caper film. Just when you think you are getting a light-hearted heist flick the film takes some dark turns that will shock you. Cimino, also the writer of this film, has populated his film with colorful characterizations. Jeff Bridges is magnetic as Lightfoot and his enthusiasm seems to have rubbed off on the normally taciturn star Clint Eastwood. Good work is also delivered by George Kennedy as Red and Geoffrey Lewis as Goody, the other partners in the heist. Great Montana scenery photography here as well. Here's hoping that Hollywood will give another chance to Cimino to see if he has some more good work left in him. |
| Rating | | | Date | March 10, 2004 | | Summary | Eastwood's most underrated film! | Content
| In 1974, director Michael Cimino, who had helped write the script for MAGNUM FORCE, made his debut as director for THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT. The result is a surprised combination of action, suspense, and comedy. Clint Eastwood plays John Doherty, a bank robber who is hiding from other members of his gang who think he ran away with the loot,(it is actually hidden behind a blackboard in a schoolhouse). After nearly being gunned down in his own church, Doherty takes off across a wheatfield, and literally runs into drifter Jeff Bridges,(Lightfoot) , who has just stolen a Pontiac. After getting Doherty out of trouble, the two begin a friendship that involves hookers, stealing cars, and running from Doherty's enemies. George Kennedy plays Red Leary, a member of Doherty's gang who eventually catches up with him. Geoffery Lewis plays Goody, Leary's sidekick. After cornering Doherty,(nicknamed Thunderbolt) and Lightfoot, Doherty convinces them that the money is gone, although he is unaware the schoolhouse had been moved. They all then decide to rub off the same bank because no one would suspect them of doing it again. The plans leading up to it are funny. I always liked the part where Kennedy tells off the snotty kid while they are planning their route in the ice cream truck. Bridges dresses in drag to fool the security guard. When the whole operation is done, the police still catch up with them, and all hell breaks loose. Still, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot escape and find the money stashed behind the moved schoolhouse on the side of the road. They then buy an expensive convertible and light victory cigars. What happens next is very sad, although I won't give that away. The movie is highlighted by beautiful Montana scenery and long quiet periods with no music, creating a relaxing and peacful setting that will please any action buff. Cimino was obviously off to a good start, and he would win an Oscar for DEER HUNTER 4 years later. This is the most underrated movie of Eastwood's career, and it shows him on the other side of the law and doing a very good job of it. |
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