Thunderbolt and Lightfoot main backdrop
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot main poster

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

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6.8/10 • 554

1974-05-231h 55m

CrimeComedyActionDrama

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

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

Directors
Michael Cimino
Editors
Ferris Webster

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood

    Thunderbolt

  2. Jeff Bridges

    Jeff Bridges

    Lightfoot

  3. George Kennedy

    George Kennedy

    Red Leary

  4. Geoffrey Lewis

    Geoffrey Lewis

    Eddie Goody

  5. Catherine Bach

    Catherine Bach

    Melody

  6. Gary Busey

    Gary Busey

    Curly

  7. Roy Jenson

    Roy Jenson

    Dunlop

  8. Eugene Elman

    Eugene Elman

    Tourist

  9. Burton Gilliam

    Burton Gilliam

    Welder

Reviews3

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Wuchak Avatar

Wuchak

Mar 4, 2019

8/10

A Tarantino flick two decades before they existed A preacher (Clint Eastwood) with a past to hide is chased by a lunatic gunman (George Kennedy) in northern Montana. He inadvertently teams-up with a young scalawag (Jeff Daniels) and they concoct a mad heist with a couple of the former’s old partners. Written & directed by Michael Cimino, “Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” (1974) was the infamous director’s debut and pulsates with cinematic magic from beginning to end. You can tell Tarantino was heavily influenced by it because it smacks of his flicks twenty years before he rose to fame with “Pulp Fiction.” It is a combination gangster/road/car flick à la “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967), “Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry” (1974) and “Joyride” (1977). Someone said that feminists might have a problem with the film because women are generally portrayed as sex objects and little more. Yet the average man isn't portrayed much more nobly; they're basically shallow, sex-obsessed, dishonest, purposeless, incompetent buffoons. So the criticism of the film goes both ways. It might help to understand the flick as picaresque wherein the protagonists are amiable rogues, bohemians, adventurers, rapscallions, which is what the root word ‘picaro’ means. These kinds of yarns include satire, comedy, sarcasm and acerbic social criticism with an episodic plot revolving around an often pointless quest. "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" (1966) is a good example. But this is superior to that overpraised Spaghetti Western because the picaros are more likable and interesting, not to mention it’s just all-around more entertaining, which is helped by the magnificent Montanan scenery. Despite their shallow depictions, the movie scores pretty well in the feminine department with June Fairchild standing out as Gloria. Erica Hagen has a small part as a blonde waitress and Catherine Bach has a glorified cameo. The film runs 1 hour, 55 minutes and was shot exclusively in the Great Falls extended region of northern Montana. GRADE: A-

Media

  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot poster
  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot poster
  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot poster
  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot poster
  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot poster
  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot poster
  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot poster
  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot poster
  • Thunderbolt and Lightfoot poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
$4,000,000.00
Revenue
$25,000,000.00
Keywords
friendshippoliceroad tripoutlaw