Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974)

Clint Eastwood takes a radical departure from his usual action-oriented fare with this utterly disarming character-driven delight in which Eastwood portrays laid-back former thief Thunderbolt with his trademark low-key self -assurance, but basically lets Jeff Bridges reign supreme with his wonderfully cocky and dynamic turn as brash drifter Lightfoot, who convinces Thunderbolt to join forces with several old cohorts for one last big daring bank heist. Writer/director Michael Cimino not only derives a lot of charm and warmth from the friendship between Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, but also makes excellent use of the wide open prairie locations, offers a wealth of quirky moments and colorful oddball folks, stages the exciting last reel action with rip-roaring gusto, and astutely captures the despair, loneliness, and restlessness lurking right underneath the deceptively cheerful surface of heartland America. Eastwood and Bridges display a natural and relaxed chemistry in the lead roles. George Kennedy likewise excels as the volatile Red Leary while Geoffrey Lewis is typically sturdy as the bumbling Eddie Goody. Moreover, there are sharp cameos from Catherine Bach as the sassy Melody, Gary Busey as amiable good ol' boy Curly, Bill McKinney as a crazy motorist who gives Thunderbolt and Lightfoot a lift, Dub Taylor as a crusty gas station attendant, and Gregory Walcott as a smarmy used car salesman. Frank Stanley's breathtaking widescreen cinematography provides plenty of striking visuals. The surprise tragic ending packs a devastating punch. An offbeat and enjoyable treat.

This is not so much a review as a question. I found the movie to be a lot of fun, fast paced, well acted, great scenery, direction, and reasonably put together. My question is: why was this movie the effective end of June Fairchild's career? Sure, she had a couple of nowhere roles in stupid movies, but this was her high point. Cathy Bach, on the other hand did very well after this. Why? June's acting was very good, she had a much bigger part, well, than almost any of the other bit players. Further, she cute as the dickens. She was likable, and she screamed beautifully. This lady had a sad end, and it seems that everyone just wrote her off. Could something have happened on the set that made her an outcast? No doubt it will never be known, but it should be said by someone that she played a good part and is NOT forgotten.

Thunderbolt And Lightfoot is the directorial debut of Michael Cimino(who worked as a screenwriter on Magnum Force and later directed Deer Hunter). The film is a very interesting and well done heist movie with a good amount of action and interesting characters. This is an early appearance for Jeff Bridges, who gives a great energetic performance as Lightfoot. Some reviewers think Bridges' performance blows away Clint's. I would not go as far to say Jeff steals the show from Clint, but he does give him a run for his money. Clint gives a solid performance as antihero Thunderbolt and the odd chemistry of Eastwood/Bridges works well. George Kennedy and Clint regular Geoffrey Lewis are strong in their support roles and rise to the occasion here. Overall, Thunderbolt And Lightfoot is a great, well done film that is well performed, looks great and has a lot of outlaw grit.

When I select a quote from a film to use in my summary line, it's generally done to capture the flavor of the story or place an emphasis on one of the principal characters. Contrary to what many of the positive posters for the movie have to say about it, I think the thunderbolt I came up with pretty much sums things up. This might be the best example of a film for me where I depart so widely from what looks like the majority. I guess that's why they say it takes all kinds.You know, if I were Johnny Thunderbolt (Clint Eastwood), I don't think I'd have been so open minded about letting my potential assassin come along after patching up a disagreement. Red haired women might have been bad luck, but it seemed like a guy named Red (George Kennedy) could do a lot more damage. Turns out he did too, a bad career move for the trusting bank robber.So what was this, a buddy movie, a heist film, a crime story, what? There were just too many irrelevant things happening and coming out of nowhere that didn't do anything to advance the story, that it eventually slid into boredom for this viewer. Vic Tayback and Gary Busey in the credited cast? I saw each of them on screen for about three seconds - what did I miss? And say, what was that piece of heavy duty artillery that Thunderbolt used to blow a hole through the safe? The darn thing was longer than the car they were driving but it fit into the trunk!!?? I'll give director Cimino one kudo here for putting the 'trunk full of rabbits' guy (Bill McKinney) into the picture, that for me was the best part of the story. It didn't make any sense or have anything to do with anything else going on, but it was a pretty cool diversion. I never had any trouble with tribbles, so for one brief moment, the movie had my attention.