Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

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.


Clint Eastwood And Jeff Bridges Make One Heck Of A Pair!   January 28, 2004
highway_star (Hallandale, Florida United States)
Released in 1974, "Thunderbolt And Lightfoot" starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, George Kennedy and a host of other actors, is one of those movies that will have you glued to your seat (or couch) for the entire movie. Eastwood plays a bank robber named "Thunderbolt" and Bridges plays "Lightfoot" a young drifter. The beginning of the movie has Eastwood (who is giving a sermon in a small church) running from an old ex-con buddy and literally bumps into Lightfoot, driving a stolen white '73 Pontiac Trans-Am. The two of them are followed by yet another ex-con named Red Leary (played by George Kennedy) and his sidekick named Eddy Goody (played by Geoffery Lewis)who wants to get even with Thunderbolt for hiding some stolen cash from a heist that Leary and he had done years ago. Both Leary and Thunderbolt settle their differences and together the four end up planning on robbing the Montana Armory again the second time around. Who would ever suspect Leary And Thunderbolt? The movie is full of car chases and laughs (ex. Jeff Bridges is a riot dressed in drag in one scene) and the ending is quite a surprise. An all around excellent movie which has finally made it's way onto dvd. Recommended!


A rousing action film that is also supremely funny   September 30, 2003
Jamie Cooper (Corvallis, WA)
Before he destroyed his career with the excess of Heaven's Gate, Michael Cimino, the screenwriter of Eastwood's second Dirty Hary flick Magunum Force, created this wonderful caper flick, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, under the discipline of producer and star Clint Eastwood. The cast is excellent, with Jeff Bridges first rate in his Oscar nominated role as Lightfoot, and Oscar winner George Kennedy and Eastwood regular Geoffrey Lewis (father of Juliette) both very memorable as Red and Goody.

The scene of Red and Goodie in the ice cream cart confronted with an obnoxious lad is a classic in cinema.

The climax of this film is superb. A definite MUST SEE for all Eastwood fans!


Auspicious debut for Cimino...   November 30, 2002
R. Gawlitta (Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA)
Buddy films are always fun, and this is no different. The exotic American locales of Idaho are every bit as unique as the Bolivian settings in "Butch Cassidy". As in "Butch Cassidy", the script (by Cimino) is character-driven, and you'll find yourself cheering on the bad guys. Jeff Bridges Oscar nomination (Supporting) surprised a lot of people, but it was most deserved. His role was really equal to Eastwood as far as importance (and screen time). Eastwood was, well, Eastwood. That's not a bad thing. I always thought he was underrated. The DVD transfer is excellent, with a wide 2.35:1 letterbox that shows off some of our country's best scenery. There's action, humor and great chemistry between our buddy-heroes. George Kennedy is about as nasty as they come, though he somewhat copied his nasty performance in "Charade" (10 years earlier). The most interesting thing about this film is that it is the debut of "wunderkind" Cimino. The strength of his work on this film allowed him to create his masterpiece, "The Deer Hunter". No doubt the man has vision and talent. Too bad he over-indulged himself in the dismal "Heaven's Gate" and ruined a studio with his excesses. ("Heaven's Gate" really wasn't that bad, except for the first hour). I think of "Thunderbolt & Lightfoot" as an up-dated version of "Butch Cassidy". Though the music wasn't as frivolous and the script not as taut, there are definite comparisons. Not bad. Check it out.