Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

Clint Eastwood is Thunderbolt, an ex-thief on the run from former partners, and Jeff Bridges is Lightfoot, a hotshot kid who becomes the flinty veteran's sidekick in this offbeat 1974 caper. The pair make for unlikely partners in a film that takes a number of odd turns before finally setting its sights on the main event: robbing a government vault using military artillery and a team that includes Thunderbolt's erstwhile associates, hot-tempered Red (George Kennedy) and easygoing Eddie (Geoffrey Lewis). In his directorial debut, Michael Cimino (who also wrote the script) mixes character study with a lighthearted but slightly shadowy crime story, slowly revealing the twists while hanging out with his heroes in small Midwestern towns and winding country roads that offer plenty of opportunities for detours. The characters' chemistry carries the narrative, which ultimately delivers savage poetic justice and a bittersweet coda. Eastwood mostly stays back here, letting Bridges verbally dance through scenes like an overexcited kid trying to impress the cool crowd (Bridges earned his second Academy Award nomination for his performance). Although this Kino release is on DVD only, a Blu-ray edition is available online exclusively from Screen Archives Entertainment (www.screenarchives.com). A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker) [Blu-ray Review—Nov. 19, 2019—Kino Lorber, 115 min., R, Blu-ray: $29.99—Making its latest appearance on Blu-ray, 1974’s Thunderbolt and Lightfoot features a great transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by film critic Nick Pinkerton, a 'For the Love of Characters' featurette with writer-director Michael Cimino (29 min.), and brief radio and TV spots. Bottom line: Cimino’s directorial debut is uneven but still engaging in this handsome Blu-ray edition.]