Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

R

Released May 23, 1974

1 hr. 54 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

88%

34 Reviews

Tomatometer

73%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

While stealing a car, free-spirited drifter Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges) crosses paths with legendary thief Thunderbolt (Clint Eastwood) in the midst of his own escape. Thunderbolt's old partners in crime, Red (George Kennedy) and Eddie (Geoffrey Lewis), believe he double-crossed them after they robbed a Montana bank vault several years ago. After Thunderbolt successfully pleads his innocence and is let off the hook, Lightfoot rallies them together as a group to rob the very same bank again.

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Critics Consensus

This likable buddy/road picture deftly mixes action and comedy, and features excellent work from stars Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges and first-time director Michael Cimino.

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X O

It's OK. Dated. Not really worth it.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/15/23

Full Review

Ravenswood R

Enjoyable film with plenty of suspense and action, a little comedy, and also some serious and dark themes. Violence is used to illustrate the human will to succeed even when the chances become futile. The performances are outstanding all around. The script may not be the tightest or most controlled, but the lines are on pitch and perfectly delivered in an astounding ensemble cast of brilliant actors giving peak performances. George Kennedy is fantastic along with Geoffrey Lewis, and both lead performances have been widely praised for good reason. Very interesting camera shots throughout. Good movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/31/23

Full Review

ed m

Pretty good flick. Great cast.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/08/23

Full Review

Dan E

I've seen this movie many times since I was a kid. Some movies that were often times shown on TV or by my parents or grandparents I thought were great and some I didn't. This is a movie of tremendous adventure. Every single one of the characters is flawed, similar to reality. Honestly, this movie reminds me of another Clint Eastwood movie, filmed some years before- the good the bad and the ugly. The movie is similar, but in a different time period. I highly recommend you give this "sleeper" a try. I would put this Eastwood movie as number 3 for him. He's made many good movies, but I would put this towards the top. It's fantastic. This one is under-rated. Bridges is young and plays his role as a naive young man perfectly. Supporting cast is made up of actors you've seen placed as character actors in television roles, and other movies. They are absolutely outstanding and well placed in a movie that unfolds in perfect timing amongst the mountains of Montana.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/29/23

Full Review

Roger W

One of the best movies ever made. All star cast and just has what it takes to keep you reeling in your seat for the semi bad guys.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Flechettes

A path followed by Characters who just happen to be at the right place at the wrong time and the wrong place the right time leads them down the road of dreaming about easy money and good times. Mind boggling events are always around the bend leading them to their goal, but human flaws puts the hex on and tragedy becomes the outcome for some of the people who decide to get on this path of being at the right place at the wrong time and the wrong place the right time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/18/23

Full Review

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Michael Cimino

Director

Clint Eastwood

Thunderbolt

Jeff Bridges

Lightfoot

George Kennedy

Red Leary

Geoffrey Lewis

Eddie Goody

Catherine Bach

Melody

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Joe Clay

Times (UK)

This light-hearted yet poignant buddy movie is very much in the style of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)...

Mar 21, 2023

Full Review

Richard Brody

New Yorker

...a criminals-on-the-road movie that shifts toward a dazzlingly elaborate and painfully realistic heist tale.

Apr 14, 2020

Full Review

Keith Phipps

The Dissolve

Both Kennedy and Lewis turn in colorful performances, but it's Eastwood and Bridges' film, and their ill-defined, tender friendship makes the movie.

Rated: 4/5

May 11, 2015

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…a great tough-guy movie that drips with learned experience and hard-earned pathos…

Rated: 5/5

Apr 23, 2023

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

It’s the directorial debut of Michael Cimino, who also wrote the script, and his directs the film as a mix of character piece and lighthearted crime story with dark shadows around the edges.

Dec 3, 2022

Full Review

David Sterritt

Christian Science Monitor

Thunderbolt sorely lacks the kind of movie-movie star-power that might have made it memorable despite its excesses of vulgarity and glibness.

Oct 8, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

While stealing a car, free-spirited drifter Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges) crosses paths with legendary thief Thunderbolt (Clint Eastwood) in the midst of his own escape. Thunderbolt's old partners in crime, Red (George Kennedy) and Eddie (Geoffrey Lewis), believe he double-crossed them after they robbed a Montana bank vault several years ago. After Thunderbolt successfully pleads his innocence and is let off the hook, Lightfoot rallies them together as a group to rob the very same bank again.

Director: Michael Cimino
Screenwriter: Michael Cimino
Distributor: United Artists
Production Co: Malpaso Company
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 23, 1974, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 16, 2008

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