Synopsis
With the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organise a daring new heist.
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Cast
- Clint EastwoodThunderbolt
- Jeff BridgesLightfoot
- Geoffrey LewisEddie Goody
- Catherine BachMelody
- Gary BuseyCurly
- George KennedyRed Leary
- Roy JensonDunlop
- Eugene ElmanTourist
- Burton GilliamWelder
- Claudia LennearSecretary
Recommendations
- 80
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. - 80
CineVue
Eastwood and Bridges handle the tricky character transitions well, playing the broad material for the back rows while hinting at the inner darkness. Cimino’s Thunderbolt and Lightfoot beckoned in the strange birth of a true auteur, and it’s one well worth digging into. - 75
Slant Magazine
Of all the ’70s road movies, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot may be the only one in which the characters find themselves. - 75
Rolling Stone
Bridges in particular is quite excellent, taking his character's surface sweetness to at times almost psychotic extremes. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
A crisp, well-written cast caper movie sporting some stunning landscapes and a fine core of performances. - 70
Variety
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is an overlong, sometimes hilariously vulgar comedy-drama, about the restaging of a difficult safecracking heist. Debuting director Michael Cimino obtains superior performances from Clint Eastwood, George Kennedy, Geoffrey Lewis and especially Jeff Bridges. - 60
Empire
Eastwood is in good, if not great form, Bridges steals the whole show, and Cimino displays a sense of unpretentious fun and appealing grasp of character. - 60
Time Out
Looks like a throwaway Eastwood vehicle, through which he drifts as the older partner, allowing Jeff Bridges to strike most of the sparks and steal the movie as his good-natured sidekick.
