Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
With the help of an irreverent young sidekick, a bank robber gets his old gang back together to organise a daring new heist.
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a solid 1970s crime road movie elevated considerably by the chemistry and performances of Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges (Bridges earning an Oscar nomination). The plot is a competent heist-buddy framework that doesn't break new ground but is executed with genuine warmth and a melancholic undercurrent that distinguishes it from genre peers. Michael Cimino's directorial debut shows some visual ambition against Montana landscapes but remains conventionally shot for the era. The ending carries an unexpected emotional punch that lifts the film above its modest heist premise, though it's not entirely surprising. Novelty is moderate — the buddy dynamic and road-trip heist blend was fresh enough for its time but not wholly singular.