Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 6, 2023

Michael Cimino's "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" (1974) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include vintage promotional materials for the film; previously exclusive program with the director that was produced by Allerton Films; and audio commentary by critic Nick Pinkerton. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The film opens up somewhere in Idaho, where Thunderbolt (Clint Eastwood, Magnum Force), a bank robber disguised as a preacher, is forced to run for his life after a few heavily armed men (George Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis) come looking for him. Not too far away from his church, Thunderbolt (Jeff Bridges, Starman) is picked up by Lightfoot, a handsome thief who has just stolen a used car.

At a rundown motel, the men party with two girls. But before the sun comes up, Thunderbolt’s girl, Gloria (June Fairchild, Drive, He Said), threatens to tell the world that she was raped because he refuses to drive her home. Lightfoot’s girl, Melody (Catherine Bach, TV's The Dukes of Hazzard), turns out to be far less demanding and leaves on her own.

On the following morning, the two heavily armed men appear again and nearly destroy Thunderbolt and Lightfoot’s car. After a wild chase, the boys ditch the car and later on end up getting a ride from an angry lunatic with a shotgun.

Shortly after they enter Montana, Thunderbolt reveals to Lightfoot that years ago his crew robbed a bank and then hid the money in a one-room schoolhouse in Warsaw. But only Thunderbolt and another older thief knew exactly where the money was placed, so when he suddenly died his accomplices concluded that he was planning to cheat them and started looking for him. Thunderbolt was left with no other option but to drop out for a while so that heads can cool off.

Hugely impressed by Thunderbolt’s story, Lightfoot asks his new friend to consider one last job. But before the old timer can make up his mind, the two are once again confronted by his former accomplices.

Michael Cimino’s directorial debut is a simple and predictable film that is enjoyable to watch because of two very simple reasons. First, there is terrific chemistry between Eastwood and Bridges that effectively softens the film’s rough spots. The majority of them are in the first half, where Thunderbolt and Lightfoot do not completely trust each other but feel that they have plenty in common. Bridges is particularly good as the cocky and very energetic thief who has an endless arsenal of great one-liners. Second, Frank Stanley’s lensing is surprisingly stylish. Indeed, many of the panoramic vistas look every bit as impressive as those seen in Terrence Malick's directorial debut, Badlands, which was completed a year before Cimino’s film. From time to time, Cimino’s film even mimics the laid-back attitude of Malick’s film.

The finale is very unusual. It gives the film its identity and forces one to reevaluate the journey of its characters.

There are a couple of memorable cameos. Bill McKinney (Deliverance) plays the crazy driver with the shotgun heading somewhere with the back of his car loaded with white bunnies. Jack Dodson (The Getaway) is the vault manager. Gregory Walcott (Plan 9 From Outer Space) plays the dealer that gets cheated in the beginning of the film. Even a young Gary Busey steps in front of the camera to let Lightfoot borrow his truck.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Kino Lorber's release of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. The Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures that appear with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-26 are from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #28-35 are from 4K Blu-ray.

In 2019, Kino Lorber rereleased Thunderbolt and Lightfoot on Blu-ray after the film was restored in 4K. At the time, I thought that the film looked spectacular in 1080p and I still have not changed my mind. (You can see our listing and review of this release here). This 4K Blu-ray release offers brand new presentations of the film in native 4K and 1080p. The native 4K presentation can be viewed with HDR and Dolby Vision grades. I viewed the 4K presentation with HDR and spent quite a bit of time with the 1080p presentation. I will explain why below.

In native 4K, the visuals look as healthy and stable as they did on the previous release. Density levels are outstanding, but I did not see any meaningful improvements because on the previous release they were already great. However, as I expected, there are select areas -- on my system they were the ones with more diverse outdoor footage where the camera moves quite a lot -- where fluidity is superior, so keep this in mind if you have a very big screen. There are no stability issues. Generally speaking, delineation, clarity, and depth range from very good to excellent. However, I think that there are some areas where the previous Blu-ray release handles darker nuances better. In native 4K, some of these areas become a tad too dark/dimmed. Color balance is stable. However, I noticed small discrepancies in native 4K and bigger discrepancies in 1080p. In native 4K, in some areas, blues begin shifting toward cyan, though most viewers will likely be content with the overall balance. In 1080p, there are obvious issues because of conversion issues. It appears that the color values that are finalized in 4K, with HDR/Dolby Vision, are simply downscaled to 1080p, which is not a proper conversion. Naturally, because 1080p does not have the same color range/dynamic range, the color scheme becomes compromised. For example, this is a proper 1080p visual from the previous Blu-ray release, with color values finalized in 1080p. On the Blu-ray that is included with this release, this is what the same visual looks like after the improper conversion from 4K to 1080p. Unfortunately, the issue is not limited to primary blue only. For example, whites can be affected as well. For example, you can see a smaller discrepancy in the American flag if you compare this screencapture from the previous release and this screencapture from the new 1080p presentation on this release. Predictably, the gamma levels are destabilized as well. By the way, when we post screencaptures from 4K Blu-ray releases, they are automatically downscaled the same way as well, which is why there is a disclaimer that they do not accurately reproduce the quality of the visuals that are on the 4K Blu-ray. The same situation is replicated here, but with a flawed encode in 1080p. (For what it's worth, the exact same issue is present on Blue Underground's recent 4K Blu-ray release of The Girl from Rio). All in all, I do not think that the native 4K presentation offers produces a dramatic upgrade in quality over the previous presentation of the film. In fact, after spending several hours testing different releases, I think that the previous release produces the most convincing and satisfying presentation of the film.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The previous release did not have a 5.1 track, so I viewed several areas of the film with it. It is a good track and I would not mind viewing the entire film with it. I think that there are several action sequences with plenty of movement that definitely sound noticeably different. I would not say better because the manner in which the sound is expanded may not be to everyone's liking. I still think that the 2.0 track is excellent.

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Audio Commentary - in this recent audio commentary, critic Nick Pinkerton examines the production history of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, some of the changes that were made as production started and what ended up on the screen, its placement in Michael Cimino's body of work, and the period in which the film emerged.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Audio Commentary - in this recent audio commentary, critic Nick Pinkerton examines the production history of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, some of the changes that were made as production started and what ended up on the screen, its placement in Michael Cimino's body of work, and the period in which the film emerged.

• For the Love of Characters/Pour l'amour des personnages - in this audio interview, director Michael Cimino discusses the production history of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, his interactions with Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges during the shooting of the film, the script he wrote and Frank Stanley's cinematography, the important roles characters and nature have in his films, etc. The late director also discusses his contribution to the script for Ted Post's Magnum Force, his friendship with Clint Eastwood, John Ford's directing style, and French cinema and its unique relationship with ideas during and after the Nouvelle Vague era. The interview was conducted by Stephane Gobbo from Swiss magazine L'hebdo. It was produced by Allerton Films. In English, not subtitled. (29 min).

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• TV Spots - vintage TV spots for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spot - a vintage radio spot for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. In English, not subtitled. (1 min, 1080p).

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If you have Kino Lorber's Blu-ray release of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot from 2019, you already have an outstanding, definitive release of the film. This 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack is sourced from a new 4K master -- the previous Blu-ray release was sourced from a 4K master too -- but it does not offer any notable improvements in quality. In fact, I think that the Blu-ray that is included with it offers a downgrade in quality. The native 4K presentation is good, but I think that a few areas of it could have been handled a little bit better, and if you upscale the previous release to 4K, you will be quite impressed. All bonus features from the previous Blu-ray release are retained.