Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 13, 2019

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

The preacher

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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a new 4K remaster, which I like a lot. In fact, the only minor issue that I saw on it was during the opening credits, where for some reason there is strange instability within the frame. It is not inherited, meaning that it is not part of the original cinematography. It is very light but noticeable, almost like a shifting pulsation, which is something that modern stabilization tools could have easily addressed. The rest looks great. Currently, I have two different releases of the film in my library -- this British release, and this French release -- and while they are both sourced from an old and good organic remaster, the new 4K remaster is very clearly superior. Here are some of the key areas where very noticeable improvements can be observed:

If you have a big screen or project, you will easily see better delineation, with the larger panoramic shots, which are representative of Michael Cimino's directing style, revealing some of the best upgrades. (I specifically took screencaptures #2 and 26 to illustrate the improvements). Additionally, the new remaster handles the darker and indoor footage very nicely, often expanding nuances that on the older master could struggle a bit. Grain exposure is better as well. The grain is healthier, 'tighter' and more evenly resolved, and as a result plenty of close-ups look superior. Fluidity is very nice, though I have to say that this is one area where a 4K Blu-ray release using the 4K remaster will easily offer meaningful improvement(s) that you will appreciate. I can tell because when I projected the film I could see some backgrounds struggling a bit as the camera moves. In native 4K this 'issue' will be completely resolved. The color grading job is different, and I like it better because the primaries and supporting nuances are better balanced. There are specific nuances -- red and brown in particular -- that are better saturated. Also, the darker footage avoids the type of strong and compromising crushing that tends to pop up on plenty of new 4K remasters. A couple of white specks appear during the prologue, but there are no large distracting debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. Overall, this is a really strong organic remaster that offers the best presentation of the film on Blu-ray. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its con).

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 16-bit). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The lossless track sounds very good. I actually did a few direct comparisons with the British release of the film that Second Sight produced a few years ago and dynamic intensity sounds better now. This could be an improvement that has everything to do with the manner in which the DTS-HD Master Audio track is encoded, but the bottom line is that I can hear a difference. There are no encoding anomalies. Also, folks that need optional subtitles will be happy to see that Kino Lorber have included such on their release.

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

• 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).

• 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, 1080p).

• Audio Commentary - in this new 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.

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following releases from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. A Fistful of Dollars
  2. For a Few Dollars More
  3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
  4. Winter Kills
  5. Blown Away

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

Kino Lorber's new release of Michael Cimino's Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a winner. It is sourced from a very strong new 4K remaster and also brings to the U.S. the excellent, previously exclusive, program with Cimino that was included on Carlotta Films' release. In this program, Cimino covers a wide range of topics that summarize his style and vision of what cinema ought to be. I think that it is unmissable. Pick up a copy of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot for your collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.