the audience applauded

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

What is it like when you team up with a bank robber(Clint Eastwood) and a hot-rodding slick(Jeff Bridges) ? An explosive action packed hit! Eastwood is "Thunderbolt and Bridges is "Lightfoot". They meet by accident when Lightfoot steals a Trans Am and Thunderbolt disguised as a preacher runs afoul of one of his old partners. Though not wanted by the police, they do keep one step ahead. After Thunderbolt recovered from the the dislocated shoulder, he gets a good night romp with the stranger. Now his old partners Red(George Kennedy) and his partner finds him and his new friend, they would get back into business to rob another bank. They have different job fronts in order to get the biggest gun, Lightfoot gets to hear about Thunderbolt's earlier jobs. During the outdoor jobs, Lightfoot gets to see the owner of the house stark naked. And Red looks at him with disbelief. The heist is a success, but the car races and chases are really the memorable moments of the film. Plenty of action, plenty of puns, this movie is a classic in the making. 5 stars.

Michael Cimino's screenplay and debut as a director is a back-road road movie and heist caper underpinned by a light-hearted relationship of bonding and joshing between two men. Eastwood and Bridges have a good onscreen chemistry and the film in the first act is light of foot as they evade two other criminals giving chase. The tone turns darker through the plot when an eleborate bank robbery plan is hatched which brings a brutal George Kennedy into the fray. Although the build up is dynamic it is arguably too long. The dialogue is amusingly vulgar at times. Bridges' fun-loving grifter pitched against the more world-wise criminality of Eastwood and an unforgiving Kennedy makes for good contrast, but it is tragic in the end.

One of the more enjoyable and bankable genres are heist films. And, if you think about it, there have been some truly memorable and amazing films in the genre as well, such as "Rififi", "Dog Day Afternoon", "Grand Slam" and the original "Oceans Eleven". However, "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" has some things going for it that make it different...in good ways as well as bad. As for the good, there's more story and it's not just about a robbery....so you see more character development. But on the bad, no one is anyone you can like or really care about...something you really NEED in order to make a great caper flick.The biggest reason I wanted to see the film is because I'd only seen one tiny portion...the bunny scene. It's amazing...it's awful...and it's kinda funny...but in a sick way! See the movie...you'll see what I mean!Also, according to IMDB Clint Eastwood felt he deserved an Oscar nomination since his co-star, Jeff Bridges, received one. I would beg to differ. Eastwood is fine but essentially plays his usual tight-lipped character and isn't much of a stretch. I am not saying he is not capable of great performances...this just isn't one of the better ones (like "Grand Torino").

Clint Eastwood & Jeff Bridges star in this peculiar crime/road picture as they portray a veteran crook/thief and his willing/free-spirited young partner who reunite with Clint's(Thunderbolt) old partners(George Kennedy & Geoffrey Lewis) to finish a heist job they had committed seven years earlier, but were unable to collect the loot. They formulate an elaborate plan to get it back from where it is still hidden, but of course they can't quite trust each other either as personalities clash.I say peculiar because(despite the good actors) three of the lead characters are unsympathetic crooks, and the fourth seems too immature to care about. Being quite profane at times doesn't help matters either, nor does the over length. Michael Cimino directs in his debut.