Set in Folsom Prison in California, the film revolves around a man who is serving a life sentence for killing his father where he gets attention for his running as he is given a chance to compete for a spot at the upcoming Olympics. It is a film that explores a man who is given the chance to get out of prison though he wants to serve his time as he also finds himself in the middle of a serious conflict within different prison gangs. The film’s teleplay by Michael Mann and Patrick J. Nolan is straightforward in its narrative as it follows Larry Murphy (Peter Strauss) who is serving a life sentence for killing his father in self-defense as he is a loner who prefers to do his time while running every day at the prison yard with his only friend in R.C. Stiles (Richard Lawson) who is hoping to see his wife and newborn baby girl in a few months. Prison psychiatrist Dr. Bill Janowski (Geoffrey Lewis) and its warden Earl Gulliver (Billy Green Bush) takes notices of Murphy’s running and speed where they contact a state track and field coach in Jerry Beloit (Ed Lauter) who sees Murphy run as he realizes he has what it takes to be at the Olympics.
The script does not just play into Murphy getting his own freedom but also finding himself in this conflict between different prison gangs where Stiles becomes impatient as he makes a deal with gang leader Dr. D. (Brian Dennehy) into getting a conjugal visit from his wife only to realize the role had to play. Murphy warned Stiles to not do this as it gets the attention of the black gang leader Roger E. Mosley (Burton Gilliam) who isn’t fond of Murphy but realizes that Dr. D. is the one pulling the strings leading to Mosley, his gang, and members of the Chicano gang to help Murphy out in creating a track suitable for his upcoming track meet.
Mann’s direction is straightforward in its overall presentation as it is shot on location at Folsom Prison in Folsom, California along with additional locations near Los Angeles. Mann’s usage of real inmates gives the film a true sense of danger while also displaying a world that is intense yet with a sense of control since these inmates do not engage too much into violence preferring to keep to themselves in their own little factions. There are some wide shots that Mann utilizes to establish the scope of the Folsom grounds as well as a few bits outside of the prison where Murphy would run while still being under the watch of Beloit and the warden. Yet, Mann would emphasize more on close-ups and medium shots with the latter to play into how small a prison cell is or the space of a kitchen or any other place in the prisons that add to this sense of claustrophobia. Even as Mann’s close-ups play into the drama where Dr. Janowski tries to understand what Murphy did to be sent to prison.
Mann does display some of the chaos within the prisons as the violence is unforgiving though Mann does maintain some restraint since this was made for network TV. Mann does go into the schematics of prison politics where Murphy is a target because of his friendship with Stiles, whom Mosley tries to recruit to join his faction for protection. Once Mosley realizes how much Murphy really did care for Stiles and what had happened due to Dr. D’s involvement, Mosley and the Chicano gang leader Rubio (Miguel Pinero) decided to go against Dr. D. and his faction as an act of solidarity towards Murphy and his chances to compete for a spot in the Olympics. The film’s third act is about the race and its aftermath where it plays into a much darker world within the Olympics that even upsets the likes of Dr. Janowski, Gulliver, and Beloit that plays into another form of politics that is more complicated and ruthless. Overall, Mann crafts a captivating and exhilarating film about a prison inmate given a chance to compete for a spot for the Olympics.
Cinematographer Rexford L. Metz does excellent work with the film’s cinematography in the usage of low-key lights for some of the interior scenes at night along with some natural lighting for exterior scenes as much of the film is shot during the daytime. Editor Arthur Schmidt does terrific work with the editing that include some slow-motion shots, jump-cuts, and other stylish cuts to play into the action. Art director Stephen Myles Berger and set decorator William K. Jolley do fantastic work with some of the interiors in the prison kitchen, laundry rooms, and tool places as well as some of the bits in the prison cells.
The sound work of Michael Hilkene and James E. Webb is superb for its approach to capturing all the natural sound on location as well as the way certain small moments in the sound are presented to play into that unsettling world that is Folsom Prison. The film’s music by Jimmie Haskell is wonderful for its mixture of soothing electronic textures with elements of rock and blues that includes a variation of the Rolling Stones’ Sympathy for the Devil as well as a version of another Stones song in No Expectations.
The casting by Ross Brown and Hank McCann is incredible as it features some notable small roles from Miguel Pinero as the Chicano gang leader Rubio, William Prince as the O.A.U. chairman who appears late in the film as someone trying to protect the reputation of the Olympics, Burton Gilliam and Richard Moll as a couple of Dr. D’s associates respectively in Jimmy-Jack and Joker Gibb with the former being the man who would put Stiles in touch with Dr. D., and Beverly Todd as a woman pretending to be Stiles’ wife during the conjugal visit as she is revealed to be connected to Dr. D. Roger E. Mosley is fantastic as the African American faction leader Cotton Crown who is not fond of Stiles being close to Murphy until he realizes how close Murphy is to Stiles where he decides to support him in the upcoming track competition. Billy Green Bush is superb as the warden Earl Gulliver as a man who is trying to run the prison as he sees that getting Murphy in the Olympics might get good publicity and hopefully some improvements for the prison. Ed Lauter is excellent as the track and field coach Jerry Beloit who is amazed by Murphy’s skills as he realizes he is coaching someone that has so much more to offer as he just wants to live through Murphy.
Geoffrey Lewis is brilliant as the prison psychologist Dr. Bill Janowski who is among those who discovers Murphy’s brilliance as a runner while also trying to understand Murphy’s state of mind and why he put himself in prison for killing his father. Brian Dennehy is amazing as Dr. D. as the leader of a faction for white prisoners who also runs the drug trade from within to have some political power within the prison. Richard Lawson is incredible as R.C. Stiles as a fellow inmate who is the one friend of Murphy as he is eager to see his wife and newborn daughter for an upcoming conjugal visit, but his impatience has him getting into some trouble when he involves himself with Dr. D. Finally, there’s Peter Strauss in a phenomenal performance as Larry Murphy as an inmate serving a life sentence as he is also a talented runner that is given a chance to get a spot for the Olympics where he deals with his own issues and being the target of a political war as it is a strong and fierce performance from Strauss who is a highlight of the film.
The Jericho Mile is a remarkable film by Michael Mann that features an incredible leading performance from Peter Strauss. Along with its ensemble cast, realistic setting at Folsom Prison, a riveting music soundtrack, and some unique visuals that play into the sense of realism and grit of the film. It is a TV movie that explores a man given a unique opportunity while dealing with his actions in the hopes he can get a new lease on life for himself. In the end, The Jericho Mile is a marvelous film from Michael Mann.
Michael Mann Films: Thief - The Keep - Manhunter - L.A. Takedown – The Last of the Mohicans (1992 film) - Heat - The Insider – Ali - Collateral - Miami Vice - Public Enemies - Blackhat - Blackhat - Ferrari – (Heat 2) - The Auteurs #73: Michael Mann Pt.1 - Pt. 2
© thevoid99 2024
Originally Written and Posted at Epinions.com on 12/8/06 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.
Written and directed by David Jacobsen, Down in the Valley is the story of a cowboy who meets a rebellious teenage girl as they begin a torrid relationship as he copes with the modern world. The film is an exploration into a man who finds himself in a world where he tries to play cowboy as he faces the darker realities of the modern world. Starring Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Rory Culkin, David Morse, and Bruce Dern. Down in the Valley is an enchanting yet uneven film from David Jacobsen.
Arriving onto the San Fernando Valley, a cowboy named Harlan (Edward Norton) enters into the strange, vast world filled with gas stations, shops, and cars. To Harlan, it's a mysterious world as he lives at a motel and takes a job at a gas station. Meanwhile, a rebellious, 17-year old girl named Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) also feels lonely since she lives with her father Wade (David Morse) and her shy, 13-year old brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin). Since Tobe doesn't get along with her father, she often goes out with her friends including April (Kat Denning) where on the way to the beach, Tobe meets Harlan at the gas station. An attraction immediately happens as Harlan joins Tobe and her friends to the beach where they fall in love. After introducing Harlan to Lonnie, Wade becomes uncomfortable at Tobe's new relationship with Harlan.
After a night in the town driven by Ecstacy, Harlan and Tobe's relationship becomes passionate which makes Wade uneasy. Even when Harlan and Tobe decide to go horseback riding where the horse's owner named Charlie (Bruce Dern) accuses Harlan of theft. After Wade deals with Charlie, he forbids Tobe to see Harlan again. Still, Tobe's love for Harlan remains strong as she has to go San Diego for the weekend to be with her friends. Harlan however, tries to live without Tobe for the weekend often pretending to be in some Western or writing a letter to a man named Joe. Hoping for Tobe to return on the day she was supposed to, he finds Lonnie where he takes Lonnie shooting since Wade owns some authentic guns. Upon returning home, Wade finds Lonnie with Harlan and threatens to shoot him if he doesn’t leave his family alone.
Learning what Wade had done, Tobe meets Harlan where she asks him to leave the family alone till Wade cools down. With his cowboy fantasy starting to blur with reality, Harlan gets in trouble as he gets kicked out of his hotel while trying to steal things hoping to win Tobe back. Still, Harlan finds himself alienated by the modern world as he remains stuck in the Old West. After meeting Tobe after some time away from her, he plans to make an escape with her but Tobe isn't sure what's going on. After an accident, Harlan's vision of the Old West begins to collide with reality as he tries to kidnap Lonnie and have a confrontation with Wade, who finds out some troubling news about Harlan from an investigator (Geoffrey Lewis).
Films about reality against fantasy does often require strange fantasy sequences but for what writer/director David Jacobson goes for is an internal conflict in a man who has a love for the West but finds himself alienated by the modern world. While the film is largely inspired by the work of the legendary Terrence Malick, notably Badlands, the film does have the same poetic imagery and dialogue in terms of what Harlan is in and in his relationship with Tobe. Despite the Malick-esque imagery and imagery, the film's script is very flawed. While some can figure out the tense relationship between Wade and Tobe, there's no back story into their tension. Plus, the first half of the film is a love story while the second half becomes a modern-day Western where they're both interesting but makes the film to be uneven. Despite a lot of wonderful imagery, scenes, and everything else, Jacobson doesn't seem to know what kind of film he's making though the performances do remain consistent with its Badlands-like tone.
Helping Jacobson in his unique vision is cinematographer Enrique Chediak whose wonderful photography of many of the film's exterior settings, notably the hills of the San Fernando Valley is breathtaking as well some night sequences that shows the nightlife of Los Angeles in all of its glory. Production designer Franco Giacomo Carbone and set decorator Robert Greenfield do fantastic work in providing the idea of the West in a fantasy sequence for Harlan while showing the colorful and modern look of Los Angeles. Costume designer Jacqueline West does great work in creating the cowboy look for Norton while giving Evan Rachel Wood some wonderful dresses.
Editors Edward Harrison and Lynzee Klingman does wonderful work in providing a rhythmic, stylized editing that gives the film a nice flow and feel. Sound designer Scott Sanders does some great work in the film's sound, including a scene where Harlan goes to a synagogue that reveals his alienation. The film's haunting score is filled with wonderful guitar work from Peter Salett that brings a sense of suspense and atmosphere to its varied sequences. The soundtrack is largely filled with dreamy mixes of music ranging from mariachi to old-school Western songs as well as cuts from Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Calexio, and two great tracks from Mazzy Star where the vocals of Hope Sandoval provide some of the film's most haunting moments.
The film’s cast includes some wonderful small performances and cameos from Ira David Wood IV, Kat Dennings, Ty Burrell, Elizabeth Pena, and Geoffrey Lewis as an investigator. In a small role, Bruce Dern is great as a haggard ranch owner who is suspicious of Harlan’s motives and understanding of Wade’s control issues. David Morse is excellent as the strict, caring Wade who is trying to talk to his children while dealing with Harlan as Morse does some outstanding work in the scenes he's in. Rory Culkin is amazing as the shy, scared Lonnie who tries to seek some kind of adventure and confidence as he often relies on his sister and Harlan since his dad isn't around much. Evan Rachel Wood is fantastic as Tobe as this young woman who copes with growing pains as she falls for Harlan while having a hard time dealing with Harlan's eccentricities. Finally, there's Edward Norton in a brilliant performance as Harlan as this troubled man who seems like someone that is out of step with the times as he wants to play cowboy in a world that is very complicated as it is this very fascinating mix between fantasy and reality.
The Lions Gate/ThinkFilm Region 1 DVD of Down in the Valley presents the film 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround & 2.0 Stereo sound in 16x9 widescreen presentation. The DVD also brings trailers to not just this film but The King w/ Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt, I Love Your Work by Adam Goldberg, and other films. Two big special features are on the DVD. The first is a 21-minute Q&A session with Edward Norton and director David Jacobson as they're interviewed by Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers. In the interview, Jacobson talks about the collision of fantasy and reality and how the San Fernando Valley has a mystique concerning the West. Edward Norton talked about getting the script in 2003 and wanting to work with Jacobson as the two developed the project and both wanted Evan Rachel Wood for the role of Tobe after seeing her in thirteen in which the two widely praised her as well as the other actors as Norton was laid-back in the interview.
The second big special feature is a nine-minutes worth of four deleted scenes. The first is an extended opening sequence involving Tobe and Lonnie on a bridge in which Lonnie causes an accident. The second is a deleted scene where Harlan looks for a new hat and buys the white dress that Tobe would wear. The third is touching scene involving Lonnie and Wade about an incident in where Lonnie professes his innocence. The final scene is an extended sequence of a supposed fantasy scene where Harlan talks to a cowboy played by Ty Burrell.
Down in the Valley is a superb yet flawed film from David Jacobsen that features top-notched performances from Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, Rory Culkin, and David Morse. While it is uneven in its exploration of fantasy and reality, it does manage to bring in some compelling ideas about the complications of the modern world. In the end, Down in the Valley is a stellar film from David Jacobsen.
© thevoid99 2015
Directed and starring Clint Eastwood and written by Ernest Tidyman, High Plains Drifter is the story about a mysterious gunfighter who is hired by locals from a frontier mining town to fight against criminals and corruption. The film is a look into a man helping locals defend themselves against injustice while dealing with a band of criminals seeking to reap the hard work of the people. Also starring Verna Bloom, Marianna Hill, Geoffrey Lewis, Billy Curtis, and Mitchell Ryan. High Plains Drifter is a thrilling yet mesmerizing film from Clint Eastwood.
The film is a simple story about a mysterious gunfighter who arrives at a small mining town to fight against bandits yet there’s more to this story as it involves corruption and the death of a marshal (Buddy Van Horn) in the hands of the bandits. The mysterious gunfighter (Clint Eastwood) is a man with no name but he is someone who knows how to fight against bandits as he tries to rally this small town to fight against bandits. Yet, there are those in the town like some local officials who feel uneasy about the gunfighter’s presence and his willingness to change things as they would try to attack him. When it comes time to face a trio of bandits, trouble brews forcing the gunfighter to handle things himself.
Ernest Tidyman’s screenplay doesn’t carry much of a plot but it does have a lot of ambiguity into its protagonist as he’s a man that is just drifting into town. He arrives as someone that can wipe out bandits but there are people in this town who find him to be an unwelcoming presence including the local whore (Marianna Hill) and some of the town’s council led by a civic leader (Mitchell Ryan) as he thinks there’s a way to profit from this. The story is interesting as there’s bits of humor that includes the presence of a half-man named Mordecai (Billy Curtis) who befriends the stranger. There are moments in the story where it takes some time for things to get moving in the first act while another flaw in the story is the way women are portrayed as the local whore is just very nagging while the wife of a hotel owner (Verna Bloom) is also ambiguous as she’s a character that is underwritten.
Clint Eastwood’s direction is quite engaging not just for the compositions he creates but also in the way he maintains some air of suspense that is mixed in with humor and drama. Still, it is a western at heart though it doesn’t follow some of its themes other than to bring justice and such as the stranger is a very mysterious individual who has some very odd ideas. Eastwood’s compositions is filled with some gorgeous imagery as well as very stark portrayals of violence as it’s obvious that he’s drawing ideas from two filmmakers who shaped his career in Sergio Leone and Don Siegel. Notably in the wide-shots, some tracking shots, and some hand-held work where Eastwood allows a sense of energy in the action while creating some dream-like moments that involve the death of the marshal. Overall, Eastwood crafts a very chilling yet exciting western about a stranger fighting for what is right.
Cinematographer Bruce Sturees does excellent work with the film‘s very vast and colorful looking including the gorgeous wide shots of the location set in Mono Lake, California. Editor Ferris Webster does brilliant work with the editing from the use of jump-cuts and rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s violence to the use of dissolves in the flashback scene showing the marshal‘s death. Art director Henry Bumstead and set decorator George Milo do fantastic work with the set pieces from the look of the town including a key look for the film’s climax.
The sound work of James R. Alexander is superb for some of its sound editing in the sound of the whips and gunfire along with some of the intimate moments in the film. The film’s music by Dee Barton is amazing for its eerie and hypnotic score that is a mixture of orchestral music with something that is close to chilling electronic pieces to play up some of its suspense.
The casting by William Batliner and Robert J. LaSanka is terrific for the cast that is assembled as it features some notable small performances from Stefan Gierasch as the town’s mayor, Buddy Van Horn as the marshal who is killed by the bandits, Ted Hartley as the hotel owner Lewis Belding, Walter Barnes as the town sheriff, Robert Donner as the preacher, Jack Ging as a corrupt civic leader, and Mitchell Ryan as the lead civic leader who decides to cheat the stranger. Other noteworthy small roles include Dan Vadis and Anthony James as two of the bandits and Geoffrey Lewis as the lead bandit Stacey Bridges. Billy Curtis is excellent as the half-man Mordecai as the guy who becomes the stranger’s aide and later be the guy to run the town. Marianna Hill is just terrible as the town whore who antagonizes the stranger only to get raped and is just hysterical for most of the film.
Verna Bloom is good in an underwritten role as Belding’s wife Sarah who is wary of the stranger though is aware of what he’s really doing though it’s a role that doesn’t have much depth as she eventually sleeps with the stranger. Finally, there’s Clint Eastwood in a remarkable performance as the mysterious stranger as it’s a role where Eastwood does play this very quiet but charming gunslinger who is also a man that knows right from wrong while being a bit of a brute but also one that can get the job done and not be trifled with.
High Plains Drifter is an excellent film from Clint Eastwood that definitely stands as one of his finest westerns. Though it’s a bit flawed, it is still engaging for its simple story as well as its enchanting direction. Especially as it has enough action that western fans can love as well as the character that Eastwood plays. In the end, High Plains Drifter is a superb film from Clint Eastwood.
(Five Obstructions #2 Interview)
Clint Eastwood Films: (Play Misty for Me) - (Breezy) - (The Eiger Sanction) - (The Outlaw Josey Wales) - (The Gauntlet) - (Bronco Billy) - (Firefox) - (Honkytonk Man) - Sudden Impact - Pale Rider - (Heartbreak Ridge) - (Bird) - (White Hunter Black Heart) - (The Rookie) - Unforgiven - (A Perfect World) - (The Bridges of Madison County) - (Absolute Power) - (Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil) - (True Crime) - (Space Cowboys) - (Blood Work) - (Mystic River) - Million Dollar Baby - Flags of Our Fathers - Letters from Iwo Jima - Changeling - (Gran Torino) - (Invictus) - (Hereafter) - (J. Edgar) - (Jersey Boys) - American Sniper - (Sully) - (The 15:17 to Paris) - (The Mule)
© thevoid99 2013
Written and directed by Michael Cimino, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is the story about a Korean war veteran who takes in a young drifter to help him pull off one final heist with some old friends. The film is a genre-bending film that blends the road movie, buddy comedy, and the heist film as it explores the friendship between two very different men. Starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, Geoffrey Lewis, and George Kennedy. Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is an incredible debut film from Michael Cimino.
A minister known as Thunderbolt (Clint Eastwood) is evading an assassin who is after him where Thunderbolt runs into a drifter named Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges) who had just stolen a car as Thunderbolt goes into his car as Lightfoot accidentally hits the assassin with the car. The two decide to go on the road where Lightfoot learns who Thunderbolt really is as he was one of the members of a gang who had robbed an armory in Montana. Despite being chased by Thunderbolt’s old friend Red Leary (George Kennedy) and his accomplice Goody (Geoffrey Lewis), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot escape their way through different cars where they arrive in Warsaw, Montana to find the lost loot.
After realizing that the schoolhouse where Thunderbolt stashed the loot in is gone and replaced by a bigger schoolhouse, the duo’s troubles get worse when they’re finally captured by Leary and Goody. After a tussle and the revelation about the schoolhouse, the four men are unsure about what to do until Lightfoot suggests about doing the robbery all over again but with different ideas. Thunderbolt and Goody agree to the idea though Leary has his reservations about Lightfoot as the four decide to get real jobs to fund the heist. After getting an anti-tank gun and other things, the gang gets ready for the heist where Lightfoot plays a key role for the heist. Though everything seems to go well, something goes wrong where things become complicated as well as some big revelations for Thunderbolt and Lightfoot.
The film is essentially the story of two different men who meet by accident where they team up to retrieve stolen money one of them had stashed only for it to be gone as they team up with two other men to plan another heist. Yet, it’s a film that blends all sorts of genre where it’s a buddy comedy, a road film, and a heist film all rolled into one as it’s about the dynamic between these two very different men from different age groups and lifestyles as they team up for this heist. Michael Cimino’s screenplay doesn’t have a lot of plot as it is about the friendship between these two men and how they decide to plan a heist with Thunderbolt’s old friends to settle some old scores yet things become uneasy due to Red Leary’s reservations towards the young Lightfoot.
Cimino’s script also has a great complexity to the characters he creates in not just its titular protagonists as they’re just two different men trying to live their life any way they want. He also creates an interesting characterization in the Red Leary character who is upset over the fact that Thunderbolt seemingly screwed him over their last robbery where the money was as it was never retrieved. Once he decides to team-up with Thunderbolt for a new heist, Leary is still unsure about the idea as he feels threatened by the presence of the more easy-going Lightfoot who is much nicer to everyone else including Leary’s accomplice Goody who doesn’t get treated with much respect by Leary.
Cimino’s direction is definitely vast in terms of the visual style he presents as he shoots the film largely on location in Montana. A lot of which features many wide scenes in exterior locations where Cimino takes advantage of the landscape for a wide depth of field in those shots. Cimino creates a lot of unique compositions to these exterior shots in the way he places the actors in these locations. It’s not just the location setting where Cimino creates unique shots but also in the interiors where he manages to find an intimacy in these settings while using the camera to establish what is going on there. Notably where Cimino will find some idea of humor to these scenes such as Leary riding in a small ice cream truck with Goody who is working as an ice cream man.
Cimino also creates some dazzling sequences in the film’s heist sequence where it’s about a lot that is happening where each character plays a role in the heist. Some of which is comical as it involves some very strange ideas that end up being very funny. It is later followed by some very chilling scenes where it is about what people do in the aftermath of a heist which involves loyalties and such. Overall, Cimino creates a film that is entertaining as well as captivating in the exploration of friendship and loyalty.
Cinematographer Frank Stanley does brilliant work with the film‘s evocative cinematography from the beautiful look of the Montana locations with its mountains and farmland as well as some nighttime shots with stylish lights to set the mood. Editor Ferris Webster does wonderful work with the editing to create some dazzling cuts in the film‘s heist scene as well as some rhythmic cuts for some of its livelier moments. Art director Tambi Larsen and set decorator James L. Berkey do terrific work with the set pieces from the look of the church in the film’s opening scene to some of the interior scenes such as the trailer that the four men lived in to plan the heist.
Sound editor Keith Stafford does nice work with the sound to capture the chaos of some of the more raucous moments of the film while going for an intimacy in the film‘s quieter moments. The film’s music by Dee Barton is excellent for its score as it features a lot of playful country music as well as some brooding, orchestral-driven music for the heist scene as the music also features a song written and performed by Paul Williams.
The casting by Patricia Mock is fantastic for the ensemble that is created as it features some notable appearances from Bill McKinney as crazy driver with a raccoon and rabbits, Gregory Walcott as a car salesman duped by Lightfoot, Gary Busey as a carpenter Lightfoot works with, and Catherine Bach as a woman Lightfoot meets early in the film. Geoffrey Lewis is excellent as the often mistreated Goody who proves to be very helpful yet doesn’t get appreciated from the more selfish Leary. George Kennedy is great as the very devious Red Leary who dislikes Lightfoot while being very cruel to those around him making things complicated for the heist.
Finally, there’s the duo of Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges in amazing performances in their respective roles as Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. Both men each provide laidback approaches to their roles with Eastwood as the more grizzled veteran who shows Lightfoot the ropes while Bridges gets to bring a lot of humor to the character of Lightfoot. Notably as Bridges often says funny things that would irk Leary while doing things that just adds to the humor.
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a phenomenal film from Michael Cimino that features superb performances from Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges. The film is definitely one of the most entertaining and visually-astonishing films of the 1970s as well as one of Cimino’s highlight in his career as a filmmaker. It’s also a very unconventional film that plays to all sorts of genres while not being afraid to take itself so seriously. In the end, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is a remarkable film from Michael Cimino.
Michael Cimino Films: The Deer Hunter - Heaven's Gate - Year of the Dragon - The Sicilian - Desperate Hours (1990 film) - The Sunchaser - To Each His Own Cinema-No Translation Needed - The Auteurs #35: Michael Cimino
© thevoid99 2013
