Thunderbolt and Lightfoot

We remember Michael Cimino for "The Deer Hunter" and "Heaven's Gate," the two extended-length historical-epics he made in the late 70s and early 80s. So the remaining makeup of the oft-marginalized director's filmography may come as a surprise to some; his other films reveal Cimino to be an artist dedicated to his own personal vision of genre cinema. In his first film, "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot"-recently made available on Blu-ray via a limited edition Blu-ray from Twilight Time-he personalizes the thieves-on-the-run framework beyond recognition. Cimino drives away from the crime itself, preferring to spend his time hanging out with the criminals. Most heist films have a narrative propulsion. They're fueled. But Cimino's genre work, including this heist movie, have a sense of relaxed pacing to them. They're enlightened enough to just roll on down the road.

He starts by skipping between a few separate lanes. There's a preacher (Clint Eastwood, typically gruff,) who we later learn goes by the name Thunderbolt. He's a Korean War vet, a comically-grizzled thief, and hiding out from someone. Next up on the road is Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges, atypically excitable,) who eventually finds himself skidding towards Thunderbolt. He sees the older man fighting for his life (his enemy is one of the men he was hiding out from.) In a contrivance out of a Leone movie, their two timelines cross paths. From there the film zig-zags its way toward a bank heist and a big score (twice over,) while the vengeful killers (George Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis) become partners once again. The whole while, Cimino is just letting dialogue sequences and digressions play out en masse (at one point, we meet a man driving wildly, accompanied only by a raccoon and a trunkful of bunnies.) Mostly he's compelled to observe the shared charisma (or attraction) that's fluttering between Eastwood and Bridges.

The film leans into that parenthetical subtext. Bridges antagonizes one man by kissing him. Eastwood defends his honor when that gets him threatened. And in the climactic heist, he's wearing a dress. (To find out why, you'll have to see the movie-but we will report that Bridges looks pretty good.) One could interpret it any number of ways-not only as a romantic entanglement, but also as a father/son or mentor/mentee relationship. The latter ones tie into the content of the picture more directly. Cimino is interested in the way that a young man "wises up." He watches the way Bridges tests the patience of his partners during, say, a planning meeting. It'll play out in a long take, and we can see the way his inherent immaturity throws off their dynamic. Other set pieces and segments are dedicated to the working of wage-slave day jobs, or to the joys of joyriding, or to the learning of jargon (in this case, criminal.) In a way, it's a coming-of-age movie too, along with all its other angles. It ends when the boy is left behind.

Twilight Time's Blu-ray release of the film is their second, after an original pressing sold out years ago (so act quickly if you'd like a copy.) The extras from the original release have been carried over to this "encore edition" in full. A theatrical trailer is included, as well as an isolated score track (the film's score-by Dee Barton-only shows up intermittently, but Paul Williams' credits track is isolated as well.) An audio commentary brings together Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo, and Nick Redman, who analyze the film's oddly laconic nature, and consider its oft-referenced gay subtext. Finally, there's a booklet featuring an essay by Kirgo, who explains a bit about the film's production history, laying out the way that Cimino's authorial voice was tempered and controlled by Eastwood's 'house crew,' while articulating the pleasures of the picture's deliberately layabout tone.

We can add something to her explanations about the film's origins. During a visit to Boston years ago, Cimino spoke extensively about "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot," a film that he still holds in high regard. He explained that, though the film is certainly not autobiographical, every character in it, without exception, was an accurate representation of someone he knew during the youth of his life. That gives a sense of credence to the odd specificity of the whole project. To that point, Cimino added one final fact: he even knew the man driving with the bunnies and the raccoon in his backseat.

"Thunderbolt and Lightfoot"
Blu-ray
Screenarchives.com
$29.95