Twilight Time’s release of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, a long ignored title within the MGM catalogue line, is a fun flick featuring excellent performances from Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges set against the beautifully photographed backdrop of the Midwest.
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
(1974)
Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Crime
Twilight Time | R – 114 min. – $29.95 | February 11, 2014
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MOVIE INFO: Directed by: Michael Cimino Writer(s): Michael Cimino (written by) Cast: Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, George KennedyDISC INFO: Features: Commentary, Theatrical Trailer, Isolated Score Track Number of Discs: 1Audio: English (DTS-HD MA 1.0) Video: 1080p/Widescreen 2.35 Subtitles: English SDH Disc Size: NA Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Region(s): A, B, C |
PLOT SUMMARY
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot marked the directing debut of screenwriter Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter, Heaven’s Gates), working under the meticulous guidance of star/producer Clint Eastwood. Eastwood plays a typically laconic loner, a big-time thief in hiding who hooks up with a goofy young drifter (JEFF BRIDGES who earned an Academy Award nomination). First attempting to escape from a couple of vengeful former partners (GEORGE KENNEDY, GEOFFREY LEWIS), then joining forces with them to pull off a risky robbery.
SPECIAL FEATURES – 1.75/5
The Blu-ray released by Twilight Time includes a 6-page booklet with an essay and on the disc is an informational Audio Commentary by Film Historians Lem Dobbs, Julie Kirgo and Nick Redman, the Original Theatrical Trailer (1:58; SD) and the Isolated Score Track where you can appreciate Dee Barton’s music.
VIDEO – 4.5/5
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot speeds onto Blu-ray from Twilight Time shown with a 2.40 widescreen aspect ratio and a 1080p high-definition transfer (AVC codec). The picture here is actually quite impressive where it’s relatively clean, with some minor dust marks and spots, and colors have a nice punch to them and detail levels are sharp and well defined.
AUDIO – 3.5/5
The DTS-HD MA Mono track isn’t anything special yet considering all of the elements are coming directly from the center channel, I found dialogue to be clear and the action scenes provide some depth though it is of course limited.
OVERALL – 3.25/5
Overall, Twilight Time’s release of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, a long ignored title within the MGM catalogue line, is a fun flick featuring excellent performances from Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges set against the beautifully photographed backdrop of the Midwest. The Blu-ray offers up good video/audio transfers, both certain upgrades over their DVD counterpart, but the features are limited.
Published: 02/14/2014