This is not so much a review as a question. I found the movie to be a lot of fun, fast paced, well acted, great scenery, direction, and reasonably put together. My question is: why was this movie the effective end of June Fairchild's career? Sure, she had a couple of nowhere roles in stupid movies, but this was her high point. Cathy Bach, on the other hand did very well after this. Why? June's acting was very good, she had a much bigger part, well, than almost any of the other bit players. Further, she cute as the dickens. She was likable, and she screamed beautifully. This lady had a sad end, and it seems that everyone just wrote her off. Could something have happened on the set that made her an outcast? No doubt it will never be known, but it should be said by someone that she played a good part and is NOT forgotten.

Thunderbolt And Lightfoot is the directorial debut of Michael Cimino(who worked as a screenwriter on Magnum Force and later directed Deer Hunter). The film is a very interesting and well done heist movie with a good amount of action and interesting characters. This is an early appearance for Jeff Bridges, who gives a great energetic performance as Lightfoot. Some reviewers think Bridges' performance blows away Clint's. I would not go as far to say Jeff steals the show from Clint, but he does give him a run for his money. Clint gives a solid performance as antihero Thunderbolt and the odd chemistry of Eastwood/Bridges works well. George Kennedy and Clint regular Geoffrey Lewis are strong in their support roles and rise to the occasion here. Overall, Thunderbolt And Lightfoot is a great, well done film that is well performed, looks great and has a lot of outlaw grit.

Interesting in that it stars Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges, and is probably the only movie to include both of them. Eastwood was already an established star while this movie came early in Bridges' movie career. Interesting too in that it is the directing debut of Michael Cimino. His next movie was one of the greatest movies of all time, The Deer Hunter.This said, despite the acting, directing and writing (Cimino also wrote the script) talent involved, the movie is nothing special. It mostly plays as a farcical comedy. Gratuitous car chases, scenes that have no point, sometimes-random plot. Throw in an implausible bank heist and it doesn't feel at all original.Then we have a very dramatic and moving ending, just to confuse your emotions and sense of what type of movie it is.Performances are good, however. Jeff Bridges is great as Lightfoot and Clint Eastwood is solid, and very Eastwoodesque, as Thunderbolt. Good support from George Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis. Gary Busey has a very minor role.

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.