Rolling Thunder

source: Rolling Thunder

Rolling Thunder

William Devane gives a great performance as the strangely detached returning prisoner of war. Beneath his controlled exterior is a volcano of revenge, ready to erupt upon the men who killed his family and left him crippled. Tommy Lee Jones is by Devane's side for the violence and carnage that concludes his quest. As the potential love interest, Linda Haynes proves unsuccessful in throwing herself at the war hero. Terrific character development and terrific dialog drives "Rolling Thunder to greatness. If you want to see a revenge film done right, then seek this one out. The VHS is not easy to obtain, and the picture quality isn't the best, but almost every scene is unforgettable. - MERK

Paul Schrader is usually the man most prominently mentioned in connection with this film due to the fact that he also wrote TAXI DRIVER and as a result the contributions of co-screenwriter Heywood Gould & director John Flynn have been unfairly ignored. Everything in the film, whether its someone having their hand ground up in a garbage disposal or telling a hooker, " I'm going to kill a bunch of people",is handled in a very matter-of-fact way and the eventual effect is mighty powerful. One only needs to imagine how wretched this sort of film would be if it were re-made today to appreciate the no-nonsense, workman-like fashion in which it was created.

The editor on this film, Frank P. Keller, died shortly after working on the film. He also was the editor on Bullitt. He won the Oscar for editing on that film. Rolling Thunder has a very strong and deliberate editing style and pace--it all hangs together very well--and the action cutting is very tight. The quick cutaways to the blue-tinted POW torture scenes work very well too. I think part of the reason this film is so cool is Keller's editing.

Screenplay of "Rolling Thunder" was co-written by Paul Schrader, who had just written "Taxi Driver". I feel this is William Devane's best movie, and a powerful start for Tommy Lee Jones. This is one dark movie, almost as dark as "Taxi Driver", and it misses by "not much". Basically, a gang of no-neck Bubbas do in Devane's wife and child, yet he survives the robbery. It is then revenge time, and the remainder of the movie is "out to kill", and kill it does. Devane and Jones, as recently returned inmates of the Hanoi Hilton are, in their own ways, tightly wrapped around the axle. At the movie's end, let it suffice to be known, they indeed find the bad guys. It is a real squeaker about just who the bad guys really are in this post-Vietnam movie.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs n found it to be boring at times but after revisiting it recently i liked it as the movie has plenty of character development n the story engaging. In the 80s n 90s, i never used to care bah character development. While Taxi Driver is top notch, this one too showcases the horror n turnoil war returnees go thru. After spending seven years as a POW in Hanoi, Major Rane returns home but finds his home very different from the one he left. Rane realizes that his son does not remember him and his wife admits to him that she has become engaged to another man and has no plans to break it off. Rane stoically accepts this and greeted warmly by the townspeople and he is presented with a red Cadillac and 2,555 silver dollars which attracts the attention of four border outlaws. The locations are good but the best part is the silent n tough portrayal of the lead character. The climactic action sequence is filled with lots of bloody shootouts n mayhem.

Good writing, acting and directing place this violent revenge melodrama a cut or two above most films of its genre. William Devane gives a strong, stoic performance as Major Charles Rane, an ex-Vietnam POW who returns home to his wife and son, only to have his peace-time dreams shattered by a gang of vicious, menacing home-invading hoods who murder his family and leave him permanently maimed. After rehabilitation, he goes gunning for the people responsible for the crime. Tommy Lee Jones is very good as his fellow Army buddy who willingly joins him on the vengeance trail. The film is enhanced by adding some psychological insights into Devane's character....we get a revealing peek at how his wartime experiences have changed him and what makes him tick. The film is tense and extremely violent in spots, but the violence is not gratuitous. Paul Schrader, who wrote the classic "Taxi Driver" also wrote the original story here...and it shows. This one's worth seeking out.