Thunder and Lightning (1977)

One of the best films i have seen

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Fatuous, witless, disappointing Southern moonshine adventure, with Kate Jackson as the daughter of a soda pop king and manufacturer of poisoned whiskey; she and thrill-seeking boyfriend David Carradine attempt to stop of shipment of the bad booze but run afoul of both the law and the moonshiner's shotgun-toting stooges. The redneck histrionics are shrill and labored, and the comedy relief is rather obvious (one of the better scenes has two hired killers bemoaning all the violence on TV, though it doesn't have the punch that better writing and directing might have given it). There are car crashes galore, two geezer brothers making whiskey in a swamp-land shack, an alligator wrasslin' preacher, and an ear-splitting soundtrack filled with hick music and squealing tires. Jackson and Carradine aren't bad, but they have next to nothing to work with; supporting cast includes some fine character actors, including a bearded, shaggy-haired Charles Napier, but they get stuck playing unfunny goons. Some of the best lines are delivered by the bit players, such as a garbage collector who points when he talks and a foreign delivery man who sings to himself on the job. *1/2 from ****

David Carradine is Harley Thomas, a moonshine runner. Trouble is, he's one of the small time operators. His fiancé, Nancy Sue Hunnicutt (Kate Jackson), just happens to be the daughter of the biggest operator in the area. And R.J. Hunnicutt (Roger C. Carmel) doesn't take kindly to Harley's business or his relationship with his daughter. R.J.'s also got a batch of poison moonshine set to go out. Harley and Nancy Sue make their mission to stop the truck carrying the tainted whiskey before it reaches its destination.The best word I can think of to describe Thunder and Lightning is disappointing. I had high hopes for this one, but for the most part, it's just plain dull. I usually enjoy most everything David Carradine has done and I've grown to be a fan of these 70s chase films, but I found very little to enjoy here. The comedy elements don't work, the fight scenes seem lazily done, and the acting is terrible. The whole thing seems to have been thrown together in a hurry as a cash-in on the success of Smokey and the Bandit. It's too bad because I like the idea of pairing Carradine with Kate Jackson.The best parts of the film are easily some of the car and boat chase stunts. The swamp boat scenes were great. Problem is these moments are too few and far between. Instead, we get too much of the bad attempts at humor and drama.

2 out of 10 Contrived good ol' boy, yahoo nonsense that is taken into overdrive. There really is no need to talk about the story since it is very derivative and just an excuse to put in a lot of smash up car chases. The filmmakers seem compelled to come up with every southern stereotype they can think of. There is the grizzled, uneducated, overall wearing, backwoods moonshiners. There is also the grubby, beer swilling, uneducated, pick up truck driving rednecks with names like Bubba and Scooter. Then there's the virtuous, but spunky southern daughter with a accent that is really annoying. There is even a scene where a couple of down home boys jump into a car and shout "yahoo!" as it takes off. It's all a very one dimensional, uninspired mess that makes you feel completely brain dead after about ten minutes. The production values aren't too good. The sound is muffled and there are too many quick cuts making some of the action hard to follow. The whole thing looks rushed and haphazard and simply done to cash in on the success of SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT. Carradine's performance is much too subdued. He seems to have no energy and is just mouthing his lines. Jackson is pretty, but her personality is much too strong. The only fun piece of casting is Holloway. He plays the main moonshiner and is probably best known as the voice of Winnie the Pooh. This was to be his last film appearance. The film has a few good moments that are worth mentioning. One is a unique speed boat chase done on a large swamp. There is a segment where a minister preaches his sermon while wrestling with a alligator. There are also hit men who like in PULP FICTION have unusual conversations. Some of the strange topics include too much violence on TV, Captain Kangaroo, and even Norman Vincent Peale. There is also one really good inside joke. Napier is having a fight with Carradine and yells out "Hey as----- knock off the Kung Fu sh--."

Thunder and Lightning is an interesting movie, it's an action movie with a plot! The characters actually have reasons to do what they do. David Carradine stars as a bootlegger and Kate Jackson is his fiancee. Her father is a soft-drink manufacturer who is secretly making and distributing large quantities of moonshine. The conflict starts when her father's goons decide to close down Carradine's operation. It is pretty much an adventure comedy from then on, with lots of car chases, fights, banjo music, rednecks, hillbillies and moonshine. Watch for the gator-wrestling church!