 thunderbolt and lightfoot is a 1974 american crime film written and directed by michael cimino and starring clint eastwood, jeff bridges, george kennedy, and geoffrey lewis. ==plot== as a young ne'er-do-well named lightfoot (jeff bridges) steals a car, an assassin attempts to shoot a minister delivering a sermon at his pulpit. the preacher escapes on foot. lightfoot, who happens to be driving by, inadvertently rescues him by running over his pursuer and giving the preacher a lift. lightfoot eventually learns that the "minister" is really a notorious bank robber known as "the thunderbolt" (clint eastwood) for his use of a 20 millimeter cannon to break into a safe. hiding out in the guise of a clergyman following the robbery of a montana bank, thunderbolt is the only member of his old gang who knows where the loot is hidden. after escaping another attempt on his life by two other men, thunderbolt tells lightfoot that the ones trying to kill him are members of his gang who mistakenly thought thunderbolt had double-crossed them. he and lightfoot journey to warsaw, montana to retrieve the money hidden in an old one-room schoolhouse. they discover the schoolhouse has been replaced by a brand-new school standing in its place. thunderbolt and lightfoot are abducted by the men who were shooting at themâthe vicious red leary (george kennedy) and the gentle eddie goody (geoffrey lewis)âand driven to a remote location where thunderbolt and red fight each other, after which thunderbolt explains how he never betrayed the gang. lightfoot proposes another heistârobbing the same company as beforeâwith a variation on the original plan, since lightfoot inadvertently killed their electronics expert, dunlap, in his rescue of the fleeing preacher. in the city where the bank is located, the men find jobs to raise money for needed equipment while they plan the heist. the robbery begins as thunderbolt and red
1970s_comedy-drama_films 1970s_crime_films 1974_films American_comedy-drama_films American_crime_drama_films American_criminal_comedy_films Buddy_films Chase_films Directorial_debut_films English-language_films Films_directed_by_Michael_Cimino Films_set_in_Montana Films_shot_in_Montana Heist_films United_Artists_films