Thunderbolt

Starring:Jackie Chan
Studio: CineVu
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

Cimino first triumphant debut...
Strolling thunder
A Thunderbolt of Fun
Unlikely Buddies
Great Cast Sparks This Mid-70's Caper Film

Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
Starring: Clint Eastwood , Jeff Bridges , Geoffrey Lewis , Catherine Bach , and Gary Busey
Director: Michael Cimino
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: 0792845838
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Amazon.com essential video

Jeff Bridges actually corralled an Oscar nomination for his spirited, oddball performance in this genre crime story, directed by first-timer Michael Cimino who (a short two films later) would bring down a studio with Heaven's Gate. Clint Eastwood plays a bank robber par excellence with a flair for explosives who is being hunted by his former partners, who think he has their loot from their last job. Bridges is his eager apprentice and sidekick, who helps him escape; when Eastwood finally makes peace with his hunters, Bridges convinces them to try a daring robbery--but things inevitably go awry. The relationship between Eastwood and Bridges is both funny and touching in this, one of Eastwood's better post-Dirty Harry efforts. --Marshall Fine

Description

Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges (in an OscarÂ(r) nominated* performance) star as an off-beat pair of modern-day outlaws in this bold, action-packed crime thriller. Featuring outstanding supporting performances by George Kennedy (Airport), Gary Busey (Lethal Weapon) and Geoffrey Lewis (Maverick), it's a crisp, well-written, witty, tough [and] superbly cast caper movie (Cinebooks). John 'thunderbolt Doherty (Eastwood) is a former thief whose razor-sharp wits and steely nerves made him a master of his profession, but he's about to reenter the criminal world with a new partner: Lightfoot (Bridges), a brash young drifter whose energy and exuberance give the veteran a new outlook on life. Their target: the seemingly impenetrable Montana Armored Depository. After forming an uneasy alliance with Thunderbolt's former partners in crime (Kennedy and Lewis),they launch an amazing scheme that will test the limits of their endurance...and the power of theirfriendship. Fueled by explosive action, fascinating characters and a powerfully moving climax, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot is an adventure of the highest caliber. *1974: Supporting Actor

Customer Reviews:

Cimino first triumphant debut..........2007-01-15

The very first shot of "Thunderbolt and Lightfoot" - a faultless composition, fifty per cent wispy Idaho sky, fifty per cent cornfield - establishes an elegant style which Cimino maintains throughout the film... The second scene - Clint Eastwood as we have never seen him before, wearing spectacles, his hair slicked back and dressed as a vicar delivering a sermon in a crowded country church - immediately makes one realize that the film may be quite different from any of Eastwood's previous ones... But the third scene, in which the vicar is chased across a seemingly endless cornfield by an irate gun-firing George Kennedy establishes that all is not as it seems to be...

Eastwood is rescued by Lightfoot (Jeff Bridges), who has just relieved a car salesman of $3000 dollars' worth of automobile, and a partnership is quickly created, with the veteran Thunderbolt asserting his experience and virility over the inexperienced Lightfoot... Casting off his vicar's clothes Thunderbolt then takes his belt and endures agonizing pain as he uses it to pull his dislocated shoulder into place...

Thunderbolt is being pursued by Red Leary (George Kennedy) and Eddie Goody (Geoffrey Lewis) who are former partners of his in crime and who believe he has the half million dollar takings from their last bank raid... They mean business... While Thunderbolt and Lightfoot enjoy themselves with two young ladies named Gloria and Melody, Leary and Goody wait outside. 'Are you sure that's their car?' wonders Goody. 'That's their hearse,' says Leary...

The film was a triumphant debut for Cimino... His script combined wit and the naive philosophy of the motorized cowboys... 'Leary, I had a dream about you last night." "About what?" "I dreamt you said hello to me.'

At the beginning of the film when Eastwood recites his sermon for the benefit of his felonious friend, 'and the lion shall lie down with the leopard' (Cimino used it purposely to indicate the liaison between Lightfoot the lion and Thunderbolt the leopard), the younger man asks 'What's that - a poem?' 'No,' replies Thunderbolt, 'a prayer'. At the end of the film the younger man is still seeking answers from his senior partner... 'Where you heading?' 'See what's over the next mountain! We won, didn't we?' 'I guess we did - for the time being.'

Cimino created the part for Eastwood and in doing so drew greatly on his actual personality... For those people who know the real Clint Eastwood, no film part better conveys the style, the warmth, and the dry delivery of the man himself...

Strolling thunder.......2006-10-11

Diary of a movie from the viewer's point of view:

40-minute mark. I turn off the movie because I'm about to nod off. I still haven't got a handle on THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT. It's either going to be a buddy movie, a chase movie, a caper movie, or it's going to continue to dawdle till they roll the closing credits. Sure is taking it's sweet time getting off the schneid. Con man/grifter Clint Eastwood met younger con man/grifter Jeff Bridges reels ago, they've stolen a couple of cars together, been chased by a gun-toting George Kennedy, and otherwise did the macho bonding thing. Not sure who is what, yet. Bridges' character, right before I nodded off, was wondrin' out loud what it would take to knock over a bank before Eastwood threw him a knowing sneer. So far pretty much no plot, little character development, and the usually reliable Bridges is mugging around so much I'm hoping that, at some point, Eastwood slaps him. Not at all sure I want to spent any more time with this one after I wake up.

Later - Hmmm. The nap seems to have helped both of us. I'm refreshed and the movie (finally) seems energized. THUNDERBOLT AND LIGHTFOOT takes its sweet, wallowing-in-ambience, time catching a plot, but when it does it turns into an above-average buddy/caper flick. Either Bridges toned it down some, or I grew used to him, but looking back on it he turns in a fine, affecting performance as a young drifter with grand dreams of grand larceny. Even Eastwood seems a little more relaxed than usual.

This is one of director Michael Cimino's first movies, and I'm not a fan of his. The Deer Hunter didn't do much for me, and I believe Heaven's Gate is justifiably infamous. I thought this was going to be another slow moving to nowhere picture, but the latter half is engrossing. Looks beautiful, too. Best of all was the ending - which I won't give away here - that Bridges plays to perfection and that brings it all home. If you're like me and tend to get impatient with pretty pictures going nowhere, I'll suggest you give this one a long chance before hitting the eject button. You won't be disappointed.

A Thunderbolt of Fun.......2006-05-22

When people talk about buddy-buddy films this one gets overlooked.This was a refreshing break from the Eastwood mold,stepping down from the Dirty Harry altar, to switch sides of the law or God(as a preacher).This has a loaded cast, Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges(Oscar nominee/robbed)to George Kennedy, as another evil meanie.The oddball teaming of Eastwood and Bridges seals the movie as an enjoyable romp, where cross-dressing,wearing disguises and other stuff plays second-hand to the relationship which is supposed to be mentor/rookie but becomes Laurel/Hardy too often.The story itself wanders off in various directions until it comes home with unexpected sadness, marking the arrival of the versatile Bridges.Like "Collateral," where Cruise lets Jamie Foxx run with the movie, Eastwood generously let Bridges vamp for effect. Such a free-wheelin' script has not hit the screen in a long while.

Unlikely Buddies.......2006-03-20

This is not your average crime story. Clint Eastwood plays a man we first encounter as a preacher in a rural church. Shortly into the sermon, a gunman comes in and starts shooting at the preacher. He takes off running and eventually gets picked up by a young man played by Jeff Bridges. The two hit it off and become buddies, even though Eastwood's character is significantly older than Bridges'. Over time, it is learned that Eastwood had been a bank robber. After a big heist, the money disappeared and the people who are trying to kill him think that he stole it (from the other crooks). Eventually, they hit upon a scheme to rob the same bank in the same manner as before. The idea is that nobody would expect them to try and do things the same way again.

There is trouble with the other robbers. One is stupid and the other is just plain mean. After a successful heist, this leads to problems which the film must resolve.

Although the action line of the movie is the story of the bank robbery, it is really about the friendship between the two main characters. It can be touching to watch and is sad at the unexpected end. It's a rather dated film but it is still worth watching.

Great Cast Sparks This Mid-70's Caper Film.......2006-02-04

Four years before "The Deer Hunter" and six years before the disastrous "Heaven's Gate," Michael Cimino broke through as a writer/director with this somewhat rambling but engaging and quirky heist film starring Clint Eastwood, Jeff Bridges, and George Kennedy. A bank robbery gone wrong has left Eastwood laying low, pretending to be a preacher in a small town. When an old partner hunts him down, he narrowly escapes with the help of a small-time thief named Lightfoot (Bridges). The two become partners, but are soon forced to join up with two more of Eastwood's old cronies (Kennedy and Geoffrey Lewis). Together, the four set about executing the same bank robbery that failed several years earlier.

Bridges received an Oscar nomination for his offbeat portrayal of a free-spirited and charismatic young con artist, while Kennedy is an angry, ticking time bomb that you just know will eventually explode and screw things up. Much of the film is light and comical, with a veiled commentary about the aimlessness of America's post-Vietnam generation. The ending is surprisingly poignant, however, and the movie features an underrated Eastwood performance and a great recurring Paul Williams song on the soundtrack. Look for early roles by Gary Busey as Bridges' boss on a construction crew, and Catherine Bach (the one and only Daisy Duke) as a girl Lightfoot rather creatively picks up at a bar.

Ealing Studios Comedy Collection (The Maggie / A Run for Your Money / Titfield Thunderbolt / Whisky Galore! / Passport to Pimlico)

Average customer rating:

Five Early British gems
British comedies
Ealing: Sticking It to the Man
Old, but funny
The Maggie

Ealing Studios Comedy Collection (The Maggie / A Run for Your Money / Titfield Thunderbolt / Whisky Galore! / Passport to Pimlico)
Starring: Paul Douglas , Alex Mackenzie , James Copeland , Abe Barker , and Tommy Kearins
Director: Alexander Mackendrick , Henry Cornelius , and Charles Crichton
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Peter Sellers Collection (I'm All Right Jack/Heavens Above!/Hoffman/Two-Way Stretch/The Smallest Show on Earth/Carlton-Browne of the F.O.)
Green for Danger - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B0007LPSFO
Release Date: 2005-04-05

Amazon.com

Ealing Studios was the birthplace of the most delectable crop of movies to decorate postwar cinemas, a group of veddy British comedies that nevertheless spoke the international language. By necessity, the Ealing Studios Comedy Collection takes second place to the Alec Guinness Collection, the latter being the crème de la crème of Ealing's signature actor. But the Comedy Collection is nevertheless a stem-to-stern delight.

Three films from Ealing's zenith year, 1949, anchor the collection. Passport to Pimlico captures the mood of postwar London via an absurdist plot: the detonation of an unexploded bomb in Pimlico reveals a 400-year-old decree proclaiming the neighborhood an independent royal territory of Burgundy. Their independence thus established, the locals (led by Stanley Holloway) celebrate their freedom from rationing and taxation. A Run for Your Money follows two Welsh coalmining brothers after they win a newspaper contest for tickets to a London rugby match; in this modest comedy, Alec Guinness sketches one of his eccentric little supporting gems.

Whisky Galore! is one of the best Ealing films--funny but also rather lovely. During the war, the remote Scottish island of Todday is starved for scarce whisky, until a shipwreck strands thousands of cases of "the water of life" tantalizingly within reach. Basil Radford is hilariously misguided as the island's chief of Defense, and Joan Greenwood lends her fetching presence--but every member of the large ensemble is terrific. The gifted Alexander Mackendrick debuted as director, and his sense of timing and tone is impeccable. (It was retitled Tight Little Island in the U.S., where it scored a big hit.)

Mackendrick also directed the marvelous 1954 comedy The Maggie, with Paul Douglas as a go-go American businessman whose cargo (and life) is slowed by a broken-down scow chugging from Glasgow to the islands. Traces of melancholy underlie the humor, and one wonders if this film might have been a model for the thematically similar Local Hero. Finally, The Titfield Thunderbolt, from 1953, is a Charles Crichton-directed farce about a small town going into the railroad business (and the first Ealing comedy in color). Its anarchy borders on the abrasive at times, although Stanley Holloway is in fine form as a benefactor who demands his own drinking car on the train. --Robert Horton

Description

This exclusive collection brings together five of Ealing Studios' greatest comedies, starring such beloved legends as Alec Guinness, Stanley Holloway, Hugh Griffith, Margaret Rutherford and more. Each classic film in the EALING STUDIOS COMEDY COLLECTION has been newly remastered from pristine vault materials, many available for the first time ever in America.

Customer Reviews:

Five Early British gems.......2007-03-13

This box set contains five Ealing Studios comedies from the fifties that are just great examples of this genre of films. I had seen Whiskey Galore and a Run for your Money before so the other three were new to me. I liked the Titfield Thunderbolt the best and the Maggie the least, but all are fine movies with typical English humor and good casts (Look for Charles Hawtry of "Carry On" fame in Passport to Pimlico). The set is a bit pricy, but if you love the British comedies of this era, it's not to be missed.

British comedies.......2007-02-09

The Ealing collection is a lot of fun; however, the movies don't all hold up to the same high standard. Whisky Galore is still the best, in my opinion, with Passport to Pimlico next. A Run for your Money is a little tired, even with Alec Guiness. Hugh Griffith did more to liven it up.

Ealing: Sticking It to the Man.......2007-01-20

Unlike the arbitrary nature of many box sets, EALING STUDIOS COMEDY COLLECTION has a unity of theme that runs from disc to disc: it collects the movies that best represent the studio's gently anti-authority personality. Here they are in ascending order of preference:

THE TITFIELD THUNDERBOLT (1953) was the studio's first color production, lensed beautifully by Douglas Slocombe. It resembles the superior PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (same writer) in its story of a community fed up with governmental intrusions. In between the laughs are some poignant observations about encroaching changes in the life of a close-knit village. The sequence of the competing bus and train that keep criss-crossing each other is an example of how the right use of landscape and movement can sum up a whole story. (I suspect Josh Logan stole this idea for the stunning closing shot of 1955's PICNIC.)

A RUN FOR YOUR MONEY (1949) shows another side to Slocombe's mastery of the camera, with its hard edged look and noir lighting. Director Charles Frend, freshly promoted from the editing room, gives us a perfectly-paced, madcap comedy of missed connections. The movie pokes fun at the purple rhetoric standard in the news media's condescension toward "the working man" and his role as a "gallant warrior in the Battle of Post-War Britain." With its exciting (foot) chase climax, this is an utterly charming, if lesser Ealing effort.

Chronologically in the Ealing oeuvre, THE MAGGIE (1954) is probably the next-to-last great movie made by the studio, preceding THE LADYKILLERS in 1955. It pits a blustering American businessman (with a VERY American sense of entitlement) against a grizzled Scottish conman whose sense of humor functions as Teflon to hard knocks, insults, or threats. It's a clash of the titans in that rarest of comedies, the kind that leaves you clueless about who's the scoundrel and who's the victim.

WHISKEY GALORE (1949) is set on the island of Todday off the west coast of Scotland. It's inhabitants slump into a collective depression when wartime rationing leaves it without whiskey. Once again, the story centers around a figure of governmental authority, in this case a rather puffed-up Captain of Home Defense. A ship carrying 50,000 cases of whiskey goes aground off the island's coast, and Home Defense is determined to protect its sinking cargo against the thirsty natives, just on principle. Guess who comes out on top? Brace yourself in the last moments for a veritable left hook of a punchline.

PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (1949) is the flat-out masterpiece of the lot. It succeeds at being both laden with subtext and light as a feather at the same time. Its sarcastic opening dedication to rationing books leads the way into a multi-layered fantasy fulfillment comedy about a new, rich, and independent state rising up from within one of London's poorest neighborhoods. Anarchic in spirit, merrily defiant in tone, PASSPORT stands as the blueprint for the best British comedy of the subsequent half-century plus.

The DVD menus are the most stripped-down I've ever seen, offering "Chapter Selections" and "Play." The set's booklet, however, is invaluable in placing these films in their historical and artistic context.

EALING STUDIOS COMEDY COLLECTION, along with five or six other Ealing films, show that great movies can be made entirely with character actors. These ensemble casts and recycled crews were, for a scant decade, The Marx Brothers of political satire and The Beatles of movie comedy.

Old, but funny.......2007-01-15

This is a series of comedies put out by Ealing Studios in England following World War II. ALthough there is some slapstick, most of the humor is dry, particularly in Whiskey Galore and a Passport to Pimlico.

The Maggie.......2007-01-12

Great old movie but this DVD would not play on UK format DVD player
Had to watch on my laptop.
Must be US format ???

Average customer rating:

New Line gets it right
Understand chinsese Movie
Not your typical Jackie Chan vehicle
a different kind of Chan
Strap yourselves in (but not without sending little junior to bed first)!!

Thunderbolt (1995)
Starring: Jackie Chan , Kar Lok Chin , Yuen Chor , Marie Eguro , and Patrick Han
Manufacturer: New Line Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Jackie Chan's Project A2
Jackie Chan's Project A

ASIN: B000BVM1QO
Release Date: 2006-01-24

Amazon.com

The always entertaining Jackie Chan, perhaps the biggest movie star in the world, stars as a humble tow-truck driver named Foh who identifies a blond Aryan gangster named Cougar--only to be targeted for revenge. Cougar kidnaps Foh's sisters and threatens to kill them unless Foh races against him in a Japanese rally. Thunderbolt's story is incoherent at times, but after a slow start the movie propels itself forward with dazzling fights (including a stunning brawl in a pachinko parlor), shootouts (a little bloodier than typical Jackie Chan fare), and amazing stunts, to say nothing of the nerve-wracking climactic race itself, speckled with jaw-dropping car crashes. Chan's American movies, for all their polish, never capture the hyperkinetic thrill of the true Jackie Chan. Thunderbolt is far from Chan's best--the Police Story series, Dragons Forever, Drunken Master II, and several others are easily superior in terms of story, stunts, and just sheer fun--yet it easily brushes aside Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon (as well as demolishing stateside racing movies like Days of Thunder and Gone in 60 Seconds). If you've only seen Jackie in Hollywood product, you owe it to yourself to see his Hong Kong movies, and Thunderbolt is a perfectly good place to start. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Action star Jackie Chan (Rush Hour 1 & 2) moves like a Thunderbolt in this pedal-to-the-metal movie that places Chan in the high-speed, high-risk world of auto-racing. Available for the first time on DVD, Thunderbolt is packed with death-defying stunts and incredible car crashes. So fasten your seat belts because with Chan at the wheel, the action isn't just hard-driving, it's hard-hitting too!

Customer Reviews:

New Line gets it right.......2007-06-16

I have to agree with others that this is the definitive version of Thunderbolt. I first saw it years ago on TNT edited down to 90 minutes and dubbed. So I bought the Taiwan version years ago. The setback of that one (like most Asian DVDs of old films) was that everyone was dubbed over in Mandarin by different actors, the picture looks old, and the subtitles are so-so. With the New Line DVD, you get the entire film, original dialogue, and better subtitling. On top of that, the picture is clean. The only thing that has been replaced are the opening and closing credits (and that is understanable since the original credits are in Chinese).

It's a top notch DVD.

Understand chinsese Movie.......2007-04-28

Thunderbolt is made in 1994, not 1995, I'm not chinese, but I saw the movie when I was 4 years. Thi s movie is all about action and drama. Chinese people like to make movie that have action and drama, they pretty much don't care about how the viewer understand the story, but understand the action, not the words. This movie is rent if you can find them at blockbuster, but why not spent $17.99 without looking for it. If you saw the Fast and Furious, this movie made before the Fast and Furious, and they use no special effect, and the best racing movie I've ever see. But forget about the racing, is the action is very Hollywood like, not joking, it the truth. Shooting and moving house is had very good action-effect realistic movie. The moving house is when Jackie Chan's in a Truck storage and sleep in it. The Bad guy pick his room up and crush to his Father and sister roomes. But most chinese movie had few or no good guy die in the movie, because if they did have alot of good guy die in the movie,than is not chinese movie and end up like making very sucky Hollywood movie that were made by the chinese. This movie is worth your time. See it! Buy or rent's your choice. It's all about racing, fighting, shooting, Japanese gambleming, and coolest.

Not your typical Jackie Chan vehicle.......2007-01-22

Here be SPOILERS.

Made in 1995, THUNDERBOLT is the redheaded stepchild of Jackie Chan's film oeuvre; it's not your typical happy-go-lucky Jackie Chan flick. This film spews out a vigorous blend of frenetic car chases, pulse-pounding fight sequences, and, oddly enough, a dramatic acting turn by Jackie Chan. THUNDERBOLT tells the story of former race car champion Chan Foh To (Jackie Chan) who ends up on a gangster's crap list. It all starts when Foh, now an auto repair mechanic, accompanies his father, who, every now and then, is called upon by the police to identify specially modified cars which are then towed away on suspicion of illegal street drag racing. On one such occasion, Foh witnesses a speed racer who evades capture and fatally runs down a policeman. Later, Foh engages the same speedster in a hazardous street race and manages to lead him straight to the police, where he is summarily apprehended.

Things get even more serious when it's discovered that the speed freak is none other than Warner "Cougar" Krugman, an influential criminal wanted by Interpol. A bribery attempt by Cougar's henchmen fails to dissuade Foh from coming forward as a witness against Cougar. However, Cougar means to get his vengeance on against Foh and, furthermore, aims to get another shot at racing him. With those intentions in mind, he kidnaps Foh's two younger sisters. But Cougar underestimates the resiliency and determination, not to mention the driving skills and arse-whoopin' talent, of Chan Foh To...

Don't mistake THUNDERBOLT for one of Jackie's patented, lighthearted comedy-action romps. He's pretty serious here as he and the dramatic storyline dismiss all tendencies to go for the giggles. As apropos to Jackie Chan's films, the action sequences are again exhilarating to watch. I understand that some if not most of the stunts are, this time, performed by a double as Jackie had incurred an ankle injury in his prior feature RUMBLE IN THE BRONX and wasn't able to fully step up to the plate. But the stunts mostly don't suffer for it as we get to murmur appreciatively at the high standard sequences in Foh's garage and in the pachinko parlor (for pachinko, think pinball machines). One complaint is that, at times, the action director resorted to that disjointed, blurry, slo-mo stuff - I'm not impressed. Meanwhile, the film's somber tone really sinks in during Cougar's traumatic razing of Foh's residence and place of business. I had never seen Jackie so beat up and so vulnerable as in that sequence and also in the ensuing emotionally wracked scenes at the hospital. Jackie has never invested so much emoting than when he was grieving over his cardiac-arrested father or, subsequently, when he is questioned by intrepid Interpol agent Steve Cannon (Michael Wong, who, by the way, doesn't really look Caucasian).

Another move off the beaten path for Chan (or, at least, in my viewing experience of his flicks) is the minutiae in which he involves the viewer regarding race car driving. This movie contains a decided element of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS, which THUNDERBOLT does precede. There are two races showcased here: a fairly exciting one early on which takes place in the streets of Hong Kong, the other an extended (it's friggin' 13 minutes long!) official race car competition on a Japanese speedway. Now, NASCAR fans might warm to the auto chases, but, to me, it only meant that a bit of human kinetic vitality was drained away to make room for the vroom-vroom! energy of the film and, now, there's even less time for further fight scenes.

As mentioned, Jackie's acting is above par this time, and I must say the audience's viewing experience will be enchanced by screening the film in sub-title format, rather than in dub. Jackie, like most actors, instantaneously improves as an actor when seen and heard in his native language. Anita Yuen is the half-hearted romantic interest/obligatory female fluff here and plays the annoying, go-getter reporter Amy Yip, who kinda redeems herself at the end. Thorsten Nickel portrays the villain Cougar the same way a cabbage would portray the villain Cougar, and he unwittingly provides most of the rare humor that's in the film. Nickel's pretty dang abysmal.

I'm giving THUNDERBOLT three stars. I feel the only things that hold it up are Jackie's unusual foray into serious drama (which might draw in the curious) and the always reliable chop-socky beatdowns. The plot is blah, the pace of the film is jarring at times, and there aren't enough good acting performances. It's also the fact that I found out Jackie didn't do all his stunts this time out. And, maybe, in the end, I really was too disconcerted by the lack of Jackie's brand of over-the-top comedy. Yeah, maybe that's it.

a different kind of Chan.......2006-08-19

I was very excited when I found out Thunderbolt had finally been released to dvd. I was only able to find this title on cable television, and to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and it exceeded my expectations. The dvd release fortunately has a sharper image quailty than I expected too (I am used to most martial art dvds still having a fuzzy quailty). The down side is the terrible dubbing, but if you can get used to that, Thunderbolt is an enjoyable experience.

The most notable aspect of this movie is that it focuses more on racing than fighting, which is what we come to expect from Jackie Chan. I expect that Chan has a passion for racing and cars and wanted to do this movie to have some fun with that. If you are looking for some good ol' Chan fight scenes, there are a few that are ok. The really good scene is a nice lengthy fight scene in a Chinese casino. Chan fights off an army of men including the same guy he faced off for 15 minutes in The Legend of Drunken Master.

If you like racing movies, this one actually pleases. Near the beginning of the movie is a decent street race at night on the highway streets between Jacki Chan and his racer nemesis in the movie. The final action scene in the movie, is not a Chan fight scene or stunt, but a rather lenghty - and good - race on the race track (kinda like Days of Thunder). The only downside to the scene was that a few shots were clearly sped up on the film, but the suspense and crashes were great.

The last thing to mention about Thunderbolt is the violence. Its a bit bloodier than I am used to seeing for a Chan movie. Some crazy things happen that made me squirm a bit the first time I watched this. Apparently cable television didn't have a problem with it (ha). I still don't believe its enough for an R rating, but its definetly more violent than most Chan films.

Overall Thunderbolt is an extremely underrated and perhaps undiscovered Jackie Chan movie. Expect the usually cheesiness with dubbed movies here, but other than that, its a great flick.

Strap yourselves in (but not without sending little junior to bed first)!!.......2006-06-27

This is not your typical Jackie Chan light-hearted family-fun film (at least the ones I've seen have been). There's more than just a little violence here. I was quite surprised! The gunfight scenes and the scene of jackie getting a bloody beating by his own home (you'll have to see it) and the endangerment of his family's lives...NOT for little ones!! Not to mention the story is a bit slow-starting (they probably wouldn't be awake to see the violence anyways...not that I'D take that chance, though) but it gains momentum as the film progresses.

The action in this film is great!! The pachinko parlor scene was the hallmark of this movie (you'd think it'd be a race, since this IS a racing movie, huh go figure)...AWESOME fight scene! Cleverly planned, filled with light, sound and creative props!

Then there's the racing scene! Even though we ALL know Jackie's character is poised to win in the end, there STILL were suspenseful moments that had me on edge!!! And those crash scenes were REALLY something else!! Wow!!

It's a good mix of action, stunts and a touch of suspense (as if seeing Jackie isn't good enough of a reason)....P.S. it's got some hilarious outtakes at the end!

Average customer rating:

Great old documentary but poor quality video
THE BEST WWII documentary
Great Little Film
This film has a personal family history
The "other" Classic WW2 Documentary in Color

Thunderbolt
Starring: James Stewart
Director: John Sturges , and William Wyler
Manufacturer: Good Times Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Fighting Lady
Combat America
The Memphis Belle
Report From the Aleutians/Hook Down, Wheels Down
World War II: Payoff in the Pacific

ASIN: B00005B1YH
Release Date: 2001-05-15

Customer Reviews:

Great old documentary but poor quality video.......2007-01-31

This is a great documentary made during the latter days of WW II but the quality of the video leaves much to be desired, the original film that was used for making the DVD had obviously suffered significant deterioration. That or they just did a really lousy job of transferring it to DVD.

THE BEST WWII documentary.......2005-05-31

Thunderbolt is the best WWII documentary I'v ever seen.
Zvi Davidick is an IDIOT

Great Little Film.......2004-08-09

This is a great little documentary about an important part of WW II, the Italian campaign, that is too often over looked. Some of the footage is a bit out of focus but other sections have some great footage. The 57 FS "The First in the Blue" documented in the film was the first US air group engaged in the war fighting all the way from Palestine and across North Africa. I can't imagine there are many better $5 deals out there.

This film has a personal family history.......2003-11-09

The opening shots of the airfield, show a Thunderbolt named "DOTTIE". Dottie is my mother, and the pilot was her husband, George Lovato. The scene in the bar with a pilot playing an accordian is George. He sang and recorded a couple of records prior to the war. On October 31st, 1944, George Lovato and his plane "Dottie" went Missing in Action.

The "other" Classic WW2 Documentary in Color.......2003-06-12

Along with "Memphis Belle" this fine film stands up there with the best documentary features of the era. Using wartime film equipment, (no fancy Hollywood gear!) William Wyler (Ben-Hur) did his part for the war effort, with style and class (and a little humor!). A combination of propaganda and straight up honest filmmaking, 'Thunderbolt' is a film worth buying.

Shot on 16mm Kodachrome, You wont see ultrafine images or glorious sound. The color and contrast are sometimes harsh. But this was War, and filmmaking in a combat zone isn't easy, under harsh conditions Wyler's film survived to become the true classic it is today.

Enjoy!

The Titfield Thunderbolt
Average customer rating:
The Titfield Thunderbolt
Director: Charles Crichton
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B000KJ12MQ

Product Description

Ealing Studio's First Technicolor comedy.

The American MuscleCar: '64 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt/The Shelby Mustangs

Average customer rating:

The American MuscleCar: '64 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt/The Shelby Mustangs
Starring: American Musclecar
Manufacturer: Mpi Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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American MuscleCar: Boss 302 & 429 Mustang/The Saleen Mustangs
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The American MuscleCar: Plymouth Hemi Cuda, Dodge Hemi Challenger and Chevorlet Nova SS

ASIN: B000C65YJE
Release Date: 2006-03-28

Description

`64 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt THE THUNDERBOLTS -- Ford went drag racing in 1964 with their new Fairlane and their NASCAR 427 engine. Talk about a ringer! The result was the most mind-boggling car the NHRA stock classes had ever seen. The factory claimed 406 horsepower, and even the Ford Engineers admitted this was difficult to do with a straight face. Ford Mustang Shelby GT-350 SHELBY -- Carroll Shelby's tenure with the Ford Motor Company was sometimes rocky, always exciting. One result of Shelby's marriage with Ford was some of the most amazing cars, based on the Mustang platform, ever to wear Dearborn Blue. The GT-350 was a limited-edition road rocket. You might not be able to buy one, but Hertz would rent you one! Shelby's GT-500KR was not for the faint of heart. It featured every performance option you could get from Ford, including the 428 Cobra Jet mill. By the way, "KR" stood for "King of the Road".

American War Eagles: P-47 Thunderbolt - Bolt From the Blue

Average customer rating:

Good addition to your collection.

American War Eagles: P-47 Thunderbolt - Bolt From the Blue
Starring: American War Eagles
Manufacturer: Delta
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Roaring Glory Warbirds: Republic P-47
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German Fighter Aircraft of World War 2: 1939-1942
Thunderbolt

ASIN: B00005LB8G
Release Date: 2001-07-10

Description

In the entire history of military aviation, there has never been an airplane that could match the P-47 Thunderbolt for ruggedness and dependability. The pilots who flew it into combat called it "The Unbreakable" and "the plane that can do no wrong." Learn more about this fascinating aircraft in this informative program.

Customer Reviews:

Good addition to your collection........2007-01-31

One of the things I liked about this film is that it gives a pretty good explanation of early development the P-47 and actually includes some footage of Seversky himself. The film does have some footage that I have not seen in my other titles however as you might assume there is footage used in this film that you will see in many other related films. There is one problem that I have with this film and that is that who ever produced or directed this film actually copied transcript from another film I own and used it for their own naration. I was pretty upset when I was hearing the narrator saying the same script I have in one of my other films. No originalty there! Anyhow It goes over the same MTO "Medeteranian Theater of Operations" Operation Strangle footage as seen in many other P-47 films and oh! by the way that is the part they copied. Enjoy!

Thunderbolt P-47s Over Europe Deluxe Edition

Average customer rating:

Thunderbolt P-47s Over Europe Deluxe Edition
Starring: Ronald Reagan; James Stewart; George Lavato; Gen. Jimmy Doolittle
Director: William Wyler
Manufacturer: Periscope Film
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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The Last Bomb B-29 Superfortresses Over Japan Deluxe Edition
Target for Today The Eighth Air Force at War Deluxe Edition
Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo
The Spirit of St. Louis
Von Richtofen & Brown

ASIN: B000NJL1U6
Release Date: 2007-02-23

Product Description

William Wyler's documentary The Memphis Belle is perhaps the most famous film to emerge from WWII. Wyler's Thunderbolt, a portrait of the P-47 and the men who flew it, is every bit as important. Filmed in color in 1944 and narrated by Hollywood favorite James Stewart, the movie shows "Operation Strangle", an effort to crush German supply lines during the Battle of Cassino in Italy.

Also included on this deluxe edition DVD are other rare films including Fight For the Sky narrated by then-actor Ronald Reagan. In that film you'll see P-47s, P-38 Lightnings, and P-51 Mustangs as they provide escort for the B-17s and Liberators of the 8th Air Force.

Product Description

Two Feature-Length Films On Two Discs!

Ninja Thunderbolt

Invincible Hero aka Mean Streets Of Kung Fu

Format: DVD MOVIE

Average customer rating:

Operation Thunderbolt
Thrilling and true

Operation Thunderbolt
Starring: Yehoram Gaon , Gila Almagor , Assi Dayan , Klaus Kinski , and Sybil Danning
Director: Menahem Golan
Manufacturer: Sisu Home Ent.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Raid on Entebbe
Sword of Gideon
The Impossible Spy
Kippur
21 Hours at Munich

ASIN: B00008K78A
Release Date: 2003-02-06

Customer Reviews:

Operation Thunderbolt.......2007-02-10

This movie, a much better adaptation then the garbage flick put out by Hollywood, "Rescue at Entebbe", is very true to the tactics, techniques, and training of a counter-terrorism unit. If you want slick action, smooth lines, excellent special effects, and brilliant camera work this movie is not for you. If you want the presentation of an actual event as supported by the participants, many of whom gave their advice and recollections to the making of this movie (one of whom is now the IDF Chief of Staff); complete with the impact on the families of those who went into harms way, then you will find this movie of great interest.
It boiled down to this: when Jews were held hostage and faced with death it was only the Jews (Israelis) who came to their rescue. The fact that when the doors were kicked in and the dogs were taken down the memorable phrase is, "They're ours!"
When the mission is over, and the hostages returned, you see joy and celebration, and the cost to the families who lost their loved ones. You also see the heroes coming off the plane and heading off to their next assignment.
Historical Note: Yonaton is buried in Jerusalem, next to him is the grave of the General who sent him on the mission. Israeli soldiers are buried in the order they die. Benyamin Netanyahu, his brother, eventually became Prime Minister of Israel, after commanding the same commando unit.

Thrilling and true.......2004-07-31

In 1976, Palestinian and German terrorists hijacked an Air France flight and forced it to land in the African town of Entebbe, where they were welcomed and protected by Uganda's then-dictator, Idi Amin. Releasing all the non-Israeli passengers, the terrorists threatened to kill the rest unless dozens of their comrades were released from Israeli prisons. Rather than submit to blackmail, the Israeli army secretly flew thousands of miles to Entebbe and freed more than 100 hostages in a daring nighttime raid to the cheers of most of the world.

"Operation Thunderbolt," now available on DVD, was filmed in Israel with the full cooperation of the Israeli government, and is an exciting re-creation of the events of those tense days. We see the full scope of the story, from the original hijacking to the passengers' captivity in Uganda to the agonized debates at the highest levels of the Israeli government over a diplomatic vs. a military solution.

All the characters speak their own languages, so the film is a linguistic hodgepodge of Hebrew, Arabic, German and English; fortunately, the DVD includes subtitles. It also contains a documentary on the real events surrounding the rescue, which is almost as compelling as the film itself.

"Operation Thunderbolt" is the thrilling and true story of how one small country refused to let their people be killed by terrorists and took action to prevent it. People who claim that Israel is a "terrorist state" should see the film and be reminded who the real terrorists are.

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