Rolling Thunder (1977)
Major Charles Rane (William Devane) returns home from Vietnam with fellow P.O.W. Johnny Vohden (Tommy Lee Jones) only to discover that his wife has fallen in love with another man and wants a divorce. Shortly after receiving a $2000+ gift of silver dollars from a department store, some greedy lowlifes try to get him to give up where it's hidden, but this is a guy who has been conditioned not to talk, even when they end up feeding his hand to the garbage disposal and ultimately kill his wife and son.
And that's where the revenge slowly starts, intermixed with some interaction with Linda Forchet (Linda Haynes), a woman who seems attracted to emotionally distant men. The revenge plot is extremely well-written, and this is a movie that you think about a lot while you're watching it. The characters are particularly well drawn, and there's more to them than is spelled out explicitly in the dialogue; the way they act (and are acted) is very important, as is the difference between what people say and do, a big theme here. Despite the exceptional events, the characters and situations are treated with a lot of honesty. This movie reminded me alternately of FIRST BLOOD and IN THE BEDROOM. Unfortunately, it's only on VHS right now, but it's worth hunting down.
Tagline: Major Charles Rayne Has Come Home to War!
Highlights: The hook. Major Rane and Linda shooting by a stream. The relaxed but steady pace, fully appropriate for films set in the South. How the "romantic" subplot is resolved (and who ends the film with Rane).
And that's where the revenge slowly starts, intermixed with some interaction with Linda Forchet (Linda Haynes), a woman who seems attracted to emotionally distant men. The revenge plot is extremely well-written, and this is a movie that you think about a lot while you're watching it. The characters are particularly well drawn, and there's more to them than is spelled out explicitly in the dialogue; the way they act (and are acted) is very important, as is the difference between what people say and do, a big theme here. Despite the exceptional events, the characters and situations are treated with a lot of honesty. This movie reminded me alternately of FIRST BLOOD and IN THE BEDROOM. Unfortunately, it's only on VHS right now, but it's worth hunting down.
Tagline: Major Charles Rayne Has Come Home to War!
Highlights: The hook. Major Rane and Linda shooting by a stream. The relaxed but steady pace, fully appropriate for films set in the South. How the "romantic" subplot is resolved (and who ends the film with Rane).
This entry was posted
on Thursday, March 24, 2005 at 3/24/2005 09:43:00 AM.
You can skip to the end and leave a response.
ByAm definitely making a note of this one. Looks great.
By
I didn't mention it in the review, but apparently this movie is where QT got the name for his distribution company.
By
Yep. Figured as much and discussed such on the way home last night.
» Post a Comment