On R List of Movie Reviews
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Rolling Thunder (1977)
Rate:
7
Viewed:
4/22
4/22:
Because of the ending, I wondered which came first: Rolling Thunder or Taxi Driver.
The answer is the latter given Paul Schrader did the story for both films: people with mental problems resolve their conflicts by
using an explosively violent means. To be fair, Joe did it way earlier than either by six and
seven years, respectively.
It may be William Devane's show with Tommy Lee Jones playing a small part, but Linda Haynes ends up stealing their thunder by
virtue of her strong performance. She would do three more films before retiring in 1980. It's too bad because she showed plenty
of promise. Showcasing an emotional breakdown, William Devane isn't bad, but he should've done more with his character
to reach the goal of driving the point further.
A strong neo-noir film, Rolling Thunder is perhaps exploitative in nature although the story is
nothing new. The main protagonist's profile is unique: a former P.O.W. is equipped with a metal hook after his hand was put
into the garbage disposal and seeks revenge for what happened to his family during home invasion. It's interesting
when he pointed out the men who killed his son but said nothing about his wife. This shows you how much he's been traumatized
by the Vietnam War experience.
All in all, Rolling Thunder scores well in many categories but can be somewhat empty.