Rolling Thunder is a 1977 movie directed by John Flynn. Known as one of Tarantino’s favorite movies, its theme of retribution and stylized violence could have been influences on Kill Bill and Pulp Fiction.
Rolling Thunder tells the story of Major Charles Rane, a Vietnam veteran returning home after being a prisoner of war. Rane struggles to assimilate back into civilian life, before his wife and son are killed in a home invasion. This tragic event leads Rane to seek justice on the thugs responsible for the murders.
It’s difficult to classify Rolling Thunder as a particular type of movie. A case could be made that it’s an exploitation movie or at the least, a loose version of a road movie. It’s definitely a revenge movie and it’s violent. Yet, Rolling Thunder takes on that gritty, 1970’s sensibility where the story is allowed the space to breathe. We learn about the characters and their baggage – their personal futility is captured far before the chaotic final shootout, which ultimately defines the movie.
The layers found in Rolling Thunder likely inspired Tarantino – along with other writer/directors. It’s a heavy movie featuring a main character who is emotionally broken after suffering years of torture. It’s a tragic story, yet the bad guys who propel Rane to act are outlandishly bad – almost to the point of being unrealistic and cartoonish. There’s a love interest that never materializes, subtle statements made about patriotism and quirky, offhanded humor found throughout.
There’s a gimmick in Rane using his hook hand to cause havoc, yet Rolling Thunder is a unique mix of heart and action. It’s tempting to separate these characteristics to make an easier movie – but combined they form an intriguing creation.
William Devane is excellent as Major Charles Rane. He’s playing a character that is completely gutted emotionally trying to fit into a life he no longer knows. He reunites with his wife, who is now with another man and a son that doesn’t remember him. He can’t make any emotional connections and is only known for his wartime heroics. The movie’s opening scene is telling, as Rane is clearly hiding behind his uniform and aviator glasses. He’s a town hero but his true identity has been permanently lost.
Devane seizes the emotional void found in Rane – he has learned to suppress his raw emotion in order to survive seven years of torture. There are no emotional outbursts to be found, except for an intense scene where Rane models what happened to him in Vietnam. He shows Cliff – the man now with his wife – how he “learned to love the rope.” During the home invasion, Rane is inexplicably subdued when his hand is fed to a garbage disposal. He has learned to never show pain to his captors – in this case, the Acuna Boys crew who are after his silver coins.
Rane is profoundly numb to his condition. Upon his return home, his wife asks him what he’s going to do: the disconnected Rane replies: “I’m just going to sit here.” Later, we see Rane huddling in the corner of his room – simulating his existence in Vietnam. Eventually, Rane verbalizes his condition after he flees to Mexico with Linda – a local waitress and self-professed war hero “groupie.” After struggling to be intimate with Linda, Rane rationalizes that “my eyes are open and I’m looking at you, but I’m dead.”
While Rane’s existence is tragic, Linda’s is heartbreaking. She details her history of falling for the wrong kind of men – she feels her clock ticking as she approaches age 30. In Rane, she finds a war hero but also senses a vacancy that she can fill with her own projections. He’s clearly using her to get closer to the Acuna Boys and she likely knows it, but she’s also out of options.
Linda Haynes is outstanding as Linda – she is hopelessly trying to connect with the emotionally dead Rane, almost in an attempt to salvage her own worth. She wants to establish trust with Rane and gain the relationship bedrock that has eluded her. She clings to the false hope that he is going to abandon his mission of revenge and take her to Alaska for a fresh start.
Once Rane instead abandons Linda, Rolling Thunder shifts from a moody character piece to a revenge-driven action movie. Here, Tommy Lee Jones shines as Johnny – one of Rane’s men from Vietnam. Like Rane, Johnny cannot find his place in civilian life. He mostly drags through the movie, before getting energized by joining Rane’s mission. Rane and Johnny are now in their element during the movie’s climatic shootout. The most telling scene of rebirth comes as Johnny and Rane regroup before descending into probable death. They reload their weapons and check their wounds, Johnny gives an excited smile and they enter a hail of bullets.
The villains in Rolling Thunder are exceptionally brutal, highlighted by Luke Askew’s Automatic Slim and James Best’s Texan. Texan serves as the ringleader of the Acuna Boys crew, while Automatic Slim is the most vicious. Askew looks born to play a 1970’s heavy – he is a cold blooded and efficient killer and appears invincible until the movie’s climax. Perhaps Best is captivating because his long career is more known from Dukes of Hazzard, but he’s interesting as the cruel and reserved Texan.
The BEST -“You Could Lose a Hand Like That.”
Although he’s emotionally dead inside, Rane pulls out a great line when he spikes one of the Acuna Boys’ hands with his hook.
The BEST Part 2 – The Line of the Movie
The WORST – Cliff the Detective
Cliff just can’t let things go. After essentially replacing Rane in his own life, Cliff tracks him to Mexico before encountering the Acuna Boys. Cliff quickly gets in over his head and is killed by Automatic Slim in a shootout.
The WORST Part 2 -Linda Sees Her Father in Rane
Practically every Linda scene is emotionally wrenching. She’s reduced to an accessory on his mission, yet still sees a glimpse of some fleeting future. As Rane is firing a sawed off weapon, Linda talks of being a tomboy and her military Dad’s favorite daughter. It’s no small wonder why she keeps falling for men in uniform.
FOX FORCE FIVE RATING -3.75/5
Rolling Thunder is an interesting blend of action, style and mood – all while making important statements about the emotional impact of war. It diverges from a somber look at the disconnect between people to an action packed shootout.
