Customer Reviews

Thunder Road (Full Screen)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I got a nostalgic e-mail recently about classic cars and hot-rods of the 1950's - 60's, which is when I grew up. It was a great e-mail and it played car songs that were hits as you looked at each classic car image, songs like Little Deuce Coop, 409, Little GTO, and others. The last song played on it was THUNDER ROAD, the original song in the movie sung by none other than Robert Mitchum, himself. Listening to Robert Mitchum sing his "Ballad of Thunder Road" really got me revved up, because I had seen THUNDER ROAD not long after it came out and I LOVED all of those fast cars and fast-driving scenes in the movie.

But what I want to emphasize is -- I have ALWAYS linked the movie, "Thunder Road," with the ORIGINAL SONG sung by Robert Mitchum; it's an inseparable part of the whole effect of that classic movie. So I ordered the same reissue of the movie that's sold by Amazon (same cover), but from another source. And I have to admit that I was very angry when I waited for the original song, but instead, they had substituted some PUNY, amateurish sounding version of it, played only by a female singer strumming on a standard guitar... that was it!

SO BE AWARE THAT IF YOU ARE WANTING "THUNDER ROAD" WITH THE ORIGINAL SONG SUNG BY ROBT. MITCHUM... THIS MOVIE DOES * NOT * HAVE IT! Thus, my title above, "Like A New Car With A Flat Tire," it's a real let-down if you appreciate the movie as the classic it was when it was released.

I LOVE THE MOVIE, ITSELF. But they need to put a big notice where it is plainly visible on the cover of this reissue of the movie, and in every advertisement of it... that the original song by Robert Mitchum is NOT included in this reissued movie. It borders on fraud in my opinion because that song is half the reason I ordered the movie to begin with!

I saw this for the first time as a child and loved it.
Don't miss it, if only to see Mitchum in a film alongside his younger brother, Jim Mitchum. Mitchum also wrote the title tune and sang it on the soundtrack.

IF you're a Robert Mitchum fan, it's almost impossible not to give THUNDER ROAD five stars. Heck, he even wrote and sang the title song.
Mitchum plays Lucas Doolin, a Korean War vet turned Kentucky moonshine runner, a man with "a machine gunner's outlook and death don't faze him much." Times are hard along Thunder Road, the revenuers from Alcohol and Tobacco are stepping up the pressure and a big city operator, Carl Kogan (Jacques Aubuchon), is trying to buy out all the local moonshiners. Luke Doolin is the best runner out there, and when the revenuers & Kogan push, he pushes back.
The revenuers, personified by Troy Barrett (Gene Barry), want to shut down things and especially want help in capturing the big fish Kogan. At one point he even (mistakenly) tries to intimate Luke into cooperating. "I reckon you can do all you say," the sleepy-eyed Luke says after listening to Barrett's threats. "But first you got to catch me. If you can." Kogan's threat is more direct and lethal. He wants to buy out and build his empire. In other words, the moonshiners belong to a loose cooperative and Kogan is threatening a hostile takeover. Barrett tries to win through persuasion; Kogan's goons use guns.
THUNDER ROAD loves cars and driving. When we aren't underneath the souped-up '51 Ford's hood admiring the curves of its engine, we're speeding and chasing and crashing along the rural backroads. The chase scenes were probably pretty exciting for the time, although today they just look quaint and hokey.
Mitchum is, as always, excellent. In an interesting bit of casting, and perhaps as a nod to the dubious paternity in some areas of rural America, Mitchum's son James is cast as his brother Robin Doolin. The less said about his acting the better, but they do look an awful lot alike. Another interesting and somewhat wooden choice is the golden-throated Keely Smith as Mitchum's big city's girlfriend Francie Wymore. As a bonus to her fans, she sings a couple of songs.
THUNDER ROAD is a minor cult classic, most popular in the Appalachia region. I read an interesting bit of trivia from the IMDB site: Elvis Presley was originally offered the part of Robin Doolin, but Tom Parker put the kabosh on it. Now THAT would have been interesting.

I Love This Movie So Much but in my opinion the sort of remake ala Thunder Road for the next generation is better entitled Moonrunners its the film The Dukes Of Hazzard was based on and it stars Jim Mitchum Robert Mitchuns son anyway you'll love both movie full of good old crash'em up chases and real good acting so check'em out you won't be dissapointed

(...). This movie plods along at a snail's pace. I haven't been able to watch "Thunder Road" in one sitting EVER, simply because it is so boring. I love Robert Mitchum and the movie looks cool with the 1950s cars and the black & white photography. I really, really wanted to like this film. I even bought the dvd to replace a taped version I had, hoping that a superior picture would do the trick....it didn't. Apart from the car chases, it just drags. No kidding. This movie has a cult following (each to their own) but in my humble opinion, it's a complete yawner. (...) Sorry "Mitch."

My father told me about this film so I had to buy it. I liked the movie, but my father said they cut out the scenes with the mirrors on the highway. WHY?! I wanted the full movie!! I'm disappointed.

But like most movies it only tells part of a very interesting story. If you like the movie, you should also read the book "Return to Thunder Road"

A slow-moving crime melodrama about a family of old-fashioned, backwoods moonshiners being muscled out by big city gangsters. Robert Mitchum, in sort of a James Dean turn, sleepy-eyes his way through with his usual mix of menace and charm; Edie Adams plays his long-suffering nightclub-singer girlfriend, and gets a few vocal numbers in, too. (Adam's fans will definitely want to check this film out... those who don't quite get her charms will probably find her irritating, or simply adequate in her role.) The most interesting piece of casting, however is Mitchum's son (!) who looks just like him, and plays his younger brother, a weird but brilliant choice. This film was okay, but not great.

i love the movie very i show my mom she want buy her one i did

This is the first movie I ever saw at the drive-in...I was probably about 10 yrs old.

I have watched it many many times since then and I own the video.

Everytime I watch it, it seems new.

Some of the acting leaves something to be desired...but the story line is very good...and makes one wish they could have been a part of that time and place.

Those "hill boys" and "transporters" were for real...and hot-rodding must have certainly benifited from their necessity to build faster cars.