Thunderbolt and Lightfoot 1974

In a chaotic intersection of fate, Lightfoot, a wayward soul, commandeers a vehicle, unwittingly intersecting the path of a charismatic minister, who happens to be “The Thunderbolt,” a notorious bank robber masquerading as a man of God. As they flee from a would-be assassin and subsequent pursuers, their unconventional partnership is forged. The preacher-turned-thief reveals his true identity to Lightfoot, explaining that his gang members are mistakenly seeking to eliminate him, thinking he double-crossed them after the daring robbery of a Montana bank. With Thunderbolt’s life on the line, they embark on a perilous journey to Warsaw, Montana, where the stolen loot is hidden in an old one-room schoolhouse. However, upon arrival, they discover the school has been replaced by a modern edifice.

As they navigate this unexpected development, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot find themselves abducted by their pursuers: Red Leary, a ruthless enforcer, and Eddie Goody, his gentler counterpart. After being forced to drive to a secluded location, Thunderbolt emerges victorious from a fierce fistfight with Red, shedding light on the mistaken notion that he betrayed the gang. With this cleared up, Lightfoot proposes a new plan: robbing the same bank once more, but without the expertise of their former comrade, Dunlop, who was inadvertently struck by Lightfoot during his initial getaway. The duo settles in the city where the bank is located, securing jobs to fund their operation and laying the groundwork for the heist.

As the day of reckoning arrives, Thunderbolt and Red hold a vault manager hostage, coercing him into revealing the access codes to the outer doors of the safe. Meanwhile, Lightfoot, disguised as a woman, skillfully diverts the attention of a security guard at the Western Union office, disabling the alarm system and allowing Goody to retrieve her. With their plan in motion, Thunderbolt employs an anti-aircraft cannon to breach the vault’s wall, and the gang makes off with the loot. As they speed away, Red and Goody are stashed in the trunk, bound for a nearby drive-in movie, where the sounds of gunfire give way to the nostalgic hum of a classic film.

As the theater manager’s curiosity gets the better of him, he investigates the trunk of his drive-in’s most unlikely suspect - Red. The sound of a distant sneeze and a shirttail flapping in the wind have piqued his interest, leading him to suspect that someone is attempting to evade payment by hiding in the trunk. As police sirens begin to close in on the drive-in, Red becomes increasingly agitated, prompting Thunderbolt to make a hasty exit. The ensuing chase takes an ominous turn when Goody falls victim to police gunfire, and Red callously tosses him out of the trunk onto a desolate dirt road. With Goody’s life slipping away, Red’s brutality knows no bounds.

As the getaway car speeds through the night, Red’s violence escalates, leaving Thunderbolt and Lightfoot reeling after being pistol-whipped into unconsciousness. When they finally come to, they find themselves at the mercy of Red’s cruel whims. With a vicious kick to Lightfoot’s head, Red sends them both tumbling down the road. The trio’s ill-fated heist takes a deadly turn as Red is struck by police bullets, sending him crashing through the window of a department store where a snarling watchdog awaits.

As Thunderbolt and Lightfoot nurse their wounds, they stumble upon the one-room schoolhouse monument on the side of the highway, a haunting reminder of their former escapades. As they retrieve the stolen loot, Lightfoot’s erratic behavior becomes increasingly apparent - a symptom of Red’s brutal beating. With his partner slipping away, Thunderbolt purchases a luxurious new Cadillac convertible and picks up Lightfoot, whose left side is slowly succumbing to the effects of the trauma.

As they drive off into the sunrise, celebrating their hard-won victory with cigars, Lightfoot’s slurred words reveal a mix of pride and despair. His life slipping away, he praises their accomplishments before passing on, leaving Thunderbolt to mournfully snap his cigar in half. With his dead partner by his side, Thunderbolt disappears into the distance, the sound of sirens fading into the horizon.