Rolling Thunder (1977)

Director:

John Flynn

Writers:

Paul Schrader (screenplay) and
Heywood Gould (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

6 February 1978 (Sweden)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

Major Charles Rane Is Coming Home To War!

Plot:

Major Charles Rane comes back from the war and is given a number of gifts from his hometown because he is a war hero...

Plot Keywords:

Showdown | Revenge | Silver Dollar | Husband Wife Relationship | Baseball

Cast

William Devane	...	Major Charles Rane
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Johnny Vohden
Linda Haynes	...	Linda Forchet
James Best	...	Texan
Dabney Coleman	...	Maxwell
Lisa Blake Richards	...	Janet (as Lisa Richards)
Luke Askew	...	Automatic Slim
Lawrason Driscoll	...	Cliff
James Victor	...	Lopez
Cassie Yates	...	Candy
Jordan Gerler	...	Mark
Jane Abbott	...	Sister
Jerry Brown	...	Patrolman 1
Jacque Burandt	...	Bebe
Anthony Castillo	...	Street Urchin
Charles Escamilla	...	T Bird
Rudy T. Gonzales	...	Bartender
Robert K. Guthrie	...	Reporter 3
Ray Gutierrez	...	Tex-Mex
James N. Harrell	...	Grandpa
Randy Hermann	...	Sanchez (as Randy Herman)
Michael Nakamura	...	The Torturer
Pete Ortega	...	Melio
Paul A. Partain	...	Brother-in-Law
James Conner Pribble	...	Patrolman 2
Cheyenne Rivera	...	Gato
Carol Sowa	...	Betty Ann
Robert Raymond Reyes	...	Reporter 2
Arturo R. Tamez Jr.	...	Bartender
Bob Tisdale	...	Mr. Williams
Autry Ward	...	Texan 2
West Ward	...	Card Player
William Vance White	...	Bob
Michael R. Witte	...	Reporter 1
Alan Wong	...	Billa
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Janet Quist	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
John Flynn

Writing credits
Paul Schrader		(screenplay) and
Heywood Gould		(screenplay)
Paul Schrader		(original story)

Produced by
Lawrence Gordon	....	executive producer
Norman T. Herman	....	producer

Original Music by
Barry De Vorzon

Cinematography by
Jordan Cronenweth

Film Editing by
Frank P. Keller

Casting by
Jane Feinberg
Mike Fenton

Art Direction by
Stephen Myles Berger		(as Steve Berger)

Makeup Department
Charlene Roberson	....	makeup artist (as Charlene Robertson)

Production Management
Tony Wade	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Joseph Lenzi	....	assistant director
Richard A. Wells	....	second assistant director (as Richard Wells)

Art Department
Mark Wade	....	property master

Sound Department
Gene Corso	....	sound effects
Jay M. Harding	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Jay Harding)
Donald F. Johnson	....	sound recording mixer (as Don Johnson)

Special Effects by
Richard O. Helmer	....	special effects (as Richard Helmer)

Stunts
Autry Ward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steve Ward	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ron Veto	....	car rigging grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Nancy McArdle	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Cliffe Oland	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Greig McRitchie	....	orchestrator (as Greg McRitchie)
Jay Alfred Smith	....	music editor (as Jay Smith)

Transportation Department
Greg Van Dyke	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	presenter
Elaine Gyorke	....	assistant to producer
David Sheldon	....	production executive
Frank Tudisco	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• American International Pictures (AIP)

Distributors

• American International Pictures (AIP) (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
• Actueel Film (1979) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Ambassador Film Distributors (1977) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Globo Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Roadshow Home Video
• TBC Film Presentation (1977) (USA) (all media)
• Vestron Video (video)

Other Companies

• Mariachi Uclatlan  music performers: Mariachi music
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 | France:-12 (re-rating) | Finland:(Banned) | France:-16 | Norway:16 (video rating) | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Norway:(Banned) (1982-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

International Bridge, Del Rio, Texas, USA

Company:

American International Pictures (AIP)

Trivia:

The film was originally produced and scheduled for release by Twentieth Century-Fox; it was prominently featured in their 1977 exhibitors' guide. However, the studio brass were greatly disturbed by the violence in the finished film, and the decision was made to sell it off to American International Pictures.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Early in the film, while standing in line with other military personnel just back from Vietnam, the brass U.S. and Infantry lapel disks on MSgt Vohden's Army uniform are wrongly positioned. They should be on the upper lapels, but instead they appear on the lower lapels. Interestingly, the brass on the uniform of the soldier next to Jones are correctly placed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Johnny: Major, I sure do hate to face all them people.
Major Charles Rane: Then put your glasses on, John.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pulp Fiction (1994)

Soundtrack:

San Antone

kicking ass one-handed

Paul Schrader is usually the man most prominently mentioned in connection with this film due to the fact that he also wrote TAXI DRIVER and as a result the contributions of co-screenwriter Heywood Gould & director John Flynn have been unfairly ignored. Everything in the film, whether its someone having their hand ground up in a garbage disposal or telling a hooker, " I'm going to kill a bunch of people",is handled in a very matter-of-fact way and the eventual effect is mighty powerful.

One only needs to imagine how wretched this sort of film would be if it were re-made today to appreciate the no-nonsense, workman-like fashion in which it was created.