William Devane plays a soldier held as a prisoner during the Vietnam war. He has to put it mildly an extreme case of PTSD. Rolling Thunder is about his attempt along with another soldier played by Tommy Lee Jones to readjust to life in the United States after seven years of imprisonment by the North Vietnamese. Since this was a film written by Paul Schrader the writer of Taxi Driver, Obsession and The Yakuza, any viewer familiar with his work should have an idea how this film is going to end.
The film was directed by John Flynn an underrated filmmaker. I suppose Flynn could be labeled a low budget exploitation director in some cases, but Rolling Thunder is as good as anything a Peckinpah or a Walter Hill could make.
William Devane and Tommy Lee Jones are a real creepy couple. They are both practically emotionless and appear to have become addicted to violence and torture during their time as prisoners.
The film's story details Devane's efforts to avenge the killing of his wife and son by a gang of Texas criminals. The violence if tough and very brutal. Mention should be made of the actor Linda Haynes playing a waitress who becomes a groupie with a crush on Devane. Haynes portrays a woman who has been around the block a few times but still comes off as a highly intelligent character considering her circumstances.
The film was written by Paul Schrader with a rewrite from Heywood Gould, the running time is 100 minutes.
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