Thomasine & Bushrod

Amazing how you can see a movie, not think of it for a decade or even 2, but then remember some parts. The ending was so special and I called it right before it happened making me think I saw it years ago. My claim that it is blaxploitation comes in way of looking at the clown white sheriff and looking at how our 2 heroes can ride in a car that goes 4 miles per hour and escape all bullets as if mythical characters, a trademark of blaxploitation super hero films. Even though Glenn Thurman is in this one, the film would have had a bigger push, following and lasting impact had a James Earl Jones or Rosie Grier been secured in the lead role. As it stands, the actors involved did an admirable job.

This movie is very dated. It is so corny that we found ourselves laughing at the attempts to be "cool". The worst scene was when the couple played in a muddy river I expected to see them running through a grassy field in slow motion next. There isn't any resemblance to Bonny and Clyde except for the fact Thomasine is a female and Bushrod is a male. You might enjoy watching it as an example of the use of stereotypes in a movie or as a lesson in cinematic history. The photography was better than the rest of the movie.

A blaxploitation version of BONNIE AND CLYDE, THOMASINE & BUSHROD tells of a couple of unassuming characters who, tiring of the inherent racism in their back roads society, decide to take the fight to the man...with mayhem ensuing. It's a gritty little western-style story made on an obviously low budget and with an unfamiliar-to-me cast, but it has a certain charm. The characters make no apologies for who they are and the white characters are certainly villainous, particularly that horrible guy who likes using a spear. The film follows a familiar narrative and the climax, when it comes, is entirely predictable but nonetheless relatively powerful.

Max Julian probably got this screenplay of his produced because of his success in "The Mack" the previous year, though the studio seems to have still had some reluctance because it was obviously made with a limited budget. Julian himself doesn't help things; he gives a really bland performance here, enough so that it may explain why he didn't act again in a motion picture for more than 20 years later! Vonetta McGee shows talent, though she never really gets to break out, even though the screenplay focuses much more on her character than Julian's. Perhaps she was beaten down by the drab storyline; there's not much exciting or really interesting here. Possibly it was originally even more long and dull, since the movie seems to have been extensively reworked in the editing room (take that long sepia-colored montage sequence, for example.) Pretty unmemorable - goes to show it's not always music rights that have prevented a video or DVD release of a movie.

Wow, this movie is far, FAR better than I expected.

First of all, it has been referred to as being of the "blacksploitation" genre. This is not appropriate, IMO. It has none of the braggadocio of that genre, nor does it portray whites as complete bumbling idiots. This is simply an excellent western that just happens to have two black leads. (FWIW, I'm white.)

There is plenty of action, but much more emphasis on the characters feelings, as any good movie should have. This isn't a zany romp, like (say) Buck & the Preacher, but a serious look at two complicated individuals.

The film is excellent. It reminds me more of Butch Cassidy than Bonnie & Clyde. The two leads are excellent actors, and have great chemistry between them. Vonetta McGee literally gives an Oscar-worthy performance. Seriously. She pulls a great range of emotions out of what would otherwise be an average script.

The plot is well worked-out, considering the genre, with no clichés to be found. The cinematography and score are both first rate. While I wouldn't call this a "must see" film (how many of those are there, really?) it is a fine piece of work.

I gave it an 8. If the screenplay had been just a little better (the low-point of the entire production) this could have been a 9 - 10.

Don't pass this up if you get a chance to see it.