Thomasine & Bushrod

This film begins in 1911 with a female bounty hunter by the name of "Thomasine" (Vonetta McGee) bringing a wanted criminal into the office of a small-town law enforcement official in Texas by the name of "Marshal Bogardie" (George Murdock) and requesting the posted bounty. While there she notices a poster of another wanted criminal named "J. P. Bushrod" (Max Julien) and after a few questions decides to search for him as well. Not long afterward, she meets up with Bushrod and it is then revealed that, not only did they know each other, but that they were once lovers as well. To that effect, they soon rekindle their feelings for one another and embark on a crime spree by robbing several banks in several of the small towns they come across. Unfortunately, they soon discover that Marshal Bogardie has now decided to become involved with their apprehension and he will not rest until they are either captured or dead. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a rather strange film that incorporated elements of the blaxploitation subgenre into a Western setting where automobiles were becoming more common. That is not to say, of course, that this was a brand-new concept as there had been other Black-Westerns made before--and several others have followed afterward. But what really stood out, in my opinion, was the introduction of the character named "Jomo J. Anderson" (Glenn Turman) who seemed more suitable for a pirate movie than a film of this type. But that's just my opinion and others may disagree. Regardless, while I don't consider this to be a bad film by any means, there were some scenes that could have been improved upon and for that reason I have rated this movie accordingly. Average.

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.

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.

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.

..... that from his first line uttered, the lead character played by Max Julien isn't doing much acting.

Without commenting much on the movie itself, with its limited resources and production values, Max's character and that of the lead actress are, however, attractive and likable enough.

But I just don't see any talent or anything that moves me to get into his character. In fact I'm almost dumbfounded by the lack of aparent talent.

And I'm not that picky- it's just a movie that came up on Cinevault, and I'm just looking for a little entertainment.

Perhaps it's somewhat the result of his being involved in the script and production, wherein the acting direction was left out, but this is not a good movie. A poor Bonnie and Clyde genre flick.

I see here that he got good reviews elsewhere, but I can't give them here.