Where to watch Thunder
3 Stars
A native American named Thunder returns home only to find that his ancestral burial ground is being destroyed by construction workers. He tries to put a stop to it, but the law is not only not on his side, but he is banished from town, beaten up, and left for dead. Now he wants his revenge.
Thunder is an Italian exploitation film that was conceived to take advantage of the worldwide success of First Blood. The European theatrical and burgeoning home-video markets were thriving in the 1980s. And while rip-offs of Alien, Conan, and Rambo were commonplace, aping First Blood was a bit more of a novel approach. Thunder mixes the seminal Stallone classic with the spirituality and attitude of Tom Laughlin’s iconic Billy Jack character.
Mark Gregory as the titular Thunder is a cool action hero, although he disappears from the film for a lengthy time in the film’s second act. That’s not a problem, as Bo Sevenson and his fellow deputies take center stage during this section, and they are adequately despicable in their action toward Thunder’s elder tribesman and a female friend that is being harassed by local construction workers. The film ends with the righteously pissed-off Thunder using a bazooka on law enforcement officers and then driving a bulldozer through the police station and the local bank.
Thunder is for a certain audience. Those who appreciate low-budget Italian cinema will recognize the craft at work here. This is not a throwaway piece of video junk. Thunder is a memorable homage to the Stallone classic that proved popular enough to warrant two sequels.
Directed by: Fabrizio De Angelis
Written by: Fabrizio De Angelis, Dardano Sacchetti
Starring: Bo Svenson, Mark Gregory, Raimund Harmstorf