Thomasine & Bushrod (1974)

Undescribable Perfection

Simply Perfect

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

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.

At first I was intrigued by the title; then, when Thomasine (Vonetta McGee) makes her first appearance, I thought this was really going someplace with the concept of a female bounty hunter. This was the first time I ever ran across one after nearly five hundred Westerns, and the fact that she was black made it even more intriguing. However the film couldn't carry the momentum, and eventually settled into a standard genre flick, except the chases were done in early 1900 automobiles instead of on horses. Which begs the question, how did Bushrod (Max Julien) know how to drive a car? He and Thomasine hijack the president of the Tyler Bank following their robbery of same, and J.P. handled it like a pro, didn't even pop the clutch the first time. That was one of the first 'huh?' moments.A couple more occurred when at least twice in the story, Marshal Bogardie's (George Murdock) chase vehicle closed distance within barely a hundred yards, and the outlaws still got away. But how did they do that? At least in most stories, you wind up with some idea how the bad guys reach safety, but not here. The picture simply transitions to another scene where Thomasine and Bushrod are doing something completely different oblivious of the law.And then there's Mr. Jomo (Glynn Turman). Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the character, but a Jamaican cowboy? Speaking 'ya mon'? Next time provide a little context on how this could possibly be. But I sure was sorry to see Bogardie use the old rattlesnake torture on Jomo; that was a nasty piece of business.Maybe the most surprising thing of all though, was when I pulled this title up on IMDb and found it came out in 1974. In some respects I think the cinematography got it better than the film it's often compared to. Any ardent film fan will pick up on the idea that the picture is setting us up for a 'Bonnie and Clyde' finale, and it almost gets there. And it also has some of 'The Quick and The Dead' to offer before the lights go out. Ultimately though, the film doesn't break any new ground in the genre, and is cautiously recommended primarily for Max Julien's take on black characters in the not so Old West.

I saw the movie when it originally came out in 1974, and it was very entertaining. I can't believe it is not available for purchase. I know Max Julien wrote and produced it, but where's the movie? Max if you read this, please make this movie available. (not enough lines) repeat.... saw the movie when it originally came out in 1974, and it was very entertaining. I can't believe it is not available for purchase. I know Max Julien wrote and produced it, but where's the movie? Max if you read this, please make this movie available.saw the movie when it originally came out in 1974, and it was very entertaining. I can't believe it is not available for purchase. I know Max Julien wrote and produced it, but where's the movie? Max if you read this, please make this movie available.

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.