In Rolling Thunder (1977) screenwriter Paul Schrader imports many of the themes and ideas present in his script for Taxi Driver (1976) into the context of an American International exploitation film. The result is far less subtle or ambiguous than its predecessor yet retains its dramatic power and ability to shock. John Flynn’s direction of Rolling Thunder reveals his strengths at crafting a taut and suspenseful narrative dressed in a style of gritty, masculine realism.
As is the case with so many of Schrader’s works, Rolling Thunder follows a damaged male protagonists descent into hell with a beautiful blonde as his guide. The fact that the motivating factor in Rolling Thunder is a desire for personal revenge sets the film apart from Taxi Driver and places it closer to Hardcore (1979) in this respect, as if bridging the two films. That Rolling Thunder is explicitly an exploitation film accounts for some of the gimmicks (the hook hand) and the overtly predatory behavior that all the villains display toward the female characters.
There’s a subtext throughout Rolling Thunder of sadomasochism. Rane (William Devane) demonstrates to his friend how he was tortured by the Vietnamese during the war and proceeds to experience some form of sexual gratification before his friend abruptly stops. The trauma of the Vietnam War has united Rane and his sidekick Johnny (Tommy Lee Jones), each finding pleasure in the ritualism of their violence. Their bond, which occurs often in Schrader’s work, is homoerotic and finds its ultimate catharsis in the final shootout at a brothel (again recalling Taxi Driver).
Rolling Thunder, along with Tracks (1976) and Go Tell The Spartans (1978), is one of the trailblazing films in the mainstream of American cinema to address the soldier’s experience in Vietnam frankly, addressing issues of PTSD, violence, war crimes, and camaraderie. The exploitation elements of Rolling Thunder help account for the films popularity since its pulp veneer makes it more palatable than its counterparts.
