Rolling Thunder (1977) ***1/2

I've seen Rolling Thunder (1977) twice now and neither time has it grabbed me quite the same way that other Paul Schrader-penned films like Raging Bull (1980) (review) and Taxi Driver (1976) (review) have (though I should note, as I did in my TD review, that that one took me many viewings to come around). I do think RT is a very good film though. It's a slow burn with a strong payoff. 

This tale of a war veteran returning home after being a POW touches on themes Schrader often explores—masculinity, violence, men on some kind of hopeless quest, women with poor choices in men. Schrader can be artsy and weird in some of his work (I'm looking at you Cat People (1982) (review) and Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters (1985) (review)) but not here—RT is a straightforward revenge picture through and through. It definitely operates on the same wavelength as many movies by Sam Peckinpah and Walter Hill.

Recommended for fans of Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974), Southern Comfort (1981) (review), and Hardcore (1979).