During the 1970s, the 'blaxploitation' film movement produced a lot of great, near great and downright bad films....just like any other genre. However, unlike traditional movies, these featured very strong black American characters...characters who were sick of being on the socioeconomic bottom rung. So unlike the 'nice' black people in 1930s-60s film, these people were fighting mad...which made them very popular at inner city theaters. And, among the many blaxploitation films, many were pretty much remakes of white characters...with black characters instead. This explains why there is a black "Exorcist" ("Abby"),a black "Frankenstein" ("Blackenstein") and, in the case of "Thomasine & Bushrod" you have a black version of the big hit, "Bonnie & Clyde".

The film is set out west in 1911...well after the old west period you see in films. Bushrod (Max Julien) is a criminal and Thomasine (Vonetta McGee),because she's in love with him, joins him in his bank robbing spree. They are in love but also not entirely happy. Bushrod sees himself as the Robin Hood-type...stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. But Thomasine is tired of living in poverty and insists they keep at least some of the money for themselves! Clearly, she is the more practical of the two! What's coming next? See the film...and find out if they meet the same sort of end as Bonnie & Clyde or, perhaps, they manage to get away with this lifestyle.

Despite the subject matter, "Thomasine & Bushrod" is not nearly as exciting as it should have been. The film lacked the great music of a heist film, the sustained excitement, excellent direction and fine acting. Here, instead, you have two relative newcomers (McGee and Julien) and a flat script where it SHOULD have been much more interesting. Not a bad film...but one that clearly could have been so much more...and had more lasting appeal.

By the way, if you do see the film, note Glynn Turman who played 'Jomo'. He has the distinction of having starred in the most ridiculous blaxploitation film ever made, "JD's Revenge"...a film that is so bad, so silly and so over-the-top that you just have to see it to believe it! He was a fine actor....but even the best actor couldn't have made this movie work.

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.

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.