MovieChat Forums > Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) Discussion > About the loot... [spoilers]

About the loot... [spoilers]

posted 8 years ago by ZolotoyRetriever
10 replies | jump to latest

[spoilers ahead]

After they find the loot from the previous bank robbery hidden behind the school house chalkboard, just where Thunderbolt had hid it, it struck me that much of the loot appeared to be in neat block-like bundles, wrapped in red wrapping paper. I'm assuming it was freshly minted (printed) currency, never circulated.

That being the case, I'm wondering how "safe" the money was, because all the serial numbers would've been well known to authorities.

It would've been difficult for Thunderbolt (or anybody else) to have spent that cash without it being quickly traced. And yet it appears that he (Thunderbolt) immediately went out and bought that new Cadillac with some of the loot.

I don't recall if they covered that serial number aspect of the loot in the movie. But it does make me wonder exactly how Thunderbolt planned to use all that money in the future.

Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu..... and several other Japanese words.

[–] drunkbear 8 years ago

I think the answer to your concern lies in the time period of the film. 40 years ago, the entire world wasn't a click away. It took a LONG time to circulate info like that to banks, and after four or five years, those banks probably wouldn't be looking, anymore. You could also obtain a car license without six forms of photo ID, and it wasn't that difficult to operate under a phony name. You walk into a Cadillac dealership with $10000.00 in cash (roughly what the Eldorado cost) and say, "I'll take that one, they would have no problem handing you the keys. After all, if it turns out the money WAS stolen, the dealership is insured for incidents like that.

- Crazy. All crazy but I'm.

[–] ZolotoyRetriever 8 years ago

What you say is true, but still, even back then, banks would've no doubt noted a large cash deposit like that from the car dealer (assuming he took it to his bank and deposited it) and just as a routine matter would've recorded and cross-checked serial numbers on some or all of those bills. I knew people who worked in banks and they told me that was very routine for banks to record serial numbers of cash coming into banks. It's not hard to do, really. They even did other stuff like drug testing of bills to look for traces of cocaine and whatnot.

So it's not that it's impossible that Thunderbolt paid cash for the car and made off with it unnoticed... it's just that by doing so, he might very well have put the wheels in motion for the banks, the FBI, the Treasury and God knows who else to be on the lookout for that long-lost cash to start cropping up again.

It's kind of like when the Mafia gets money stolen from them: they NEVER stop looking for it.

It reminds me of a thread once on one of the boards about what you would do if you found a suitcase with a million dollars of cash in it. My response: I would turn it over to the police and not touch any of it, because it's probably "dirty" money (i.e. mob-related) and they don't take kindly to people taking even so much as a nibble of their loot. Capiche?

Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu..... and several other Japanese words.

[–] drunkbear 8 years ago

You make salient points about the constrictions on LAW-ABIDING people. I still think that the Caddy dealer would have stamped 'Paid In Full,' and not cared about the legality of the funds, re: bank insurance, so they would have made their money for selling the car, anyway.

I don't think Thunderbolt would have had a problem staying ahead of the law and paying cash, but I also don't think he was thinking that far ahead, regardless of whether their planned bank job went off, successfully.

- Crazy. All crazy but I'm.

[–] ZolotoyRetriever 8 years ago

I still think that the Caddy dealer would have stamped 'Paid In Full,' and not cared about the legality of the funds, re: bank insurance, so they would have made their money for selling the car, anyway.

Oh yes, I agree... I don't think the car dealer would've had anything to worry about. It certainly wasn't HIS responsibility to ascertain whether the cash being used for payment was suspicious or not.

What I mean is, it's only logical that the dealer, probably sooner rather than later, is going to deposit that cash with his local bank, at which point the bank, whether they found the money suspicious or not, would've run some traces on it just as a matter of routine. That, in turn, would've set off some alarm bells because they would've found a match between the serial numbers of the car payment cash and the stolen bank cash of a few years back.

They would've tracked the car dealer down - not to bring any grief against him, mind you, but just to find out more about the who, what, when and where of the car he sold for cash.

I'm not saying it's a flaw in the movie or anything that they didn't cover this aspect of stolen bank cash - i.e. that serial numbers can and will eventually be traced. But it was interesting to see that right away, Thunderbolt did something with at least part of the cash that could've easily gotten him "real close" to authority figures. It would've been interesting to see the story continue on, and see just how Thunderbolt stayed one step ahead of the law.

All in all a great movie. I've enjoyed seeing it many times.

Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu..... and several other Japanese words.

[–] drunkbear 8 years ago

It would've been interesting to see the story continue on, and see just how Thunderbolt stayed one step ahead of the law.

I got the sense that he was kind of looking forward to that, to going back to a life of illegal adventure with his new partner-in-crime. The ending is one the most poignant I've ever seen: he and Lightfoot were, momentarily, on top of the world, and anything seemed possible. Until, of course, Lightfoot succumbed to his injuries from Red's beating - which is one of the most vicious I think I've seen, on film.

The end title song - 'Where Do I Go From Here?' by Paul Williams - is one of my favorite, saddest, songs, and I think the long, long end shot of Thunderbolt driving away was a perfect frame, for it.

- Crazy. All crazy but I'm.

[–] ZolotoyRetriever 8 years ago

You said it, brother. This has always been my favorite "buddy movie." I always think of that line from Lightfoot, "I don't want your watch, man. I want your friendship!" Very memorable. I like how Thunderbolt kinda' started to soften up towards Lightfoot after that. And you can't help but feel moved by the sad ending.

Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu..... and several other Japanese words.

[–] drunkbear 8 years ago

For me, George Kennedy turned into the focal point of the film. He was such a fantastic actor; I could see Red just biting back his fury as it built up with every smartassed remark Lightfoot made. And when there was finally nothing else for Red to lose, he let it all go in that one incredibly-brutal explosion.

- Crazy. All crazy but I'm.

[–] ZolotoyRetriever 8 years ago

Oh, I so agree: George Kennedy's performance in this film was a real eye-opener. Have you seen Charade (1963)? George Kennedy was in that, too, and he also played an angry guy hell-bent on coming after some stolen loot that he felt he was partly entitled to. He died in that one as well, but... no dogs ate him, thankfully. lol

Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu..... and several other Japanese words.

[–] SunCanyonRoad 8 years ago

The thing is Thunderbolt bought the Caddy with the OLD money that had been missing for seven years. Also (as mentioned in the film) the Police tried to dupe Thunderbolt's crew from the first heist by claiming they had found the money and having news stories published in the paper announcing this. (He talks about this by the tree while eating an apple and drinking beer). So the first heist would have literally been out of the public's consciousness with the conclusion that they "found the money" and -NO ONE- other than the police would have thought "red flag" when someone paid cash for a new Cadillac... Also, since all the money from the second heist would have been recovered from Goody's car when Red bit the dust, (along with Red and Goody's bodies) the Police more than likely would have wrapped up their investigation. They had the getaway car, all the cash and two dead robbers... And even if they didn't wrap up their investigation with all that evidence, their focus isn't on the seven year-old heist or the missing cash, it's on the current one. In fact, they'd more than likely believe that if it's the same crew doing the heist, the missing loot is either still missing or long spent, otherwise what is their motive for pulling off the same heist twice?

Today if you try to buy a car from a dealership with more than $5000 cash they legally (this may vary by state) have to verify the cash with authorities. (I used to work at a dealership)... But that is a modern era law enforced to stop/ track possible drug dealers. I highly doubt that was a law in 1974 and again the law could vary by state.

I truly feel Thunderbolt is in little to no risk using the old cash to buy the car in 1973/74. They simply didn't have the tools to trace it fast enough to matter, and floating around the country on an alias was so much easier then. Also, a car dealership wants to move that iron... They truly don't care where the cash comes from and wouldn't report the transaction with authorities unless legally binded to do so.

I don't want your watch, man. I want your friendship! - Lightfoot

[–] ZolotoyRetriever 8 years ago

The thing is Thunderbolt bought the Caddy with the OLD money that had been missing for seven years.

I think you might be on to something there with that first sentence: I just did some checking, and it seems that there is a statute of limitations on bank robbery of five years. That would mean that Thunderbolt was no longer in danger of being prosecuted for the bank robbery of seven years prior.

Bank Robbery Statue Of Limitations. Under federal law, the statute of limitations for bank robbery is 5 years. After that time, a person can't be tried at the federal level. However, certain state laws may exist that could lead to charges with much longer statute of limitations. - https://www.federalcharges.com/bank-robbery-laws-charges/

Don't know if he was totally out of danger, depending on Montana state laws, but anyway... Maybe that explains why he was "okay" with going out and spending the cash? He knew that more than 5 years had passed...

I still maintain, though, that the bills (serial numbers) eventually would have been recorded and matched with the stolen loot. It's just part of what banks and the Fed do, as a matter of routine.

Don't mess with me, man! I know karate, judo, ju-jitsu..... and several other Japanese words.