Thunderbolt (1929)
- Directed by
- Josef von Sternberg
- Genre
- drama film, prison film, crime film
- Country
- United States
- Runtime
- 1h 35m
- Rated
- NR
- Rating
- 5.7 of 10 from 32 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
How it feels
A condemned criminal plots to murder a fellow prisoner he believes is romantically involved with his ex-girlfriend. The film takes place mostly inside the prison as the man's execution nears.
grimtenseclaustrophobicmelodramaticbleakslow-burnstylizedemotionally intense
What happens
Thunderbolt (also released as At The Gates of Death) is a 1929 American pre-Code proto-noir film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring George Bancroft, Fay Wray, Richard Arlen, Tully Marshall and Eugenie Besserer. It tells the story of a criminal, facing execution, who wants to kill the man in the next cell for being in love with his former girlfriend. The film was adapted by Herman J. Mankiewicz, Joseph L. Mankiewicz (titles) and Josef von Sternberg from the story by Jules and Charles Furthman. Bancroft was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
More like this
- Condemned (1929)
- Weary River (1929)
- The Big House (1930)
- Masked Emotions (1929)
- The Redeeming Sin (1929)
- Square Shoulders (1929)
- Acquitted (1929)
- Alibi (1929)
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