‘Just because somebody chooses to leave, that doesn’t mean they didn’t want to be here with you…’
I bloody love Bruce Springsteen. The Boss is possibly my favourite musician of all time (just edging out Tom Waits), and he has soundtracked every major moment for me since I first heard Born to Run as an impressionable eight-year-old playing my parents’ records. A feelgood jukebox musical based on Springsteen’s music should be right up my street then…
Unfortunately, it took me almost three quarters of an hour to realise that I wasn’t watching Blinded by the Light – a film that actually is a feelgood, jukebox musical – but rather a different film entirely. Thunder Road is mildly inspired by the Springsteen classic of the same name, but the main source of inspiration here is director, writer and star Jim Cummings.
Jim Arnaud (Cummings) is a man on the edge. Following the death of his mother and the breakdown of his marriage, Jim struggles to cope with life as a cop even with help from his long suffering partner Nate (Nican Robinson).
Thunder Road begins with an excruciating long take that sees Jim struggling through a speech at his mother’s funeral. This genuine masterpiece of a scene is quite possibly one of the most captivating cinematic openings I have ever seen, and while the rest of the movie suffers in comparison, there are enough darkly comic and poignant moments to ensure that Cummings has created something of real power. His own performance is a tour-de-force of tragicomedy and I will be watching the rest of his career with interest.
To sum up then, while I stumbled upon Thunder Road believing it to be an entirely different movie, I am so glad I did. The character of Jim Arnaud is closer to a character from a Springsteen song than any jukebox musical could hope to conjure up. Thunder Road is a microbudget success story with a huge heart.
In a town full of losers, we’re pulling out of here to win…