It’s Friday night. It’s only 8 pm, but it’s already dark where I am. The weather is a little cool, and all things combined, it’s feeling like a “movie on the couch” kind of night. While browsing through the numerous streaming services we subscribe to, I was having trouble finding something I want to watch. But then a post on Instagram pointed the way for me. A picture from a movie I hadn’t though about in years…Thunder Run.
Thunder Run is a movie from 1986 that I used to love watching with my old man when I was young. We had recorded it off of a pay channel like Cinemax or The Movie Channel at some point, and all through the late ’80s, he’d pull that tape out and pop it in the VCR to rewatch it over and over again.
Thunder Run is about a truck driver who gets lured out of retirement to haul a load of plutonium from Nevada to Arizona, and along the way, he has to fight off domestic terrorists who want the load. While that premise alone is a good one, it’s got the added benefit of being something like an extended episode of The A-Team.
With the job to haul the plutonium came a big payday. Our hero in this movie took a chunk of that money and bought a rig, and outfitted it with all sorts of cool weapons and such to fight off the terrorists. The whole movie is a fun, action-packed, thrill ride, and it’s short 90-minute run time breezes by.
While some of the acting is representative of a B-movie, I find it to be part of the charm when going back to re-watch this little known gem from the late ’80s. The action is on-point throughout though, and it’s a great representation of a quick popcorn flick that will keep you interested throughout, and may have you cheering out loud for the hero at points along the way.
If you haven’t seen it, I suggest carving out an hour and a half at some point and giving it a watch. It’s a great way to spend 90 minutes. It’s free on YouTube and I’m embedding it below to make it easy for you to find.
2.5 stars
Never seen it but in intrigued.