- The exploits of 1910s bounty hunter Thomasine and bandit Bushrod who, after rekindling their old romance, take to robbing banks to survive, stealing from rich whites and sharing their loot with the poor on the harsh frontier.
- Blaxploitation's answer to Bonnie and Clyde (1967) follows the exploits of early-20th-century bounty hunter Thomasine (Vonetta McGee) and bandit Bushrod (Max Julien) who, after they rekindle their old romance, take to robbing banks in order to survive, stealing from rich whites and sharing their loot with the poor living on the harsh frontier. Combining rollicking action with a subversive anticapitalist punch, this Black western is a prime showcase for McGee's formidable talents.
- Set in New Mexico during the years 1912-1915, a fictional black "Bonnie and Clyde"-type race through the Southwest in their ancient jalopies, shooting lawmen and sharing the riches with poor blacks, whites, and Native Americans alike. One avenging sheriff, determined to bring the pair in, pursues them relentlessly.
- Thomasine and Bushrod are bank robbers who operate in the American South between 1911 and 1915. In 1911, Thomasine is thrown in jail after she knocks out and robs a man who attempted to force himself on her sexually without paying her for prostitution. After the sheriff lets her go, she notices a wanted poster of her former boyfriend Bushrod and tracks him down under the guise of being a bounty hunter, only to reunite with him and resume their relationship. After he kills a notorious bank robber nicknamed "Adolph the Butcher", Bushrod is convinced by Thomasine to rob banks under her leadership. While Bushrod gives stolen money to African Americans, Mexicans, Native Americans and poor whites, Thomasine just wants to survive.—Anonymous
- In 1911 Texas, Thomasine, an African-American woman, takes a break from working at a small-town laundry store and tells one of the washerwomen that she was orphaned as a newborn baby. A man named Dodson appears and molests Thomasine as if she is a prostitute. After leading Dodson into a nearby barn, Thomasine holds him at gunpoint. Revealing herself as a bounty hunter, Thomasine turns the man in to Bogardie, the town marshal. In Bogardie's office, Thomasine notices a wanted poster for H. P. Bushrod, an African American fugitive. The marshal says he personally wants Bushrod, dead or alive, and the reward is $1,000. At a ranch, Bushrod breaks a horse, then strikes a white handler for mistreating the animal. Afterward, an elderly man named Nathaniel approaches Bushrod and treats him like a celebrity, saying he has heard stories about Bushrod ever since the fugitive was a child running with the circus. Bushrod asks Nathaniel if he knows where to find Adolph "The Butcher" Smith. Meanwhile, holding up a bank with his gang, Adolph Smith kills two men with a sharp spear. Outside a place called The Last Town, Bushrod sees two African-American children hanged to death beside a sign that reads, "If you look like these two - go around The Last Town." Bushrod angrily rips the sign down and cuts down the boys' corpses. That night, Thomasine waits outside a boarding house and saloon in The Last Town where Bushrod is playing cards. After a spat with a card player who makes racist comments, Bushrod retreats to his room upstairs. There, Thomasine surprises him with her gun drawn, but the two greet each other like old friends. Thomasine confesses that a boyfriend of hers will arrive on a stagecoach the next day and warns Bushrod that Bogardie is looking for him. Bushrod admits to publicly humiliating Bogardie, suggesting that the man has a personal vendetta against him. Thomasine shows Bushrod a bunch of wanted posters that she has stolen, and they kiss. In the morning, Adolph and his henchmen appear outside the saloon; however, before they walk into a bank, Bushrod stops them. Adolph and Bushrod fight, and as Bushrod shoots him multiple times, Adolph says nothing will bring back Bushrod's sister and he is glad he killed her. As Adolph dies, several police arrive. The sheriff tells Bushrod to drop his gun, but Bushrod says Adolph is a wanted man. Bogardie appears and tells the sheriff that Bushrod is also a wanted man, although Bushrod claims he is no longer a fugitive. A shot fired from a distance causes everyone to scatter, and Thomasine shows up on horseback, helping Bushrod escape. Later, Bushrod tells Thomasine that he can make two or three dollars per day by breaking horses, but Thomasine says she wants enough money for a house and land. Bushrod agrees to do whatever it takes to make her happy. In another small town, Thomasine spots a wanted poster for Bushrod that states he was last seen with an "unidentified colored girl." Annoyed, she crumples up the poster and suggests to Bushrod that they take a photograph together. Inside a photography studio, Thomasine insists she stand on the left side. While waiting for the photograph to develop, Thomasine ogles an automobile parked outside. The owner, Mr. Tyler, introduces himself, saying he owns the whole town. Bushrod expresses interest in establishing a bank account, so Tyler leads the two on a tour of the bank, which they immediately rob. Forcing Tyler to accompany them, Bushrod and Thomasine steal his automobile and flee. That afternoon, Tyler attacks Thomasine from the backseat, and Bushrod fights back. Thomasine shoots Tyler dead. Remorseful, she cries and argues with Bushrod, who says the only reason he puts up with her bossiness is because he knows how hard it must have been for her to survive on her own. Thomasine becomes irate when Bushrod accuses her of acting like a man, but they soon kiss and make up. Back at the photography studio, Bogardie studies the photograph of Thomasine and Bushrod, and the photographer guesses that Thomasine wanted to be on the left side so that her name would appear first on the wanted poster. Thomasine and Bushrod gain notoriety as they rob several more banks, often wearing fancy new clothes. They make frequent visits to a small village, delivering money and supplies to poor Mexican and African American farmers. One morning, Thomasine reads to Bushrod from a newspaper article that identifies them as folk heroes. They laugh at the article's inaccuracies, but later argue as they camp in a forest and Thomasine struggles to cook a rabbit. She reprimands Bushrod for giving away all their money, reiterating her desire to own a home. Going into the village alone, Thomasine is caught by bounty hunters. Bushrod gets word that she is being held at the church, and helps her escape by disguising himself as a nun. Bogardie catches up to the fugitives on the road, but misses them when he fires several shots, allowing the couple to escape once again. Traveling at night, Bushrod and Thomasine happen upon Pecolia, a blind Native American woman. Pecolia and her companion, Seldon, inform Bushrod that his mother was a Comanche, and Pecolia cryptically warns Bushrod that he does not have much time. The next day, a general store clerk realizes Thomasine and Bushrod are bank robbers and strikes Bushrod. However, as the clerk draws his rifle, a Jamaican man named Jomo appears and shoots him. Bushrod embraces Jomo, an old friend, and leads him back to the abandoned house where he and Thomasine are hiding out. Bogardie questions the clerk Jomo shot, learning that Jomo has joined the couple. Jomo drives Thomasine and Bushrod's stolen car into town, angering Bushrod, who fears that someone might follow him. Thomasine cries and confesses that she is pregnant, but Bushrod celebrates the news, promising that the next job will be their last one, and they will settle down on a ranch in Mexico. Jomo returns from town in a new car, and Thomasine and Bushrod admonish him for being conspicuous. However, Jomo assures the two that he was not followed. That night, Thomasine admits to Bushrod that she was a bounty hunter while they were apart, and she lied about having a boyfriend when they reunited, prompting Bushrod to kiss her. When Jomo returns to town the next day, Bogardie finds him, and demands to know Thomasine and Bushrod's whereabouts. Jomo refuses to answer, so Bogardie drops him into a pit of rattlesnakes. Worried about Jomo, Thomasine and Bushrod ride into town. As Bushrod stops the car, Bogardie appears and shoots Thomasine dead. Enraged, Bushrod runs after the marshal, but is shot at by a firing squad. After Bogardie shoots Bushrod in the chest, the victim returns fire, sending a bullet into Bogardie's forehead.
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