Gettin' to Da Choppah (#3/15)
"Blue Thunder! Came out in 1983 and was directed by John Badham. Malcolm plays the bad guy in that one. Just totally outshines the hero, Roy Scheider... least I think so. I have to say, not many people agree with me about Blue Thunder."
Now Playing: Blue Thunder (1983)
Expectations: Totally blank slate. I know Roy Scheider's in it and there may or may not be a helicopter?
Reality: A perfectly good underdog of an action movie with a slow burn and a final act worth waiting for. Roy Scheider plays a 'Nam vet helicopter pilot cop with Daniel Stern (the Home Alone goon who isn't Joe Pesci) as his green screwball protégé. He gets wrapped up in a plot to heavily over-militarize the police force with the main centerpiece: Blue Thunder, a Robocop level over the top super chopper.
Roy Scheider's character is perfect. Not understated, not played out; just right for the movie and never overplays it's hand. The dressing-downs from the no nonsense chief in this are extremely fun but not cartoony. Like barbershop ribbing that feels written. The weakest part would be Daniel Stern's goofball wingman but he's more than paid for by a great adversary played by Malcolm McDowell. I gotta disagree a bit with York here as I have a lot of appreciation for an understated hero but Malcolm definitely brings it.
Rest assured the slow moments of the movie are doing their due diligence, laying out the train tracks for the explosive ending full of gratifying callbacks and whatnot. I really cannot oversell the ending, it is that good. You get a very classic finale even though it's pretty clear how it will wrap up long before then.
All right, so if I'm telling the truth why haven't you heard of Blue Thunder? Good question. As always, this movie's most egregious sin may well be because 1983 was a dynamite year for movies in the first place so a standout is... unlikely. But if you can handle a deliberate cop movie and a more subtle take to the Robocop blueprint, Blue Thunder crushes it.
"Blue Thunder! Came out in 1983 and was directed by John Badham. Malcolm plays the bad guy in that one. Just totally outshines the hero, Roy Scheider... least I think so. I have to say, not many people agree with me about Blue Thunder."
Now Playing: Blue Thunder (1983)
Expectations: Totally blank slate. I know Roy Scheider's in it and there may or may not be a helicopter?
Reality: A perfectly good underdog of an action movie with a slow burn and a final act worth waiting for. Roy Scheider plays a 'Nam vet helicopter pilot cop with Daniel Stern (the Home Alone goon who isn't Joe Pesci) as his green screwball protégé. He gets wrapped up in a plot to heavily over-militarize the police force with the main centerpiece: Blue Thunder, a Robocop level over the top super chopper.
Roy Scheider's character is perfect. Not understated, not played out; just right for the movie and never overplays it's hand. The dressing-downs from the no nonsense chief in this are extremely fun but not cartoony. Like barbershop ribbing that feels written. The weakest part would be Daniel Stern's goofball wingman but he's more than paid for by a great adversary played by Malcolm McDowell. I gotta disagree a bit with York here as I have a lot of appreciation for an understated hero but Malcolm definitely brings it.
Rest assured the slow moments of the movie are doing their due diligence, laying out the train tracks for the explosive ending full of gratifying callbacks and whatnot. I really cannot oversell the ending, it is that good. You get a very classic finale even though it's pretty clear how it will wrap up long before then.
All right, so if I'm telling the truth why haven't you heard of Blue Thunder? Good question. As always, this movie's most egregious sin may well be because 1983 was a dynamite year for movies in the first place so a standout is... unlikely. But if you can handle a deliberate cop movie and a more subtle take to the Robocop blueprint, Blue Thunder crushes it.
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