BLUE THUNDER
[Film stats: Earned $42.3M domestically. Got 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and 52% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
Okay, so I only recently looked up the budget for this one and determined that it made $42.3M domestically on a budget of $22M, so that makes two days in a row where the recommended film is one that made a profit. Mea culpa. Still, given the fact that the TV show it inspired only lasted one season [I guess audiences had to choose between it and “Airwolf”], I hope you’ll afford me a little bit of latitude in my recommendation of it.
Anyway, budget issues notwithstanding, this is a surprisingly taut little thriller with some inventive cinematography and performances that are better than almost any of the paint-by-numbers boomsplosion fare being regurgitated by the folks in Hollyweird today. Roy Scheider, in particular, is effective as the LAPD helicopter pilot chosen to pilot the experimental aircraft despite dealing with PTSD stemming from his service in Vietnam.
Having hinted at the plot, I’ll just share what the folks at the IMDB had to say about it here: “The cop test pilot for an experimental police helicopter learns the sinister implications of the new vehicle.”
And that synopsis brings me to one reason why I am recommending this film. Sure, it’s smarter than the average action flick, and you may well have missed it when it first graced the silver screen; but, that plot is just itching to be revisited with an updated version of this film. Of all the films that the folks in Hollyweird feel compelled to remake or “reimagine,” this is one that I think would actually work. In fact, it might work too well. Given the cultural and political undertones of this film, producers might just shy away from a project that touches upon similar themes in today’s sociopolitical climate.
To give you an idea of what I mean, it’s as good a time as any to share the trailer for the film:
“But Murphy stole their thunder.” Haha… that’s good stuff. At any rate, I’m not giving away any especially spoileriffic material by saying that the experimental helicopter was designed to suppress any potential large-scale civil disobedience. When the film was released, this plot point worked very well thanks to the then-upcoming 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. If the material were to get updated, it might work all too well in the wake of the events of the past summer.
Potential backlash and political pontificating about the evils of a weapon with “Big Brother” kinds of overtones notwithstanding, this is a film that is worth watching, as well as an idea worth revisiting. Scheider is solid, of course, but a film’s protagonist is often only as good as its antagonist, and Malcolm McDowell – yes, Caligula himself – is more than adequate to the task, despite having a very real fear of flying that an astute observer can notice in a few of the scenes. While Daniel Stern is fine as the observer assigned to fly with Murphy, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the one and only Warren Oates. There’s some of that Sgt. Hulka flair on display here in this film, which honors his passing in the credits. I’m not sure what modern-day actor would fill either Scheider’s or Oates’s shoes if this were remade, but I would hate to see a studio replace the helicopter with drones or something. Anyway, remake or not, this one is worth a watch, and not just to appreciate the phony Yelp reviews for Amos’s BBQ.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out FIREFOX and THE PACKAGE.
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER; Day 16 - SHORT CUTS; Day 17 - THE SALTON SEA; Day 18 - A SIMPLE PLAN; Day 19 - MOON; Day 20 - CHEF; Day 21 - TRIANGLE; Day 22 - WIND RIVER]
[Film stats: Earned $42.3M domestically. Got 78% on Rotten Tomatoes and 52% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
Okay, so I only recently looked up the budget for this one and determined that it made $42.3M domestically on a budget of $22M, so that makes two days in a row where the recommended film is one that made a profit. Mea culpa. Still, given the fact that the TV show it inspired only lasted one season [I guess audiences had to choose between it and “Airwolf”], I hope you’ll afford me a little bit of latitude in my recommendation of it.
Anyway, budget issues notwithstanding, this is a surprisingly taut little thriller with some inventive cinematography and performances that are better than almost any of the paint-by-numbers boomsplosion fare being regurgitated by the folks in Hollyweird today. Roy Scheider, in particular, is effective as the LAPD helicopter pilot chosen to pilot the experimental aircraft despite dealing with PTSD stemming from his service in Vietnam.
Having hinted at the plot, I’ll just share what the folks at the IMDB had to say about it here: “The cop test pilot for an experimental police helicopter learns the sinister implications of the new vehicle.”
And that synopsis brings me to one reason why I am recommending this film. Sure, it’s smarter than the average action flick, and you may well have missed it when it first graced the silver screen; but, that plot is just itching to be revisited with an updated version of this film. Of all the films that the folks in Hollyweird feel compelled to remake or “reimagine,” this is one that I think would actually work. In fact, it might work too well. Given the cultural and political undertones of this film, producers might just shy away from a project that touches upon similar themes in today’s sociopolitical climate.
To give you an idea of what I mean, it’s as good a time as any to share the trailer for the film:
“But Murphy stole their thunder.” Haha… that’s good stuff. At any rate, I’m not giving away any especially spoileriffic material by saying that the experimental helicopter was designed to suppress any potential large-scale civil disobedience. When the film was released, this plot point worked very well thanks to the then-upcoming 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. If the material were to get updated, it might work all too well in the wake of the events of the past summer.
Potential backlash and political pontificating about the evils of a weapon with “Big Brother” kinds of overtones notwithstanding, this is a film that is worth watching, as well as an idea worth revisiting. Scheider is solid, of course, but a film’s protagonist is often only as good as its antagonist, and Malcolm McDowell – yes, Caligula himself – is more than adequate to the task, despite having a very real fear of flying that an astute observer can notice in a few of the scenes. While Daniel Stern is fine as the observer assigned to fly with Murphy, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the one and only Warren Oates. There’s some of that Sgt. Hulka flair on display here in this film, which honors his passing in the credits. I’m not sure what modern-day actor would fill either Scheider’s or Oates’s shoes if this were remade, but I would hate to see a studio replace the helicopter with drones or something. Anyway, remake or not, this one is worth a watch, and not just to appreciate the phony Yelp reviews for Amos’s BBQ.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you may also want to check out FIREFOX and THE PACKAGE.
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER; Day 16 - SHORT CUTS; Day 17 - THE SALTON SEA; Day 18 - A SIMPLE PLAN; Day 19 - MOON; Day 20 - CHEF; Day 21 - TRIANGLE; Day 22 - WIND RIVER]
