(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and/or character. If you’re the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I’d encourage you to skip down to the last few paragraphs for the final assessment. If, however, you’re accepting of a few modest hints at ‘things to come,’ then read on …)
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“The cop test pilot for an experimental police helicopter learns the sinister implications of the new vehicle.”
On the 2006-produced commentary track for Blue Thunder, director John Badham laments his film largely being considered as ‘science fiction.’ His argument to those who considered the super-high-tech aerial assault vehicle a vision of tomorrow was the fact that all of the technology on display in the picture was both fully available and in use at the time of the flick’s theatrical release, nullifying the central premise of the helicopter being some ‘flight of fancy’ (snicker snicker). The truth remains, however, that the general viewing public – along with the cadre of critics employed by reputable organizations of their time – didn’t know that nor very likely had access to the same level of information; so the likelihood that they saw this thunderous machine as some instrument of the near-future likely never impacted the film’s reception one way or the other.
To me, Blue Thunder capably represented another addition to a relatively newly-established sub-genre of Science Fiction: ‘Tech Noir’ was still a year away from being coined as a kinda/sorta aesthetic to be watched on the silver screen (his 1984 vision The Terminator serving as the prime source), but Thunder – alongside such other entries as George Lucas’s THX 1138 (1971), Donald Cammell’s Demon Seed (1977), and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) – showed that storytellers were fascinated with the crossroads wherein human abilities and technology intersect. In these universes, machines were telling us which drugs to take. A.I. was already flirting with its own ideas of conception. Even intimate companionship was no longer limited to merely flesh on flesh. Into this reality, a wartime aircraft – not yet with its own mind – was being tested as the next phase for law and order; so I believe that Thunder’s glance into the very-near-future definitely fueled dark fears of what the future could hold.
LA police helicopter pilot Frank Murphy (played by Roy Scheider) and his partner Richard Lymangood (Daniel Stern) find themselves tasked with flying test runs of the military-style aircraft in the skies of California, a vehicle primed as a means of crowd control for the city’s forthcoming sponsorship of the Summer Olympics. Slowly, the two realize that there’s an insidious potential for Blue Thunder to be put to widespread use (and abuse) by the machine’s government handlers, including U.S. Army Colonel F.E. Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell). Murphy and Lymangood gather evidence suggesting the movers and shakers were behind the assassination of a local government official – a development that leads to Lymangood’s untimely death – leaving our hero with no other choice but to steal Blue Thunder from the authorities in order to place the program in certain jeopardy.
Badham’s direction is solid throughout the film, bridging a great number of smaller and quieter scenes of Murphy’s introspective moments (he’s mildly obsessed with maintaining active control over his senses, a phobia which gets demonstrated several times with a stop watch) to some of the finest aerial stunt photography captured on film. There are even a few chase sequences on the ground – Murphy’s squeeze Kate (Candy Clark) trying to outsmart the police; Lymangood’s flight from his assassins; etc. – which work chiefly because the director grounds them more in realism as opposed to getting lost in theatrical technique. Once the picture sets the stakes in the first half, everything shifts into high gear; and Badham never lets up until Thunder’s closing scene, a vignette wherein Murphy is forced to do the only thing he can to keep technology from falling into the wrong hands. As a man who constantly questions what a breakdown would mean to his sanity, his choice demonstrates that he's finally no longer fearful of the consequences.
If there’s any weakness to the Oscar-nominated flick, then I’d have to point fingers at McDowell’s casting. Without going into a full autopsy as to what works and what doesn’t, I’ll simply leave it at the man – while incredibly talented – never felt as if he was giving his best work here. His performance vacillates between wry and cynical, mostly; and he never quite musters the menace his supposedly decorated military veteran hints at. Now, the supplemental materials go to great length to underscore that the actor was frightened to death of flying; knowing that, it’s easy to, say, give him a bit of breathing room for a few small inconsistencies with his work. Still, an actor is paid to act; and I just never felt that he effortlessly imbued Col. Cochrane as anything more than a government shill who found himself in the right place at the right time to capitalize on a good career opportunity.
Blue Thunder (1983) was produced by Columbia Pictures and Rastar Pictures. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Arrow Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure readers that the disk boasts the highest quality sights and sounds: the limitations of night-time filming being what they are, some may still find a few sequences a bit difficult to see. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? The release boasts a few carryover bits – i.e. a 2006 audio commentary and whatnot – along with a few newly-produced extras that are nice. The interview with actor McDowell is quite good – frankly, I don’t think I’d ever heard him speak on the project, so it was informative – so fans should be pleased generally.
Highest Recommendation Possible.
Even decades later, Blue Thunder (1983) remains a prescient story about the dangers of both unchecked authority and technology. I’ve always considered it one of those rare ‘perfect films’ which manages to entertain and educate viewers without any measure of political drum-beating in the background, leaving its message accessible and debatable by anyone who discovers it. Scheider is brilliant as its flawed leading man who fears the loss of his own humanity not so much under control of the state as he does the unstoppable progress of growing old.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of Blue Thunder (1983) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
From the film’s IMDB.com page citation:
“The cop test pilot for an experimental police helicopter learns the sinister implications of the new vehicle.”
On the 2006-produced commentary track for Blue Thunder, director John Badham laments his film largely being considered as ‘science fiction.’ His argument to those who considered the super-high-tech aerial assault vehicle a vision of tomorrow was the fact that all of the technology on display in the picture was both fully available and in use at the time of the flick’s theatrical release, nullifying the central premise of the helicopter being some ‘flight of fancy’ (snicker snicker). The truth remains, however, that the general viewing public – along with the cadre of critics employed by reputable organizations of their time – didn’t know that nor very likely had access to the same level of information; so the likelihood that they saw this thunderous machine as some instrument of the near-future likely never impacted the film’s reception one way or the other.
To me, Blue Thunder capably represented another addition to a relatively newly-established sub-genre of Science Fiction: ‘Tech Noir’ was still a year away from being coined as a kinda/sorta aesthetic to be watched on the silver screen (his 1984 vision The Terminator serving as the prime source), but Thunder – alongside such other entries as George Lucas’s THX 1138 (1971), Donald Cammell’s Demon Seed (1977), and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) – showed that storytellers were fascinated with the crossroads wherein human abilities and technology intersect. In these universes, machines were telling us which drugs to take. A.I. was already flirting with its own ideas of conception. Even intimate companionship was no longer limited to merely flesh on flesh. Into this reality, a wartime aircraft – not yet with its own mind – was being tested as the next phase for law and order; so I believe that Thunder’s glance into the very-near-future definitely fueled dark fears of what the future could hold.
LA police helicopter pilot Frank Murphy (played by Roy Scheider) and his partner Richard Lymangood (Daniel Stern) find themselves tasked with flying test runs of the military-style aircraft in the skies of California, a vehicle primed as a means of crowd control for the city’s forthcoming sponsorship of the Summer Olympics. Slowly, the two realize that there’s an insidious potential for Blue Thunder to be put to widespread use (and abuse) by the machine’s government handlers, including U.S. Army Colonel F.E. Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell). Murphy and Lymangood gather evidence suggesting the movers and shakers were behind the assassination of a local government official – a development that leads to Lymangood’s untimely death – leaving our hero with no other choice but to steal Blue Thunder from the authorities in order to place the program in certain jeopardy.
Badham’s direction is solid throughout the film, bridging a great number of smaller and quieter scenes of Murphy’s introspective moments (he’s mildly obsessed with maintaining active control over his senses, a phobia which gets demonstrated several times with a stop watch) to some of the finest aerial stunt photography captured on film. There are even a few chase sequences on the ground – Murphy’s squeeze Kate (Candy Clark) trying to outsmart the police; Lymangood’s flight from his assassins; etc. – which work chiefly because the director grounds them more in realism as opposed to getting lost in theatrical technique. Once the picture sets the stakes in the first half, everything shifts into high gear; and Badham never lets up until Thunder’s closing scene, a vignette wherein Murphy is forced to do the only thing he can to keep technology from falling into the wrong hands. As a man who constantly questions what a breakdown would mean to his sanity, his choice demonstrates that he's finally no longer fearful of the consequences.
If there’s any weakness to the Oscar-nominated flick, then I’d have to point fingers at McDowell’s casting. Without going into a full autopsy as to what works and what doesn’t, I’ll simply leave it at the man – while incredibly talented – never felt as if he was giving his best work here. His performance vacillates between wry and cynical, mostly; and he never quite musters the menace his supposedly decorated military veteran hints at. Now, the supplemental materials go to great length to underscore that the actor was frightened to death of flying; knowing that, it’s easy to, say, give him a bit of breathing room for a few small inconsistencies with his work. Still, an actor is paid to act; and I just never felt that he effortlessly imbued Col. Cochrane as anything more than a government shill who found himself in the right place at the right time to capitalize on a good career opportunity.
Blue Thunder (1983) was produced by Columbia Pictures and Rastar Pictures. DVD distribution (for this particular release) has been coordinated by the fine folks at Arrow Films. As for the technical specifications? While I’m no trained video expert, I can assure readers that the disk boasts the highest quality sights and sounds: the limitations of night-time filming being what they are, some may still find a few sequences a bit difficult to see. Lastly, if you’re looking for special features? The release boasts a few carryover bits – i.e. a 2006 audio commentary and whatnot – along with a few newly-produced extras that are nice. The interview with actor McDowell is quite good – frankly, I don’t think I’d ever heard him speak on the project, so it was informative – so fans should be pleased generally.
Highest Recommendation Possible.
Even decades later, Blue Thunder (1983) remains a prescient story about the dangers of both unchecked authority and technology. I’ve always considered it one of those rare ‘perfect films’ which manages to entertain and educate viewers without any measure of political drum-beating in the background, leaving its message accessible and debatable by anyone who discovers it. Scheider is brilliant as its flawed leading man who fears the loss of his own humanity not so much under control of the state as he does the unstoppable progress of growing old.
In the interests of fairness, I’m pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Arrow Films provided me with a complimentary Blu-ray copy of Blue Thunder (1983) by request for the expressed purpose of completing this review. Their contribution to me in no way, shape, or form influenced my opinion of it.
-- EZ
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