Unfortunately, watching Blue Thunder today reveals that, beyond the high-tech gadgets and impressive helicopter stunts, this is a rather flat caper movie.
Roy Scheider plays Frank Murphy, a Vietnam War veteran flying helicopter patrols for the Metropolitan Police Department’s “Astro” Division. (The Los Angeles Police Department wanted no association with the film even though it clearly takes place in Los Angeles.) Murphy’s been experiencing blackouts related to PTSD from the war. His boss, Captain Braddock (Warren Oates), has Murphy on a short leash as a result.
At the government’s request, Murphy is assigned to test pilot a new helicopter nicknamed “Blue Thunder.” Blue Thunder is being considered as a terrorism deterrent for the then-upcoming 1984 Olympics. The helicopter is equipped with a multitude of surveillance equipment and heavy weaponry.
A rogue group of military personnel is trying to eliminate political opponents in an effort to use Blue Thunder as a weapon in urban areas. Murphy suspects that his old wartime nemesis, Colonel Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell,) is part of this effort. Along with his new partner (Daniel Stern), Murphy begins investigating a link between the Blue Thunder project and a councilwoman’s murder. The main tool used in this investigation is Blue Thunder itself.
Blue Thunder was released to theaters in May, 1983. I remember going to see it with my dad and being blown away by all the incredible gizmos on display. At the time, I was a freshman in high school and learning to program in BASIC on my Commodore 64. I found the movie’s opening proclamation that all of the technology in the film is real to be a shocker. Cameras detecting heat signatures through walls? Microphones listening to conversations from the air? Helmet-tracking gun sights that allow a pilot to shoot at something just by looking at it? None of this raises an eyebrow now. In fact, some of this stuff is available to home consumers! But back then, my imagination was on fire! Unfortunately, watching Blue Thunder today reveals that, beyond the high-tech gadgets and impressive helicopter stunts, this is a rather flat caper movie.
There’s nothing wrong with the actors assembled here, however. Scheider delivers a good performance as Murphy, the grizzled veteran cop. Daniel Stern is equally good as his enthusiastic and overeager partner. Malcolm McDowell plays an exceptionally slimy villain. Warren Oates — in one of his final roles — is delightfully gruff as Braddock. The real surprise is Candy Clark as Murphy’s girlfriend, Kate. Her hyperactive performance provides stark and quite welcome contrast to all of the testosterone on display.
Blue Thunder isn’t a bad movie; just an underwhelming one. So much of its original appeal depended on the wow-factor of the gadgetry. For nostalgia’s sake, if you’ve seen it before, it’s fun to re-watch to see how primitive the technology looks now. For first-time viewers, lowered expectations might make it worth checking out.
2.5 out of 5.0 stars
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