I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

However with today's technology and killing prowess of the worlds' militaries the tech displayed in this movie is underwhelming. I remember watching this when it first came out when the helicopter seemed so futuristic. Now, not so much. It doesn't take away from the story line or the action. It's no Lethal Weapon but is definitely worth a watch.

John Badham directed this helicopter adventure yarn that stars Roy Scheider as L.A. officer and police pilot Frank Murphy, who is assigned a new partner(played by Daniel Stern) and a new assignment: to test pilot a new stealth experimental helicopter to be used to combat civilian crime, but Frank becomes suspicious when the project manager turns out to be an old nemesis from his Vietnam war days, a Col. Cochrane(played by Malcolm McDowell) who does indeed have nefarious plans for the "Blue Thunder", and Murphy becomes determined to not only expose the program, but destroy it... Interesting premise and good cast are wasted in this clichéd picture that becomes alarmingly ridiculous, right down to its preposterous showdown between Murphy & Cochrane, which takes viewer out of picture altogether.

Scrappy and traumatized, yet still sharp and capable Vietnam veteran and ace helicopter pilot Frank Murphy (an excellent performance by Roy Scheider) is assigned to try out a new hi-tech helicopter called Blue Thunder. When Murphy discovers that said chopper is going to be as a weapon by a group of nefarious folks led by his sinister old-time nemesis Colonel F.E. Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell in splendidly smug, cocky, and utterly slimy form), he decides to go public with the information. Director John Badham, working from a totally preposterous, but witty and engrossing script by Dan O'Bannon and Don Jacoby, relates the captivating plot at a constant brisk pace, builds a good deal of tension, stages the action set pieces with real rip-roaring aplomb (the climactic cat and mouse helicopter showdown between Murphy and Cochrane completely smokes), and tops everything off with an amusing line in sharp sarcastic humor (favorite line: "When you're walkin' on eggs, don't hop"). This film further benefits from sturdy acting from a bang-up cast: Scheider effortlessly carries the picture with his natural charisma and makes for a totally likable hero (this movie earns extra points for not depicting a 'Nam vet as one of your standard crazed bloodthirsty psychos), Daniel Stern provides funny and engaging comic relief as Murphy's goofball partner Richard Lymangood, Candy Clark contributes an appealing turn as Murphy's sweet girlfriend Kate, and the always fantastic Warren Oates almost steals the whole show in one of his very last roles as Murphy's crusty no-nonsense superior Captain Jack Braddock. Veteran bad guy thespian Anthony James pops up in one of his standard nasty villain parts. Arthur B. Rubinstein's robust and rousing score hits the stirring spot. John A. Alonzo's slick widescreen cinematography gives the picture a nifty bright gleaming look; the nighttime sequences in particular are gorgeously shot and impressive. Moreover, we even have a still relevant and provocative central message about how advanced technology makes it easier for Big Brother to invade one's privacy and how said advanced technology isn't always designed with the general public's best interests in mind. Granted, this film isn't exactly credible (a protracted automobile chase sequence with Kate outracing a bunch of cop cars is simply ridiculous, but nevertheless quite thrilling and entertaining), but it's overall a highly enjoyable affair just the same.

This one was perhaps unfairly overlooked for those of you who like glossy 80's product used to glamorise hardware. I would've liked to have seen the director make more of a choice between 'investigative thriller' and straight-up action movie, because trying to do both makes it occasionally uneven. More than compensating for this though is the great cast and impressive gadgetry. Ya gotta love Roy Scheider; he made a great leading man, and this is definitely one to look out for if you feel he didn't quite catch the wave he should've done, after "Jaws"...It's a little bottom-heavy, with most of the action being shoehorned into the last segment, but if you garnered some enjoyment from Badham's other crowd-pleasing fare of the decade like "War Games" and "Short Circuit", then you should also be able to derive some form of pleasure from this.