I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Blue Thunder is a rarity in film. When it first came out, it packed them into theaters with the wry humor of its characters and dialog, and the white-knuckle action for which everything else is a set-up. And once that action starts, it does not stop until the very end.Still, it explored a theme that, to some viewers (including me at the time), seemed far-fetched and typical Hollywood political. But today I watched it again, on the Sony HD Channel. It could have been made today! In short, this film was thirty-one years ahead of its time. And when you watch it, and consider modern headlines and recent history, you find yourself leaping out of your seat and shouting, "They knew then!""Blue Thunder" is, of course, the name of the world's first police SWAT helicopter gunship. The name is slightly ironic, for reasons you will have to watch the film to catch. More to the point: the filmmakers built a truly frightening piece of machinery, and one of the things that makes the lead character such a hero is that he discovers, to his horror, what Blue Thunder is really meant to be. Had the developers of "Blue Thunder" the helicopter simply taken a Cobra helicopter gunship and painted it police blue (or maybe Mountie red), instead of Army green, the results would be no more chilling to anyone who thinks that maybe--just maybe--the government is not his friend. But of course the concept developers didn't do that. They built something that looks far more fearsome than an Army Cobra ever looked.And no one embodies the cynical thrust of the project better than Malcolm MacDowell (Col. F. E. Cochrane USA). He is villainous almost to insanity, as cinematic villains almost have to be. He gets to be as bad as he can be, and clearly enjoys it.Nor can you imagine a better hero than Roy Scheider (Officer Frank Murphy, ASTRO Division). And very early in the film you will know why he is the only one who would want to, and be able to, expose "Blue Thunder" and its underlying project for what they are.For this much I will reveal: Blue Thunder the film exposes the awful over-militarization of municipal police departments in the United States over the last half-century. That's what John Badham (director) and his writers dared expose in 1983. Blue Thunder the project is the logical endpoint of that over-militarization (and you will readily accept that logic before the film is halfway over). That might have seemed far-fetched in 1983. Today, as the Department of Homeland Security (in real life) sells or gives away Army surplus Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs) to police SWAT teams, you can only wonder whether police air-support divisions will soon turn into "Air SWAT" forces. If a killing/snooping machine like Blue Thunder the helicopter was feasible then (and I have confirmed it was, from military sources), imagine what a modern-day Blue Thunder could do! Which means: as you watch this film now, you might forget, except for one temporal reference to a then-upcoming event in Los Angeles history, that you are watching a thirty-one-year-old film set in 1983. This film will have you checking the sky to see if anything like Blue Thunder the helicopter is looking at you (and listening, too).Warren Oates provides almost comic relief as a boss who hears the immediate complaints and doesn't understand what Murphy is trying to tell him. Candy Clark, as Murphy's girlfriend, provides more comic relief--but also sets up her part in the wild adventure of the last act in a way that Anton Chekhov would stand in awe at. The two TV reporters will have you wishing more like them were "in the business" today.One last bit of advice: after you see this film, get active to make sure it stays fiction. Do not, in other words, be a "JAFO." And you'll have to watch the film to get *that* reference, too.

This is a typical 80's action movie. Actors only open their mouths to move the story line along combined with a fairly contrived/predictable storyline. So why do I still enjoy it? it is simply that the film makers manage to do the basics well. The storyline is sound and probably even more relevant now, 30 years on, than it was when it was first made. The acting line up is excellent, with Roy Schneider, Malcom McDowell, Warren Oates and Daniel Stern. The film is well made with a good script, crisp editing and good cinematography.But above all, I love the helicopter battle at the end.Plus I always love Malcom McDowell as a bad guy.A simple synopsis for a simple, well structured and fun 80's movie. It doesn't challenge, it doesn't make you think too much but it delivers a fun experience. It's so 1980's!

I was 18 when Blue Thunder came out in 1983...and 30 years later, I still enjoy this film.Granted, some of the story is over-the-top and unrealistic. But that is what you would expect for such a film - even if a remake were made today.Roy Scheider turned out to be perfectly cast as the lead role. Malcolm McDowell was also perfect as the arrogant "foil" / former Vietnam foe of Roy Scheider. Warren Oates (who died before filming was completed) was a riot as Scheider's boss. And Daniel Stern was also very enjoyable as Scheider's newbie "Observer".Naturally, the high-tech 'copter was the main reason people watched the movie, and it doesn't disappoint. The soundtrack enhances the film's entertainment experience...especially during suspense and action sequences. Unlike too many films today, where the soundtrack is always played (and often drowns out the dialog), I truly find the music adds to the overall enjoyment, and have even ordered the Blue Thunder soundtrack CD.The reason I give this film only a 6 / 10 rating is some of the overly ridiculous action scenes involving the helicopter vs. Air Force fighter jets. The copter wouldn't stand a chance against heat-seeking air-to-air missiles...let alone be able to shoot the wing off of an F-16 at a great distance with a Gatling Gun.

This film could have been a cheesy "b" movie that featured lots of stupid dialog and such, however it has Roy Scheider in it and he elevates this film to another level. The film has a rather simple enough plot as there is a new helicopter being introduced. A police helicopter like no other as it has a lot of advanced features to make patrolling the skies a breeze and even a machine gun to handle the more extreme situations. Roy plays a pilot who flies the skies of the city and he is given the opportunity to fly this super copter over the city, but what starts out as a routine test run becomes something more as he and his partner actually record a conversation between some people that could cause quite a stir. It is not to long before the partner ends up dead and Roy has commandeered the helicopter using it to aid his wife in getting the tape that will expose the whole cover up. Very good movie, your basic police type movie only with the super copter in it to change things up a bit. The action is mainly confined to the end of the film, but there is enough interesting stuff going on to keep one entertained till they get to the chases and gun fights near the end of the movie. Malcom McDowell plays a sort of rival helicopter pilot to Roy's and he adds some pep as the movies villain as there is a nice fight in the skies at the end of the movie. When I looked up this film I saw that there was a television show based on this movie, I am guessing it was rather short lived as I have never heard of it till just now.