Blue Thunder

Having my sister up to stay with me over the weekend, I thought I'd introduce her to some classic 80s cheese, and what could be cheesier than this?

I'm a big fan of Roy Scheider; The French Connection, 2010, SeaQuest DSV, the lot. I think he's a great actor who can put across a lot of emotion and depth of character. The man can emote more with one brief look than a lot of modern actors can with their whole repertoire.

Basic plot: Frank Murphy (Scheider) is an LA police helicopter pilot and along with his new partner/observer Richard Lymangood (Daniel Stern) is assigned to test out a new police riot response helicopter, Blue Thunder. A helicopter with more firepower than the entire Los Angeles SWAT division. While out playing with their new toy, the boys discover that the helicopter contractor along with Lt. Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell) are planning to stir up trouble in order to prove what the machine is capable of.

This film was made in 1983, but it feels like it came from the 70s, in terms of the way Murphy's relationships with colleagues and girlfriend are portrayed. There's lots of unspoken backstory that you have to work out for yourself and often you're not sure if the witty insults are just friendly banter or genuine hostility.

The final showdown pitches Murphy in Blue Thunder against a SWAT team, two F-16 and finally Cochrane in an attack helicopter, while Murphy's girl rushes to the TV studio with the evidence.

Score: C
Worth watching for the cheese factor, or if you're a Roy Scheider fan.

The TV show spin-off that followed scores a decidedly lower D-. Truly awful film-to-TV transition that throws away the film's final message in order to make some money for the studio. Presumably they were trying to recoup come of the money spent on the helicopter (which does look the mutt's whatsits).

OQ: Has one of the best lines in film history "You know he measures his sanity with a wristwatch." "What do you use? A dipstick?"