Blue Thunder **** (1983, Roy Scheider, Malcolm McDowell, Warren Oates, Candy Clark, Daniel Stern, Paul Roebling, Joe Santos) – Classic Movie Review 3481

Director John Badham’s 1983 action-adventure crime thriller is a memorable humdinger.

Roy Scheider eagerly grabs one of his best Eighties opportunities as Officer Frank Murphy, a Vietnam veteran turned cop, hit by trauma blackouts, who test-pilots and then steals the specially modified Blue Thunder, a sophisticated, gadget-packed, James Bond-style advanced prototype police helicopter.

This is high-flying entertainment, with a strong central performance from the star, energetic star character actor support (Malcolm McDowell is a juicy bad guy, called Cochrane), a good screenplay by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby, exciting action sequences and excellent aerial cinematography (John A Alonzo is the distinguished director of photography). And there are great stunts and special effects too.

It is Warren Oates’s last film, playing Captain Jack Braddock. Also in the cast are Candy Clark, Daniel Stern, Paul Roebling, Joe Santos, David Sheiner, Ed Berhard and Jason Bernard.

A one-season TV series of 11 episodes followed in 1984 with James Farentino, Dana Carvey and Sandy McPeak.

Joe Santos, who got his first real break in the movies with The Panic in Needle Park (1971), died on 18 March 2016, aged 84.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3481

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