Blue Thunder: Special Edition

I'll say one thing for Roy Scheider: he's the perfect choice to play second fiddle to a big prop. In Jaws, he was upstaged by a mechanical shark, and in John Badham's 1983 Blue Thunder, Scheider is dwarfed by a helicopter. Of course, Blue Thunder is no ordinary chopper: designed by the federal government to be used for riot control and/or defusing situations involving terrorists, the aircraft sports six 20-millimeter cannons which can fire 4,000 rounds per minute. In addition to its awesome firepower, the super-fast helicopter has highly developed surveillance capabilities: ultra-sensitive microphones pick up conversations through walls, a video camera records thermal radiation, and an onboard computer provides readouts on anyone in America. The somewhat implausible storyline has government baddies pulling off a political assassination in an attempt to stir up racial tension in the L.A. barrio in order to test the Blue Thunder prototype—a conspiracy that is uncovered by police officer/pilot Frank Murphy (Scheider) and his sidekick (Daniel Stern), who commandeer the chopper, leading to a showdown in the skies between Scheider and his government nemesis F.E. Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell). But Blue Thunder isn't really interested in plot (or for that matter characters) or moral complexity (whenever a building is blown up or a police helicopter shot down, the camera always shows the people emerging unharmed); rather, the relentless pace and breathtaking aerial sequences are the real draw here. Boasting a solid transfer, DVD extras include an audio commentary (by Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman), the 45-minute “making-of” documentary “Ride with the Angels,” a “Building Blue Thunder” featurette on the creation of the film's helicopter, three storyboard galleries, and trailers. A strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray Review—Aug. 4, 2009—Sony, 109 min., R, $28.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1983's Blue Thunder boasts a great transfer and a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are similar to the “special edition” DVD release, including audio commentary by director John Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman, the 45-minute “making-of” documentary “Ride with the Angels,” a featurette on building the helicopter (9 min.), a 1983 promotional featurette (9 min.), and trailers, as well as the BD-Live function. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for an uneven action film.]