Blue Collar (1978)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writers:

Paul Schrader (written by) and
Leonard Schrader (written by) ...

Release Date:

10 February 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Whatever became of the "American Dream"?

Plot:

Three workers, Zeke, Jerry and Smokey, are working at a car plant and drinking their beers together...

Plot Keywords:

Union | Robbery | Worker | Factory | Black Comedy

Cast

Richard Pryor	...	Zeke Brown
Harvey Keitel	...	Jerry Bartowski
Yaphet Kotto	...	Smokey James
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Bobby Joe
Harry Bellaver	...	Eddie Johnson Union President AAW Local 291
George Memmoli	...	Jenkins
Lucy Saroyan	...	Arlene Bartowski
Lane Smith	...	Clarence Hill, Union Steward
Cliff De Young	...	John Burrows
Borah Silver	...	Dogshit Miller, Foreman
Chip Fields	...	Caroline Brown
Harry Northup	...	Hank
Leonard Gaines	...	Mr. Bird, I.R.S. Man
Milton Selzer	...	Sumabitch
Sammy Warren	...	Barney

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | West Germany:16 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company:

TAT Communications Company

Trivia:

No major auto company would allow this film to be shot at their factory, so the Checker Cab Co. plant was used as the primary location.

Quotes:

Zeke Brown: [just before the union break-in] Maybe we should've robbed a liquor store like everybody else.

Movie Connections:

References Bambi (1942)

Soundtrack:

Speak My Mind

A seriously underrated movie. One of the last Hollywood movies exploring the lives of the working class.

Paul Schrader is often overshadowed by his more famous collaborator Martin Scorsese, which is a shame, because despite Schrader's own movies being wildly uneven, when they are good they are very good indeed. 'Blue Collar' is one of his very best works. A funny, sad and powerful look at three working class guys in a Detroit car factory, it is one of the last Hollywood movies to seriously look at your average working joe and the problems he faces on a daily basis. The three leads are all wonderful, and despite rumoured off screen problems, show a lot of genuine rapport and comaraderie. Harvey Keitel ('Mean Streets', 'Bad Lieutenant') is one of the finest actors of his generation, and Yaphet Koto ('Alien', 'Live And Let Die') is a well respected character actor, but the revelation here is funny man Richard Pryor ('Silver Streak') who displays a depth of talent few would have thought him capable of. The three buddies are joined by a first class supporting cast including Lane Smith ('Over The Edge'), Cliff De Young ('The Hunger') and George Memmoli ('The Phantom Of The Paradise'). Also keep an eye out for a brief cameo by future 'Repo Man' star Tracey Walter, who Schrader also used in a bit part in his next movie 'Hardcore'. 'Blue Collar' is a fine movie, one of the most underrated of the 1970s, and still relevant and powerful twenty five years later. Don't miss it.