Blue Collar (1978)

Three workers, Zeke, Jerry and Smokey, are working at a car plant and drinking their beers together. One night when they steal away from their wives to have some fun they get the idea to ... See full summary »

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writers:

Paul Schrader, Leonard Schrader,

Stars:

Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Pryor	...	Zeke
Harvey Keitel	...	Jerry
Yaphet Kotto	...	Smokey
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Bobby Joe
Harry Bellaver	...	Eddie Johnson
George Memmoli	...	Jenkins
Lucy Saroyan	...	Arlene Bartowski
Lane Smith	...	Clarence Hill
Cliff De Young	...	John Burrows
Borah Silver	...	Dogshit Miller
Chip Fields	...	Caroline Brown
Harry Northup	...	Hank
Leonard Gaines	...	I.R.S. Man
Milton Selzer	...	Sumabitch
Sammy Warren	...	Barney

Storyline

Three workers, Zeke, Jerry and Smokey, are working at a car plant and drinking their beers together. One night when they steal away from their wives to have some fun they get the idea to rob the local union's bureau safe. First they think it is a flop, because they get only 600 dollars out of it, but then Zeke realizes that they also have gotten some 'hot' material. They decide to blackmail their union. The best reason for that is the union itself. All three are provoked by the fact that the union claims to have lost 10,000 dollars by their robbery.

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Plot Keywords:

union | robbery | worker | factory | working man | 

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Taglines:

Whatever became of the "American Dream"?

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1978 (USA)

Also Known As:

Avdelning 291 - Detroit

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

TAT Communications Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Reportedly, director Paul Schrader dislikes this movie and has disowned the film.

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Goofs

In the bowling alley scene, Carolyn bowls a ball toward a set of only a few pins. In the next cutaway shot, all of the pins are there as the ball rolls through them.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Dogshit Miller: You're not double-checking the stripping. I want it tighter.

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Connections

Referenced in A Decade Under the Influence (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Speak My Mind"
Performed by J.B. Hutto
Courtesy of Columbia Records

User Reviews

An unjustly overlooked classic!

This is a great film. I knew little about it going in, other than it was supposed to be a very well done, searing drama (this according to several film books, including Leonard Maltin's yearly tomes). I was not disappointed. Paul Schrader - writer of "Taxi Driver," "Raging Bull," and writer/director of "Affliction" - delivers yet another gritty, working-class drama. But the film is not without liberal doses of humor, provided chiefly by Richard Pryor in what I consider to be the best performance of his career. C'mon, people! How can you go wrong with Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto (answer: you can't). The films hooks you right from the great opening credit sequence and doesn't let go 'til the final freeze-frame. I won't give the twists and turns of the plot away, but the film centers on three desperate Detroit auto workers and their corrupt union. It's very disappointing this film is so overlooked today (it also flopped when released)... the level of acting and direction (this was Schrader's directorial debut) is astonishing. See this movie!