Blue Steel (1989)

A female rookie in the police force engages in a cat and mouse game with a pistol wielding psychopath who becomes obsessed with her.

Director:

Kathryn Bigelow

Writers:

Kathryn Bigelow, Eric Red

Stars:

Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jamie Lee Curtis	...	Megan Turner
Ron Silver	...	Eugene Hunt
Clancy Brown	...	Nick Mann
Elizabeth Peña	...	Tracy Perez (as Elizabeth Pena)
Louise Fletcher	...	Shirley Turner
Philip Bosco	...	Frank Turner
Kevin Dunn	...	Asst. Chief Stanley Hoyt
Richard Jenkins	...	Attorney Mel Dawson
Markus Flannagan	...	Husband
Mary Mara	...	Wife
Skipp Lynch	...	Instructor
Mike Hodge	...	Police Commissioner
Mike Starr	...	Superintendant
Chris Walker	...	Officer Jeff Travers
Tom Sizemore	...	Wool Cap

Storyline

On her first day on the job, NYPD officer Megan Turner, the lone officer on the scene, shoots and kills the perpetrator of a supermarket hold-up. Since no gun was found on the perpetrator's person or at the scene and none of the witnesses could corroborate Megan's story definitively that the perpetrator was indeed wielding a gun, she is suspended from active duty. She is quickly albeit temporarily reinstated to the position of homicide detective because the spent shell casing from the bullet used in a subsequent murder had her name carved on it. This murder ends up being only the first in a series. Working on the case with fellow homicide detective Nick Mann, Megan initially has no idea who in her life could be the murderer. In short order, the murderer does show himself to her. He is commodities trader Eugene Hunt who she met immediately following her suspension and who she has since dated. He also implies to her that he was in the supermarket at the time of the hold-up and that he ...

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Plot Keywords:

supermarket | murder | detective | police | bullet | 

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Taglines:

For a rookie cop, there's one thing more dangerous than uncovering a killer's fantasy. Becoming it.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 March 1990 (USA)

Also Known As:

Acero azul

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$8,220,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lightning Pictures, Precision Films, Mack-Taylor Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was originally set to be released by Vestron Pictures and its offshoot label Lightning Pictures but ultimately acquired by MGM due to Vestron's financial problems and eventual bankruptcy at the time.

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Goofs

In the first murder, Eugene fires two rounds into the victim from a revolver, then walks away without ejecting the engraved shell casings later found at the scene.

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Quotes

Eugene Hunt: Death is the best kick of all. That's why they save it for last.

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Connections

Referenced in Be Kind Rewind (2008)

User Reviews

A slightly flawed gem, worth viewing.

Difficult to know what to make of this one. The cinematography is beautiful, as is Jamie Lee Curtis as New York cop Megan Turner.

She has the misfortune to come across a supermarket robber on her first day of active service and ends up killing him. Unfortunately the robber's weapon disappears as it is stolen by Eugene Hunt (Ron Silver) who is a mentally ill trader with a fixation on Turner, who reciprocates his advances! With no weapon and despite witnesses and cctv, she is suspended from her job, giving her time to mess around with Hunt. It's never made clear what she sees in this creep. He's nuts.

Clancy Brown plays Nick Mann, fellow detective who teams up with a reinstated Turner to try to find the 44 Magnum killer who always leaves a shell etched with Turner's name at the scene of the killings.

The plot is odd but actually quite interesting. Curtis is very watchable, and the director knows it. Overall, a slightly flawed gem, and worth viewing.