There were the Airwolf kids and the Blue Thunder kids. I was definitely a Blue Thunder kid. That TV show, even in the mid-80s, was fake sauce to me, just a series of repeated stock footage of the same helicopter 2nd unit action photography. All it had was a cool theme song. It was basically a rip-off of Knight Rider and Blue Thunder – both superior entities. Forty-plus years later, Blue Thunder is the go-to helicopter action thriller. Armed with a bad ass Roy Scheider and a clever script by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby, the action thriller is more adroit than one would think, more Three Days of the Condor than Top Gun. Though in its third act, the action finale is still an excellent example of impressively mounted reel-for-real action cinema.
Ex-Vietnam Vet turned LAPD Helicopter Pilot Frank Murphy (Scheider) has just been assigned a new Observer, Richard Lymangood (Daniel Stern). Lymangood thinks the Helicopter unit is going to be a peaceful retreat from the crime of Los Angeles. Frank shows his rookie partner that the Helicopter division is just as dangerous as any beat patrol, as they nightly must contend with robberies, rapes, and every other crime. Murphy is suspended after their first night when the duo’s screwing around causes them to miss a call that results in the death of a councilwoman.
Frank’s Captain (Warren Oates) gets him back on the job and assigns him to an experimental unit testing a new surveillance and attack helicopter nicknamed “Blue Thunder”. The helicopter is being tested for the 1984 Olympics and is headed by Colonel Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell), who is tied to Murphy’s past and trauma from Vietnam. As Murphy and Cochrane begin to taunt each other, Lymangood begins to find out there is more to “Blue Thunder” than a simple attack and observe vehicle. Murphy and Lymangood figure out the true nature of the helicopter and the Military Contractor who made its ultimate goal the partners are targets of Cochrane and the Company, willing to do anything to silence them.
There are few, if any, journeymen directors like John Badham who made as crisp and sharp genre films during their prime. Films like Saturday Night Fever, The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, 1977 Dracula, and WarGames all show a canny ability to elevate already great material. Even films like The HardWay, Bird on a Wire, Stake Out, and Drop Zone all elevate themselves beyond their B-movie origins. Blue Thunder feels more a part of the former rather than the latter group of films… a companion piece to WarGames and the proto-techno thriller genre that, to be honest, Badham and his collaborators created with these two films.
The biggest asset that Blue Thunder has is its script by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby. Rather than being just about a cool helicopter *** cough *** cough *** airwolf *** cough *** cough *** they’ve smartly layered interesting characters and a central story that feels like the helicopter is part of rather than the other way around. Mixing adroit casting choices like Scheider, McDowell, Stern, and Oates elevate this piece of hardboiled pop fiction. Even the requisite love interest played by Candy Clark is given more than just a damsel in distress third-act shenanigans, with her skills as a driver coming to pay off.
Blue Thunder is nothing if it doesn’t deliver on the promise of big action, which it does. Shot by John A. Alonzo of Chinatown fame, the film is not just a beautiful LA film, but its adeptly shot action scenes never feel like process optical shots (it’s because little if anything were optical effects). Badham, Alonzo, and the daredevil 2nd units capture some truly stunning shots that bring you into the action. One that even now, forty years later, will excite new and returning audiences alike.
The Transfer
The 4K restoration from the original negative presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) is another grand slam for Arrow Video. There isn’t a scratch or blemish throughout the entire runtime. The widescreen cinematography by John A Alonzo is sharp with beautiful color reproduction in native 4K. The Dolby Vision/HDR encoding only enhances the viewing experience, giving the nighttime aerial scenes a beautiful, glowing luster that even the 35mm prints never had (this reviewer has seen the film multiple times in theaters at revival houses). Arrow continues to give big catalog titles like Blue Thunder the quality restorations collectors want.
The Extras
They include the following;
Archival audio commentary by director John Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman
Flight Risk, John Badham talks Blue Thunder
A Rollercoaster Ride with Candy Clark
Catching Up Malcolm McDowell Reflects on Blue Thunder
Ride with the Angels: Making Blue Thunder
The Special: Building Blue Thunder
Archival 1983 promotion featurette
Extended scene
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
The Archival audio commentary by director John Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman begins with introductions before diving into the film. Some of the details include a discussion of the Los Angeles Helicopter Squad that this film’s version is based in part of; the logistics of night shoots on location and why some of it was done on a studio lot; the lengthy script development and why it was so long – including a writers strike which delayed the process; the score by Arthur Rubenstien; the construction and design of the helicopter of Blue Thunder; the work of cinematographer John Alonzo; some great stories about the various actors like Roy Scheider, Warren Oates, Malcolm McDowell, Daniel Stern, and others; a larger discussion of the stunt work and the crew members that accomplished those shots; a larger discussion of the work that 2nd Unit did and how he accomplished some of the tricker shots; a discussion of the various locations they used in and around Los Angeles and sets they used when necessary and why; and much more.
Flight Risk, John Badham Talks Blue Thunder (13:45) – is an all-new interview with director John Badham. Badham begins with discussing the reason why he did so many different genres and what attracted him to Blue Thunder. The director goes on to discuss his time in Los Angeles and where he lived and how that informed the production shoot; the casting of Warren Oates; Malcolm McDowell’s fear of helicopters; working with Candy Clark on the third act action scene; the score and collaboration with Arthur B. Rubenstien and him having to compete with Tangerine Dream who the studio wanted and how he got the composer the job; the themes of surveillance that have become more and more relevant in today’s drone-era; and much more.
A Rollercoaster Ride with Candy Clark (12:41) – is an all-new interview with actor Candy Clark. Clack begins with how she did not audition and was cast by Badham. The actor goes onto discuss what she loved about the script; working with Scheider; the differences between the various directors she’s worked with and how they differed from Badham; the gift that Badham gave her at the end of production; how much they let her do her own car stunts; and much more.
Catching Up Malcolm McDowell Reflects on Blue Thunder (13:32) – is an all-new interview with actor Malcolm McDowell. McDowell begins with what made the film so attractive after working on Cat People. The actor goes on to discuss how they developed the character as a British SAS commando and how that informed the story; getting to know Warren Oates and hanging out with him in his trailer; a great personal note about Scheider; where his fear of helicopters came from; some great stories from shooting the finale; and much more.
Ride with the Angels: Making Blue Thunder (44:45) – is an archival making-of documentary. The doc divided into three parts (pre-production, production, and post-production) that can be played individually or all at once through a play all function is one of the great making-of’s produced during the DVD era. Starting as an idea by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby as a Police Helicopter Pilot by way of Taxi Driver selling it in the wake of the success of Alien it wastes no time into getting into the details and nitty gritty including the development of the script; the attachment of Badham; the casting process; the attachment of Scheider from the beginning; the importance of storyboarding the action set pieces and any helicopter scenes; the difficulties in logistics and actually shooting the stunt heavy production in Los Angeles; a breakdown of the aerial footage and the mixture of process shooting and real flight footage with the actors; Badham’s collaboration with cinematographer John Alonzo; a great story of how they used live chickens for the BBQ Restaurant explosion; how they accomplished the impressive visual effects of the film, specifically the finale with the F-16s; the editing of the film and Badham’s use of two editors for the first time; the editing process itself and use of the test screening process; the critical and box office response; it being copied by Sony with its TV show Airwolf; and much more. The making-of features a surprising amount of b-roll behind the scenes footage (that looks to be shot on 35mm), and alternate visual effects shots. Featuring interviews with director John Badham, star Roy Sheider, writer Dan O’Bannon, visual consultant Phillip Harrison, editor Frank Morriss, visual effect supervisor Hoyt Yeatman, art director Syndey Z. Litwack
The Special: Building Blue Thunder (8:13) – is an archival featurette focusing on the creation of the iconic helicopter of the film. Beginning with the model they used as the chassis the featurette goes into detail of the approach they look to the design, the fabrication, and eventually the various models/mockups/miniatures they created for the production. Featuring interviews by Director John Badham, Visual Consultant Phillip Harrison, and art director Syndey Z. Litwack.
Archival 1983 promotion featurette (8:26) – in this archival EPK Style featurette it goes into the concepts, themes, character, action, and plot of the film. The featurette begins with a now dated elementary explanation of what was cutting edge at the time of your personal information being exploited for surveillance. There is some great b-roll footage of making the film. Featuring comments by John Badham, stars Roy Sheider, Daniel Stern, Malcolm McDowell, and others.
Extended scene (1:29) – the extended car chase scene involving Candy Clark’s character Kate that was show in theaters outside of the US and eventually on Home video is included here. The scene was sourced from a VHS copy of the scene.
Theatrical trailer (1:31)
Image gallery – consists of 15 production stills.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD release of Blue Thunder is an upgrade in every sense of the word. Recommended!!
Roy Scheider, Malcolm McDowell, and Daniel Stern star in the helicopter police action thriller Blue Thunder, new to 4K UHD, filled with special features and a 4K restoration from Arrow Video.
The Film
There were the Airwolf kids and the Blue Thunder kids. I was definitely a Blue Thunder kid. That TV show, even in the mid-80s, was fake sauce to me, just a series of repeated stock footage of the same helicopter 2nd unit action photography. All it had was a cool theme song. It was basically a rip-off of Knight Rider and Blue Thunder – both superior entities. Forty-plus years later, Blue Thunder is the go-to helicopter action thriller. Armed with a bad ass Roy Scheider and a clever script by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby, the action thriller is more adroit than one would think, more Three Days of the Condor than Top Gun. Though in its third act, the action finale is still an excellent example of impressively mounted reel-for-real action cinema.
Ex-Vietnam Vet turned LAPD Helicopter Pilot Frank Murphy (Scheider) has just been assigned a new Observer, Richard Lymangood (Daniel Stern). Lymangood thinks the Helicopter unit is going to be a peaceful retreat from the crime of Los Angeles. Frank shows his rookie partner that the Helicopter division is just as dangerous as any beat patrol, as they nightly must contend with robberies, rapes, and every other crime. Murphy is suspended after their first night when the duo’s screwing around causes them to miss a call that results in the death of a councilwoman.
Frank’s Captain (Warren Oates) gets him back on the job and assigns him to an experimental unit testing a new surveillance and attack helicopter nicknamed “Blue Thunder”. The helicopter is being tested for the 1984 Olympics and is headed by Colonel Cochrane (Malcolm McDowell), who is tied to Murphy’s past and trauma from Vietnam. As Murphy and Cochrane begin to taunt each other, Lymangood begins to find out there is more to “Blue Thunder” than a simple attack and observe vehicle. Murphy and Lymangood figure out the true nature of the helicopter and the Military Contractor who made its ultimate goal the partners are targets of Cochrane and the Company, willing to do anything to silence them.
There are few, if any, journeymen directors like John Badham who made as crisp and sharp genre films during their prime. Films like Saturday Night Fever, The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings, 1977 Dracula, and WarGames all show a canny ability to elevate already great material. Even films like The Hard Way, Bird on a Wire, Stake Out, and Drop Zone all elevate themselves beyond their B-movie origins. Blue Thunder feels more a part of the former rather than the latter group of films… a companion piece to WarGames and the proto-techno thriller genre that, to be honest, Badham and his collaborators created with these two films.
The biggest asset that Blue Thunder has is its script by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby. Rather than being just about a cool helicopter *** cough *** cough *** airwolf *** cough *** cough *** they’ve smartly layered interesting characters and a central story that feels like the helicopter is part of rather than the other way around. Mixing adroit casting choices like Scheider, McDowell, Stern, and Oates elevate this piece of hardboiled pop fiction. Even the requisite love interest played by Candy Clark is given more than just a damsel in distress third-act shenanigans, with her skills as a driver coming to pay off.
Blue Thunder is nothing if it doesn’t deliver on the promise of big action, which it does. Shot by John A. Alonzo of Chinatown fame, the film is not just a beautiful LA film, but its adeptly shot action scenes never feel like process optical shots (it’s because little if anything were optical effects). Badham, Alonzo, and the daredevil 2nd units capture some truly stunning shots that bring you into the action. One that even now, forty years later, will excite new and returning audiences alike.
The Transfer
The 4K restoration from the original negative presented in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) is another grand slam for Arrow Video. There isn’t a scratch or blemish throughout the entire runtime. The widescreen cinematography by John A Alonzo is sharp with beautiful color reproduction in native 4K. The Dolby Vision/HDR encoding only enhances the viewing experience, giving the nighttime aerial scenes a beautiful, glowing luster that even the 35mm prints never had (this reviewer has seen the film multiple times in theaters at revival houses). Arrow continues to give big catalog titles like Blue Thunder the quality restorations collectors want.
The Extras
They include the following;
The Archival audio commentary by director John Badham, editor Frank Morriss, and motion control supervisor Hoyt Yeatman begins with introductions before diving into the film. Some of the details include a discussion of the Los Angeles Helicopter Squad that this film’s version is based in part of; the logistics of night shoots on location and why some of it was done on a studio lot; the lengthy script development and why it was so long – including a writers strike which delayed the process; the score by Arthur Rubenstien; the construction and design of the helicopter of Blue Thunder; the work of cinematographer John Alonzo; some great stories about the various actors like Roy Scheider, Warren Oates, Malcolm McDowell, Daniel Stern, and others; a larger discussion of the stunt work and the crew members that accomplished those shots; a larger discussion of the work that 2nd Unit did and how he accomplished some of the tricker shots; a discussion of the various locations they used in and around Los Angeles and sets they used when necessary and why; and much more.
Flight Risk, John Badham Talks Blue Thunder (13:45) – is an all-new interview with director John Badham. Badham begins with discussing the reason why he did so many different genres and what attracted him to Blue Thunder. The director goes on to discuss his time in Los Angeles and where he lived and how that informed the production shoot; the casting of Warren Oates; Malcolm McDowell’s fear of helicopters; working with Candy Clark on the third act action scene; the score and collaboration with Arthur B. Rubenstien and him having to compete with Tangerine Dream who the studio wanted and how he got the composer the job; the themes of surveillance that have become more and more relevant in today’s drone-era; and much more.
A Rollercoaster Ride with Candy Clark (12:41) – is an all-new interview with actor Candy Clark. Clack begins with how she did not audition and was cast by Badham. The actor goes onto discuss what she loved about the script; working with Scheider; the differences between the various directors she’s worked with and how they differed from Badham; the gift that Badham gave her at the end of production; how much they let her do her own car stunts; and much more.
Catching Up Malcolm McDowell Reflects on Blue Thunder (13:32) – is an all-new interview with actor Malcolm McDowell. McDowell begins with what made the film so attractive after working on Cat People. The actor goes on to discuss how they developed the character as a British SAS commando and how that informed the story; getting to know Warren Oates and hanging out with him in his trailer; a great personal note about Scheider; where his fear of helicopters came from; some great stories from shooting the finale; and much more.
Ride with the Angels: Making Blue Thunder (44:45) – is an archival making-of documentary. The doc divided into three parts (pre-production, production, and post-production) that can be played individually or all at once through a play all function is one of the great making-of’s produced during the DVD era. Starting as an idea by Dan O’Bannon and Don Jakoby as a Police Helicopter Pilot by way of Taxi Driver selling it in the wake of the success of Alien it wastes no time into getting into the details and nitty gritty including the development of the script; the attachment of Badham; the casting process; the attachment of Scheider from the beginning; the importance of storyboarding the action set pieces and any helicopter scenes; the difficulties in logistics and actually shooting the stunt heavy production in Los Angeles; a breakdown of the aerial footage and the mixture of process shooting and real flight footage with the actors; Badham’s collaboration with cinematographer John Alonzo; a great story of how they used live chickens for the BBQ Restaurant explosion; how they accomplished the impressive visual effects of the film, specifically the finale with the F-16s; the editing of the film and Badham’s use of two editors for the first time; the editing process itself and use of the test screening process; the critical and box office response; it being copied by Sony with its TV show Airwolf; and much more. The making-of features a surprising amount of b-roll behind the scenes footage (that looks to be shot on 35mm), and alternate visual effects shots. Featuring interviews with director John Badham, star Roy Sheider, writer Dan O’Bannon, visual consultant Phillip Harrison, editor Frank Morriss, visual effect supervisor Hoyt Yeatman, art director Syndey Z. Litwack
The Special: Building Blue Thunder (8:13) – is an archival featurette focusing on the creation of the iconic helicopter of the film. Beginning with the model they used as the chassis the featurette goes into detail of the approach they look to the design, the fabrication, and eventually the various models/mockups/miniatures they created for the production. Featuring interviews by Director John Badham, Visual Consultant Phillip Harrison, and art director Syndey Z. Litwack.
Archival 1983 promotion featurette (8:26) – in this archival EPK Style featurette it goes into the concepts, themes, character, action, and plot of the film. The featurette begins with a now dated elementary explanation of what was cutting edge at the time of your personal information being exploited for surveillance. There is some great b-roll footage of making the film. Featuring comments by John Badham, stars Roy Sheider, Daniel Stern, Malcolm McDowell, and others.
Extended scene (1:29) – the extended car chase scene involving Candy Clark’s character Kate that was show in theaters outside of the US and eventually on Home video is included here. The scene was sourced from a VHS copy of the scene.
Theatrical trailer (1:31)
Image gallery – consists of 15 production stills.
The Final Thought
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD release of Blue Thunder is an upgrade in every sense of the word. Recommended!!
Arrow Video’s 4K UHD Edition of Blue Thunder is out May 5th
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