Tense and suspenseful aerial action film with an exciting final chase starred by superbly crafted high-tech helicopters and F16 on the L.A. skies among its big city skyscrapers . Frank Murphy (Roy Scheider) is a Vietnam vet and police pilot who forms a helicopter surveillance team along with his younger partner (Daniel Stern) , when they spontaneously catch a secret conversation . Booth of them discover the strange project Thor (Thunder Helicopter Offensive respond ) in which are implicated powerful authorities . Then they take to the skies against a nasty army colonel (Malcolm McDowell) who will defend his accomplices at whatever cost.

Gripping , original action movie that deal with Roy Scheider trying to find the means avoid a video disk to be taken by corrupt government agents . Acceptable thriller full of intrigue and tense, this is a fast-paced , stylized action-suspense film. The tension of this picture keeps snowballing as ever close for ending . Casting is frankly magnificent, Roy Scheider as tormented Vietnam vet , Malcolm MacDowell takes honors as a psychopath who attempts to turn the tables on the protagonist before he can inform the police. Plus, a good secondary cast, such as Daniel Stern , Candy Clark, Warren Oates , Joe Santos and usual baddie of the 80s Anthony James , among others . But the real star is ¨Blue Thunder ¨ a heavily armored prototype , an Apache helicopter-alike which is secretly being proved for use in a nefarious government conspiracy . The slick screenplay written by recently deceased Alien's Dan O'Bannon . Adequate musical score accompanying the action by Arthur B. Rubinstein and inventively photographed by classic cameraman John A. Alonzo . The motion picture is professionally directed by John Badham . He's a nice director who achieved his greatest success in the 80s . He directed several hits ( Saturday night fever , Short circuit, Blue thunder, Drop zone, War games,Skateout ) , though today making TV movies( Jack Bull, Floating away ) and television episodes ( Crossing Jordan, Psych, Las Vegas, Standoff , Heroes ). Blue Thunder was followed by a successful TV series also starred by the ultra-sophisticated helicopter with James Farentino and Dana Carvey.

"Blue Thunder" . . . isn't this that movie where Roy Scheider uncovers a government conspiracy and then loops a wicked military chopper? You betcher sweet ass it is! And it's a shame the helicopter didn't talk. I mean, the comic potential of a reckless pilot and his snappy chopper is enough to salivate over. A more cynical person might find all of this silly, but not me. I was caught up in the whole thing; the car chases, the dofight through downtown L.A. It all works somehow, both as police procedural and conspiracy flick.

Scheider lends a great presence to validate the whole thing, Malcolm McDowell is a real slime of the first order, but neither one of these guys has a thing on the real star of the movie: ol' Blue, herself. That is one menacing attack helicopter, loaded for bear and still sleek. I can only imagine what it was like back in the '80s to be a bystander on the ground watching them film this beast in the air.

7/10

"Blue Thunder" is certainly my kind of movie as it achieves in casting actors I enjoy watching and has a military helicopter with state of the art weaponry and exceptional flying capability. When you such names as Roy Scheider, Warren Oates(aka God),Daniel Stern, Candy Clark(who I have never liked more than in this movie),and Malcolm McDowell, I'd be hard pressed to imagine how it could go wrong. Blue Thunder is a new form of police duty. Scheider plays a former helo-pilot during Nam who has the grueling task of warding off past demons which return to cause unneeded stress as he's in the air with co-pilot Stern hunting down street scum. Scheider is to pilot along with Stern the Blue Thunder much to the chagrin of McDowell who knows him from Nam. We later learn of a nasty little incident between the two which explains the obvious tension both share whenever they are near each other. McDowell is government now and contributes to a specific event, regarding the shooting of a political figure out to help the lower rung of society by one of the very kinds of criminal low lives she was vocal in her community at protecting. How McDowell is involved and how Scheider is out to shake him(and those others who are participants in this covert incident)is the meat of the film's storyline which accompanies the helicopter action that is the bread and butter of "Blue Thunder". Candy Clark is Scheider's girlfriend who is dragged into the developing plot concerning a conversation on a recorded tape and how she will be needed to deliver it to a news organization in order to see those involved are brought to justice. Stern is the affable partner of Scheider who suffers a tragic fate in order to lend a hand in taking down those who are responsible for a murder cover up. Oates is Scheider's disgruntled boss who has trouble defending him during moments of reckless behavior(Stern uses the photographic equipment to peep in on a naked woman doing aerobics! Scheider stealing the Blue Thunder in order to see that the tape is turned into the proper people). Oates, even in such menial roles which service the plot as a barking police captain, manages to steal all his scenes! Lord knows, Oates' captain has plenty to complain about when his pilots cause such disturbances as using the helicopter for other means besides police work! Candy Clark's driving in this movie is of supreme comedy relief as she evades certain harm repeatedly, particularly at the end when being chased by police out to arrest her. But, I wanted action in the air, and there are plenty of helicopter chases, even if such instances are preposterous when pondering them realistically(would even as good a pilot as Scheider really be able to outsmart heat seeking missiles fired at him from military jets?!). McDowell is, as always, perfectly loathsome, as a hot shot helicopter pilot whose superiority complex and treatment of Scheider make him such a wonderfully hissable villain. Badham keeps this movie humming along despite a long running time, staging some impressive action sequences along the way. Scheider, always quite the charmer, is appealing in the lead hero role. Regarded as unable to carry a movie, I always thought Scheider did so effortlessly. Scheider and Oates, you guys may be gone, but will never be forgotten.