Blue Thunder Is One of the Most Underrated Action Movies of the ’80s
In the 80s, it was simpler for audiences to let go of disbelief in movie theaters nationwide. This allowed movies like “Blue Thunder,” starring Roy Scheider, to be a huge success, earning $42 million in 1983 – twice its budget. The helicopter-centric action plot foreshadowed “Top Gun” and combined elements of fighter pilot films with the emerging helicopter and computer technology of the early ’80s. It was an intriguing period, sandwiched between times, as neo-noir films such as “8 Million Ways to Die” and “To Live and Die in LA” glamorized the ex-military LAPD officers who starred in many gritty ’80s crime movies. Directors like Hal Ashby, William Friedkin, and John Badham, director of “Blue Thunder,” were experimenting with a style popularized by 70s films like “The French Connection,” but with a less intellectual – and more high-energy – approach.