Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

Ploydsge just watch it!

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

philosopherjack Blue Collar, Paul Schrader's first film, might not be easily identifiable as a Schrader film if you didn't know: for long stretches of time it almost feels like something arising organically from the factories and the surrounding community, particularly from the male workers who navigate between profane self-assertion and constant losing-battle economic anxiety. This doesn't mean it feels like documentary - it increasingly submits to the mechanics of the plot and to the journey toward its final cinema-fist freeze-frame - but much of the movie carries an enormous feeling of ease and almost unmediated expression, with all three lead actors as fine as they've ever been. The film explores the complex equilibrium of the worker - at once proud of the union and what it represents but mostly contemptuous of the specific individuals who embody it; adhering to a traditional role as head of household while constantly on the lookout to subvert it with drugs and available women; sensitive to criticism and accusations of fallibility while constantly aware of their circumscribed place in the system. It's a gripping film from beginning to end, but inevitably now it's the sociological aspect that holds sway, given the subsequent decline of such labour-heavy production methods, and its consequences for the kind of worldview and social infrastructure Schrader explores. The film's treatment of race is also notable: the film's protagonists - two black and one white - are joined by what they have in common without being suspicious of what they don't, until their unity poses a threat to the system, and so must be not just broken, but converted into active hatred. That ending freeze-frame isn't subtle, but watching the movie now, it's like a portal to the toxic present, in which such communities are plundered for easy votes, with never a shred of economic concession or compassion given in return.

merklekranz I realize I am shoveling against the tide here, as most reviews rave about this film. I will agree that the acting by Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto is overwhelmingly excellent. The story has something to say about union corruption, the working stiff, race relations, and getting into crime without realizing what could be the consequences. The film flips somewhat uneasily from hilarious Halloween masks with springy eyes and buck teeth, to smashing kneecaps with a baseball bat. I also thought the unresolved ending was disappointing. If "Blue Collar" had fewer assembly line scenes, fewer "F" words, and a more satisfying conclusion, I would have liked it better. It's still a strong drama because of the fine acting, although I doubt there will be many second viewings. - MERK

tavm After years of reading about this Paul Schrader drama, I finally watched Blue Collar on Netflix Streaming. It stars Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto as three auto assembly workers who feel let down by their bosses and the union rep they don't trust. While Pryor does have some comic moments, he's allowed to be more serious when the film takes a route that challenges these three friends' loyalty to each other. Keitel and Kotto are also very compelling especially when the story concerns the latter's fate. And the score by Jack Nitzsche and Ry Cooder really pours the blues on. So on that note, I recommend Blue Collar. By the way, having noticed that the movie is produced by Norman Lear's company of T.A.T. Communications, he certainly wasn't above plugging his shows "The Jeffersons" and "Good Times" by putting some long clips in when the characters are watching television!

movieman_kev A group of blue collar car plant workers, Zeke, Jerry & Smokey (Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel & Yaphet Kotto respectively) decide to get even with the crooked Union that's keeping them down I can't believe I've never heard of this film before, especially inexplicable since I'm huge fans of Pryor, Keitel, Kotto, and a major fan of almost every other Paul Schrader film (the only one i dislike being the vastly overrated "Last Temptation of Christ"). But I'm sure glad I stumbled on this film while channel surfing one night, the acting by everyone involved is superb, all the movie fits remarkably well, the directing is great if low-key, and the whole movie just really clicks. I'll definitely be adding this to my growing DVD collection extremely soon. I just can't seem to find the right words to praise this film enough.My Grade: A