Blue Collar
1978
In 'Blue Collar', Paul Schrader's strong directorial debut, three assembly-line auto workers (Richard Pryor in one of his only serious dramatic roles, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto) are equally angry and disenchanted at factory management and their own union. They are also, as the film reveals in long, detailed vignettes, .. Read more
| Starring | Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto, Ed Begley Jr. |
|---|---|
| Director | Paul Schrader |
| Genres | Drama |
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Blue Collar
In 'Blue Collar', Paul Schrader's strong directorial debut, three assembly-line auto workers (Richard Pryor in one of his only serious dramatic roles, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto) are equally angry and disenchanted at factory management and their own union. They are also, as the film reveals in long, detailed vignettes, struggling just to make ends meet. As they ruminate together on their dead-end jobs and the fears of a dead-end life, they eventually plan to burglarise their union's safe. The catch - instead of finding cash as expected, they find ledgers documenting mob transactions. The relationship of the three friends is tested in the aftermath of this now-complex heist that was supposed to free the men from their torturous existence but instead has created more conflict in their lives. Pryor and Keitel are outstanding in this searing drama that looks at factory conditions and, more to the point, the condition of the male spirit when sacked with a hard, boring job that can barely support a family.
| Starring | Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto, Ed Begley Jr., Harry Bellaver, George Memmoli, Lucy Saroyan |
|---|---|
| Director | Paul Schrader |
| Studio | UNIVERSAL PICTURES UK |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 49 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 06 Feb 2006 Production year: 1978 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (5)
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After writing the scripts for Taxi Driver and an early version of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Paul Schrader made his directorial debut with Blue Collar, a rare Hollywood feature in that it deals with industrial relations in a factory, a topic that's more the province of British realist pictures of the 1960s. It's the grinding boredom of the production line that interests Schrader, and how his three workers — Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto — plan to break free of it by robbing their union. Tough, convincing and littered with ripe language, Blue Collar captures the atmosphere of the street with the same sort of pulse as Taxi Driver.
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The perfomances are excellent... The centre of the film is Pryor who for the first time makes use of the wit and fury that distinguish his straight comedy routines...
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Most helpful member's review
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6 out of 6 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Hilarious working class exploitation pic
Paul Schrader directed presentation of what it's like to be a working class man in just 110 minutes. Not special from a film point of view, it is simplistic in its message but it was also very effective and I loved every single minute of it. If you have this social class as your background I think you'll enjoy it as much as I did. Tremendous.
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Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Tough, uncompromising look at the American working man
This little-seen film (hence the reason I'm the first and so far only person to review it) is one of my favorites of the '70s, which would pretty much make it one of my favorites ever since the '70s was the best decade for film ever. After writing successful screenplays for directors like Martin Scorsese and Brian DePalma, Paul Schrader here makes his directorial debut, and it is still his best film to date. It's a searing, knowing drama about the lives of Detroit auto workers, and in it Richard Pryor gives his first dramatic performance. He's brilliant, and Harvey Keitel--no surprise here--matches him. If you'r a fan of filmmakers like Scorsese, you'll like Paul Schrader and this film in particular. Highly reccommended.
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In 'Blue Collar', Paul Schrader's strong directorial debut, three assembly-line auto workers (Richard Pryor in one of his only serious dramatic roles, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto) are equally ... -