Cheap Blue Collar (Video) (Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, Yaphet Kotto) (Paul Schrader) Price

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Customer Reviews of Blue Collar

An in-your-face gem about life on the assembly line!
This 1978 underrated classic is about three autoworkers. There's an honest and gritty realism to this story and the four-letter words and curses have a ring of authenticity to them, especially those of Richard Pryor whose foul language has been compared to raw sewage mixed with social insight. He's cast in the role of Zeke Brown, who owes money to the IRS and struggles to support his wife and three children. Harvey Keitel plays Jerry Bawtowski, who also has trouble meeting his bills and can't even afford braces for his daughter. And Yaphet Kotto, a physically imposing black man who is actually the son of a Cameroonian crown prince, plays the role of Smoky James, an ex-con who throws wild parties with drugs and women which serve as escape for the growing frustration of the men. All three see the union as corrupt and decide to rob the union office. They hope to get a few thousand dollars apiece. Instead they get more than they bargained for and the series of events that follow lead to betrayal, and murder.

This is the directional debut for writer/director Paul Shrader, known for writing Taxi Driver, and he does a masterful job. He puts the viewer right there on the assembly line, with the harsh clanging of heavy machinery and the constant pressure of the foreman to work faster and faster. I could almost feel the heat and smell the machine oil and sweat of the workers. Along with the physical labor, there's constant stress and this goes on day after day after day. The subject is serious and the story real but the wisecracks provide comic relief and the story is fast paced and gripping. An excellent blues musical score enhancing the action underscores all this. And all the performances were so good that I forgot they were acting. Eventually, the dramatic unsettling conclusion leaves a lot to think about.

I loved this film and give it one of my highest ratings. It's not pleasant or comfortable to watch but it sure is real. And I learned more about the lives of assembly line workers than I ever thought I wanted to know. It's especially poignant seeing it now because Detroit has closed many of these plants since 1978 and this story now has historical perspective. But this tight, riveting story that's an in-your-face gem about life on the assembly line says something important about the American Dream. Don't miss it.

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Solid movie about union corruption........
An older movie, 1978, Blue Collar is a very insightful film. Richard Pryor plays Zeke Brown a hustler on the auto lines in an automotive plant. Harvey Keitel is Jerry Bartowski and Yaphett Kotto is Smokey James there are friends of Zeke's. When the bills start to pile up they come up with a plan to rob the local union office. There robbery goes wrong when they find a small amout of money in the safe and a notebook with illegal pay-offs.
Pryors Zeke is just the right amount of hustler and dreamer to make the roll work well for him. Pryor is known mostly for his stand up comic bit and his roles in comedy's like, Stir Crazy, See No Evil Hear No Evil,and Bustin Loose that a rare dramatic role one to behold. Keitel's Jerry is both a good father and a bad husband,but he is always looking out for his family. Kotto is really good as Smokey James, a imposing man on the line who seems not to worry about much untill things go wrong. Blue Collar works on a lot of levels becouse it looks at life in a factory like Norma Rea and not like Gung-Ho and for that it works well.The acting is just first rate and the story moves very well. The movie, although a drama, has some very funny moments in it and at times catch you off gaurd. A good film that is worth the watch.....

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A unique movie
"Blue Collar" is very unique. It captures the ugliness of industry and the futility of those who work in the factories of this country. Along with "Norma Rae" and "Salt of the Earth", it is one of the few movies to tackle such issues.

I can't give this movie a 5 star rating, because there were some portions which were either out of place (the love making scene) or very unrealistic (death by paintbooth?).

It was great to see the Checker factory (even if the movie writers moved it completely across the state within the story line). What an irony that Checker would be out of business within the next seven years after the filming of this movie. Getting to see the inside of the Checker factory was a true time capsule opportunity.

The transfer is average, so don't expect a wonderful anamorphic picture. However, it is unlikely this movie will ever get the royal treatment, so enjoy it as it is.