Blue Thunder

Infobox_Film
name = Blue Thunder


caption = Theatrical Release Poster
director = John Badham
producer = Gordon Carroll
Phil Feldman
Andrew Fogelson
writer = Dan O'Bannon
Don Jakoby
starring = Roy Scheider
Malcolm McDowell
music = Arthur B. Rubinstein
cinematography = John A. Alonzo
editing = Edward M. Abroms
Frank Morriss
distributor = Columbia Pictures
released = May 13, 1983 | runtime = 109 min
country = USA
awards = Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress
language = English
amg_id = 1:6295
imdb_id = 0085255 |

"Blue Thunder" is a 1983 feature film that features a high-tech helicopter of the same name. The movie was directed by John Badham and stars Roy Scheider. A spin-off television series also entitled "Blue Thunder" lasted eleven episodes in 1984.

Plot synopsis

The film revolves around Frank Murphy, a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) helicopter pilot-officer and troubled Vietnam War veteran with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Amid a family and employment crisis, he is selected to pilot the world's most advanced helicopter, nicknamed "Blue Thunder", which is essentially a military style combat helicopter supposedly intended for police use as a surveillance platform and for large crowd control and riot missions. With powerful armament, stealth technology that allows it to fly virtually undetected, and other accoutrements (such as infrared scanners, powerful microphones and cameras, and a U-Matic VCR), Blue Thunder appears to be a formidable tool in the war on crime that the LAPD readily accepts.

When the death of city councilwoman Diane McNeely turns out to be more than just a random murder, Murphy begins his own covert investigation. He discovers that a subversive action group, using the acronym THOR (Tactical Helicopter Offensive Response—the "proposed use of military helicopters to quell disorder"), is intending to use Blue Thunder to carry out their mission that involves secretly eliminating political undesirables. Murphy immediately suspects that his old nemesis from the war, Lt. Colonel F.E. Cochrane (played by Malcolm McDowell), who is actually the primary test pilot for Blue Thunder, is hiding something. After following Lt. Colonel Cochrane and using the technology on board Blue Thunder to record a meeting Cochrane has with other high-powered government officials planning to use Blue Thunder for nefarious purposes, Frank must try to get the video tape to a television station before he gets killed.

The final showdown between Murphy and Lt. Colonel Cochrane, who pilots a cannon-equipped Hughes 500 helicopter against Blue Thunder, takes place over the skies of Los Angeles and includes an initial battle with two Air National Guard F-16 fighters. After pulling off a spectacular loop Murphy shoots down Cochrane, then destroys Blue Thunder by landing it in front of an approaching freight train.

Production

The first draft of the screenplay for Blue Thunder featured Frank Murphy as more of a crazy main character with deeper psychological issues, who went on a rampage and destroyed a lot more of the city. [ [http://airwing.uplink.com.au/bluethunder/Blue%20Thunder%20(1979).html Blue Thunder - Original 1979 First Draft Screenplay ] ]

Main cast of characters

* Roy Scheider: Officer Frank Murphy
* Malcolm McDowell: Lt. Colonel F.E. Cochrane
* Warren Oates [This was one of Warren Oates' last films before his death in 1982 and is dedicated to him. He made one movie and one TV episode that were released after "Blue Thunder".] : Captain Jack Braddock
* Candy Clark: Kate
* Daniel Stern: Officer Richard Lymangood

Blue Thunder helicopter

The helicopter used for Blue Thunder was a French-made Aérospatiale SA-341G Gazelle modified with bolt-on parts and an Apache-style canopy. Two helicopters were used in the filming of the movie in case one was grounded for maintenance issues. The helicopters were purchased by Columbia Pictures and flown to Cinema Air in Carlsbad, CA where they were heavily modified for the film. These alterations made the helicopters so heavy that various tricks had to be employed to make it look fast and agile in the film. For instance, the 360° loop maneuver at the end of the film was carried out by a radio controlled model.

The two SA-341Gs were S/N 1066 and S/N 1075 and were produced in 1973. After the film was made, the helicopter was sold to Mike Groovy, an aviation salvage collector in Clovis, New Mexico. Groovy then leased it out to a film company that was filming the made for TV movie Amerika (an ABC mini-series about Soviet occupation of the USA; the helicopters were painted black, and the surveillance microphones were missing). After he got it back it was dismantled and sold for parts. [ [http://www.gregdonner.org/blue_thunder/bt_movie.html Blue Thunder, the helicopter: movie information] ]

See also

* Airwolf
* Knight Rider
* Viper (TV series)
* Street Hawk

References

External links

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* [http://airwing.uplink.com.au/bluethunder/ Blue Thunder unofficial home page]
* [http://www.gregdonner.org/blue_thunder/bt_movie.html Blue Thunder movie page on gregdonner.org]