Blue Thunder

"He's out there…"

1983 1h 50m EN

😐

6.3

MID

★6.3TMDB · 590

DramaActionThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Los Angeles, California. Officer Murphy, a veteran Metropolitan Police helicopter pilot suffering from severe trauma due to his harsh experiences during the Vietnam War, and Lymangood, his resourceful new partner, are tasked with testing an advanced and heavily armed experimental chopper known as Blue Thunder.

“He's out there…”

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Cast

Roy Scheider
Murphy
Warren Oates
Braddock
Candy Clark
Kate
Daniel Stern
Lymangood
Paul Roebling
Icelan
David Sheiner
Fletcher
Joe Santos
Montoya
Malcolm McDowell
Cochrane

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John Badham
Writers: Dan O'Bannon, Don Jakoby
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

43 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John Badham, shot by John A. Alonzo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Arthur B. Rubinstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Frank Morriss shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Roy Scheider and Warren Oates and Candy Clark carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "He's out there…".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0085255 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John Badham directs. John A. Alonzo behind the camera. Arthur B. Rubinstein scores. Frank Morriss cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

143 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by John Badham, shot by John A. Alonzo. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Arthur B. Rubinstein. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Frank Morriss shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Roy Scheider and Warren Oates and Candy Clark carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "He's out there…".
7IMDB entry: tt0085255 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 11 themes, including "vietnam veteran", "high technology", "high tech surveillance", "los angeles, california".

The technical file

Cinematography: John A. Alonzo
Original score: Arthur B. Rubinstein
Editing: Frank Morriss
Makeup / hair: Stephen Elsbree
Sound: Don Digirolamo
Runtime: 110 min · 1h 50m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $22,000,000
Box office: $42,313,354
Return: 192% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Blue Thunder (1983)

Also by

John Badham

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Max2024-04-15
★ 8/10
A comedic movie that screams 80s from the rooftops, and it works incredibly smoothly. This is First Blood, but with a helicopter.

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