Rating: 
Summary: Tough, uncompromising look at the American working man
Review: "Blue Collar" is one of the great underrated American films of the 1970s. It tells the story of three desperate, powerless men who work in a Detroit auto plant. When they're not being suppressed by their soulless company, they're being duped by their arrogant, corrupt labor union. Their collective desperation leads them to conduct an almost laughably amateurish robbery of the union safe. Instead, what they find is evidence of widespread union corruption. When they decide to blackmail the union, they find that three working men are no match for a ruthless, powerful labor union (and--in a larger sense--the American capitalist system).Director Paul Schrader (who co-wrote the film with his brother Leonard) presents this tale in a gritty, realistic fashion. Its bleak message is timeless, but the film is very much of the late 1970s, both in the sets (note the ugly orange sofas!) and in its infusion of drama and socio-political commentary. Filmed in Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Los Angeles, you really get the sense of the hopeless desperation of these three men, who are dying to make a better life for themselves and their families, but are trapped in soul-crushing jobs at the factory. Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto are their usual brilliant selves. The true surprise for most viewers will be Richard Pryor in one of the very few dramatic roles he ever played. He's hilarious, tragic, sympathetic, and--in the end--despicable all rolled into one. The DVD version of "Blue Collar" contains interesting bios of the three stars and of Schrader, and a commentary from the director and a female journalist (who spends much of the time swooning over Keitel...particularly when he's in his underwear!). Anyway, from the commentary, we learn that the 35-day shoot was an absolutely brutal one, especially since this was Schrader's first film as a director, and the fact that the three leads absolutely *HATED* each other. Physical altercations and set walk-offs were apparently the norm here. The fact that these three guys come off seeming like friends (for a time) illustrates their considerable acting ability and the magic of movies. The commentary itself is helpful, but Schrader starts running out of steam (it's clear he doesn't really like this movie very much) toward the end. The movie, however, never lets up. "Blue Collar" is a terrific analysis of the American working man, and the illusory nature of the so-called "American Dream".
Rating:
Summary: Tough, uncompromising look at the American working man
Review: "Blue Collar" is one of the great underrated American films of the 1970s. It tells the story of three desperate, powerless men who work in a Detroit auto plant. When they're not being suppressed by their soulless company, they're being duped by their arrogant, corrupt labor union. Their collective desperation leads them to conduct an almost laughably amateurish robbery of the union safe. Instead, what they find is evidence of widespread union corruption. When they decide to blackmail the union, they find that three working men are no match for a ruthless, powerful labor union (and--in a larger sense--the American capitalist system). Director Paul Schrader (who co-wrote the film with his brother Leonard) presents this tale in a gritty, realistic fashion. Its bleak message is timeless, but the film is very much of the late 1970s, both in the sets (note the ugly orange sofas!) and in its infusion of drama and socio-political commentary. Filmed in Detroit, Kalamazoo, and Los Angeles, you really get the sense of the hopeless desperation of these three men, who are dying to make a better life for themselves and their families, but are trapped in soul-crushing jobs at the factory. Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto are their usual brilliant selves. The true surprise for most viewers will be Richard Pryor in one of the very few dramatic roles he ever played. He's hilarious, tragic, sympathetic, and--in the end--despicable all rolled into one. The DVD version of "Blue Collar" contains interesting bios of the three stars and of Schrader, and a commentary from the director and a female journalist (who spends much of the time swooning over Keitel...particularly when he's in his underwear!). Anyway, from the commentary, we learn that the 35-day shoot was an absolutely brutal one, especially since this was Schrader's first film as a director, and the fact that the three leads absolutely *HATED* each other. Physical altercations and set walk-offs were apparently the norm here. The fact that these three guys come off seeming like friends (for a time) illustrates their considerable acting ability and the magic of movies. The commentary itself is helpful, but Schrader starts running out of steam (it's clear he doesn't really like this movie very much) toward the end. The movie, however, never lets up. "Blue Collar" is a terrific analysis of the American working man, and the illusory nature of the so-called "American Dream".
Rating: 
Summary: A unique movie
Review: "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.
Rating:
Summary: A unique movie
Review: "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.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid movie about union corruption........
Review: 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.....
Rating:
Summary: Great Cinema
Review: I don't understand why a movie this great isn't given much praise. This is by far the greatest performance from Richard Pryor. Excellent screenplay and performances from supporting cast. A nice transfer from the print to the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: NOT AS GOOD AS I REMEMBER IT
Review: I first saw this film about 10 years ago and have looked forward to this release. However, viewing it again it has a couple of flaws that didn't really strike me the first time I saw it. Some of the plot developments seem slightly stale and sluggish, as if Paul Schrader didn't have sufficient imagination to push the plot forward after a certain point. He seems caught between turning it into a fast sort of Warner Brothers melodrama from the 1930s and the kitchen-sink realism of a 1960s British film. Harvey Keitel's character has a lot of wooden expositionary dialogue to deliver, whereas Pryor and Kotto have fully rounded parts (excluding the occasional political rant the Schraders give them). It's ironic that Paul and Leonard Schrader have written the Black characters better than the White. Having said all that it's still an excellent film, it just strains a bit too hard over obvious plot, character and political points. All the performances are amazing, especially Kotto, and it contains two unforgettable scenes: a party and it's aftermath, and Kotto's death. The transfer is good and the extra's decent, with interesting commentary from Schrader about the film's production and better than average biographies.
Rating:
Summary: You must hear the director's commentary
Review: It's great that this underrated classic can be finaly popular with DVD. It's a tough, gritty drama yet with a lot f fun. The three actors are just marvelous, and the supporting cast looks so real too. The transfer may be dissapointing for those who likes crisp-DVD-images, but the soft look of the film is actually more appropreate for the kind of film this one is. Some DVD is too fussy about having a "crisp" image, while some movies are made to look not-too-crisp. What is arguably more enjoyable and enlightning on this edition is Schrader's commentary that you can hear on the additional audio track. His story of how difficult to shoot this film, because the three actors are constantly trying to get over the top of the other two to prove who was the star of the film (when the film is intended to be the story of these three guys), is hillarious, and reveals how difficult the job of the director is. Schrader says the experience of making this film "was a nightmare. I thought that if a director's job was something like that, it was humanely impossible".
Rating:
Summary: Grit...grease...gravy
Review: Paul Schrader's first film as a director, Blue Collar, features Richard Pryor as one of three auto factory workers whose debts land them behind the eight ball. The other two, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto, similarly cannot make enough at their jobs--or even with second jobs--to pay their bills, back taxes, and other expenses (like pay for a kid's braces).
So they plan to rob their union safe and being a noirish drama, things do not go as planned. The film is a tough naturalistic look at working men who live day to day on their boring routines, their four-letter word language, their occasional escapes into drugs and sex, their TV dinners--complete with gravy over the watery mashed potatoes--their wives and kids, and their never-to-be-realized dreams of chucking everything.
Schrader does not spare the viewer anything. We see just how these guys work inside the factory making Checker cabs--greasy, gritty, montonous jobs that numb the brain and don't pay enough to do much else but cover the mortgage and the fried chicken dinners and the utility bill.
Richard Pryor gives a startlingly vitriolic performance as Zeke and is absolutely riveting here. Keitel (Jerry) and Kotto (Smokey) turn in rock solid performances, as do the supporting cast which includes Cliff de Young, Ed Begley Jr., Lane Smith, and an older Harry Bellaver (from the Naked City TV show; he was a good friend of my parents when he was alive in his later years. My brother painted a portrait of him....)
It's too bad this DVD is now out of print. It's a strong piece of dramatic filmmaking which, though made in 1978 and smacks of that era, is just as powerful today as it was then. If you're a Richard Pryor fan you should definitely see this film; he's really great in it.
Definitely recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Very Powerful!
Review: Richard Pryor should have gotten an Award for his Performance here.After I Saw Which Way is Up? I thought what can He Do Next? Well He Blew me away in this Film.also Harvey Keitel after Blowing up in Taxi Driver Comes on Strong here.Yaphet Kotto gives another powerful Performance as well.He is Very Underrated.The Drama in this film will keep you interested all the way.it's a Forgotten Classic that Deserves more props.
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