Officers Frank Murphy (Roy Scheider) and Richard Lymangood (Daniel Stern) get grounded for hovering near a home in Encino to spy on a nude woman. Well, that's what you get for using taxpayer dollars for being peeping toms.
No worry, there's a new program that Murphy has been chosen for so it looks like he won't stay grounded. The city of L.A. is looking to employ the use of a tactical helicopter nicknamed Blue Thunder. This thing looks like it belongs in the Vietnam war or worse. How they could justify using it in a domestic situation is beyond me. But, it's L.A. in the 1980's so whatever.
Murphy catches on that the use of the Blue Thunder is not on the up-and-up and then he becomes a target.
Action-wise and story-wise the movie was good. It was conspiratorial but I like a good conspiracy movie. Some of the decisions were totally unbelievable but it's a movie. I can't believe that a mayor would OK dispatching two F-16's to shoot down a helicopter over a densely-populated city. That had to be one of the most reckless actions by a mayor in cinematic history. Even more reckless than opening Amity beach after a shark attack.
**Hopefully someone got that reference.**
It was no wonder that both missiles fired missed their target and blew up a couple of buildings. I wonder how many people died in that errant attack? You think that mayor got re-elected?
But really, why would they have tried to down the helicopter in the first place? You're asking for serious damage and/or casualties. He's in a helicopter. A helicopter that requires fuel. Escort him and wait it out, once he's down arrest him.
I understood Cochrane's motives (played by Malcolm McDowell) for wanting to shoot down Murphy, he had to cover his butt, but the rest of the LAPD... come on. Or maybe the goal of the movie was to paint the city of L.A. as stupid, reckless, and inept.
Take away the foolish decisions and I actually liked the movie. A super charged helicopter as a vehicle and a weapon was a nice touch however improbable it was to use in an urban environment.
No worry, there's a new program that Murphy has been chosen for so it looks like he won't stay grounded. The city of L.A. is looking to employ the use of a tactical helicopter nicknamed Blue Thunder. This thing looks like it belongs in the Vietnam war or worse. How they could justify using it in a domestic situation is beyond me. But, it's L.A. in the 1980's so whatever.
Murphy catches on that the use of the Blue Thunder is not on the up-and-up and then he becomes a target.
Action-wise and story-wise the movie was good. It was conspiratorial but I like a good conspiracy movie. Some of the decisions were totally unbelievable but it's a movie. I can't believe that a mayor would OK dispatching two F-16's to shoot down a helicopter over a densely-populated city. That had to be one of the most reckless actions by a mayor in cinematic history. Even more reckless than opening Amity beach after a shark attack.
**Hopefully someone got that reference.**
It was no wonder that both missiles fired missed their target and blew up a couple of buildings. I wonder how many people died in that errant attack? You think that mayor got re-elected?
But really, why would they have tried to down the helicopter in the first place? You're asking for serious damage and/or casualties. He's in a helicopter. A helicopter that requires fuel. Escort him and wait it out, once he's down arrest him.
I understood Cochrane's motives (played by Malcolm McDowell) for wanting to shoot down Murphy, he had to cover his butt, but the rest of the LAPD... come on. Or maybe the goal of the movie was to paint the city of L.A. as stupid, reckless, and inept.
Take away the foolish decisions and I actually liked the movie. A super charged helicopter as a vehicle and a weapon was a nice touch however improbable it was to use in an urban environment.