Blue Collar (1978)

Directed by

Paul Schrader

Genre

drama film, crime film, detective film

Country

United States

Runtime

1h 54m

Rated

R

Rating

7.3 of 10 from 201 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Three auto workers rob their union's safe but find evidence of corruption. The film follows how the heist strains their friendship and pits them against union bosses and the FBI.

grittytensebleakrawprovocativecynicalgloomysharp

What happens

Blue Collar is a 1978 American crime drama film directed by Paul Schrader in his directorial debut. Written by Schrader and his brother Leonard, the film stars Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto. The film is both a critique of union practices and an examination of life in a working-class Rust Belt enclave. Schrader, who wrote the script for Taxi Driver (1976), recalls the shooting as being very difficult because of the artistic and personal tensions he had with the actors (including the stars themselves). Schrader has also stated that while making the film, he suffered an on-set mental breakdown, which made him seriously reconsider his career. The film was shot in Detroit and Kalamazoo, Michigan. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• The Driver (1978)
• Straight Time (1978)
• F.I.S.T. (1978)
• Perfect Gentlemen (1978)
• High-Ballin' (1978)
• Money Movers (1978)
• The Deer Hunter (1978)
• Mean Dog Blues (1978)