Blue Collar
1978 · Movie · R · 114 min · ★ 7.3 · 88% critics
Three struggling factory workers, frustrated by low pay and corrupt leadership, plan a risky robbery at their union headquarters. What starts as a desperate money grab soon uncovers signs of deeper wrongdoing and puts their friendship under pressure.
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Details
- Years
- 1978
- Release date
- 1978-02-10
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Critic score
- 88/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.3/10 (200 votes)
- Box office
- $6,521,083
- Budget
- $1,700,000
About
You may like Blue Collar if you want a tough, working-class crime drama with strong performances and a bleak edge; not for you if you want something light or upbeat, or if Thief-style tension isn’t your thing.
Pros: powerful performances; gritty realism; sharp social edge | Cons: uneven tone; bleak mood; some rough moments
Themes
- factory worker
- robbery
- blackmail
- drinking
- union
- detroit, michigan
- blue collar worker
- vending machine
- car factory
- assembly line
Cast & crew
Richard Pryor
as Ezekiel 'Zeke' Brown
Harvey Keitel
as Jerry Bartowski
Yaphet Kotto
as Sam 'Smokey' James
Ed Begley Jr.
as Bobby Joe
Harry Bellaver
as Eddie Johnson
George Memmoli
as Jenkins
Lucy Saroyan
as Arlene Bartowski
Lane Smith
as Clarence Hill
Cliff DeYoung
as John Burrows
- BS
Borah Silver
as Dogshit Miller
Directed by Paul Schrader