Blue Collar

Directed by Paul Schrader, Blue Collar follows three assembly-line workers (Richard Pryor’s Zeke, Harvey Keitel’s Jerry, and Yaphet Kotto’s Smokey) as they hatch a scheme to rob a safe at union headquarters. Helmer Schrader, armed with his and Leonard Schrader’s screenplay, delivers a solid drama that benefits substantially from the compelling efforts of its stars, as Schrader elicits stirring, completely convincing work from Pryor, Keitel, and Kotto that proves effective at capturing (and sustaining) the viewer’s interest and establishing a lived-in atmosphere – with the easygoing vibe perpetuated by an opening stretch focused on the protagonists’ low-key exploits (eg they work, they drink, etc). The picture’s subsequent emphasis on the heroes’ planning and eventually execution of said heist is both surprising and engrossing, and although the midsection does contain a small handful of lulls, Blue Collar builds towards a propulsive and unexpectedly grim final third that’s far more enthralling than one might’ve initially anticipated – which, when coupled with an overall raft of positive attributes, cements the movie’s place as a memorable, frequently gripping endeavor from a first-class filmmaker.

***1/2 out of ****