Customer Reviews

Blue Steel (1990)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Bad films continue to get made, but did anyone bother to read this ridiculous script? "Blue Steel" (1990) deserves a special niche in cinema history as one of the most implausible crime thrillers ever produced. The character motivations of rookie cop Jamie Lee Curtis and Wall Street psychopath Ron Silver defy logic even by B-movie standards. Director Kathryn Bigelow is so preoccupied with visual style that she ignores the astonishing stupidity that substitutes for so-called plot twists. Strangely enough, "Blue Steel" has a few cult admirers, who remain charitably blind to its numerous flaws. At least Bigelow bounced back with the preposterously entertaining "Point Break."

Jamie Lee Curtis is one of Hollywood's more diverse actresses-- from being heralded the "Scream Queen" for such films as HALLOWEEN and THE FOG, to comedic genuis in A FISH CALLED WANDA and TRUE LIES. Her portrayal of a rookie cop who becomes the target of an obsessed stalker (Ron Silver) after her first assignment on the force solidifies her acting abilities and film repertoire. Ron Silver plays the Wall-Street-broker-turned-psychopath flawlessly.

BLUE STEEL is a cop flick with a twist which, unlike many films in the genre, showcases a lead female's descent through the police force. Amir M. Mokri's encompassing and somber cinematography, Brad Fiedel's ambient and chilling musical score, and Kathryn Bigelow's cool, detatched direction, combined with the excellent cast which also includes Louise Fletcher, Clancy Brown, and Elizabeth Peña, makes for a unique, entertaining, and esthetically pleasing film!

An NYPD rookie and her partner match wits with a not-so-bright homicidal lunatic (Silver) in this farcical "thriller."

Silver's one-dimensional character is so vile and despicable that we become too infuriated to be scared. Despite the substantial time focussed on him, there is little character development, no past, no context, no meaning--nothing to make him an interesting or awesome character. Because we don't expect him to do anything else but kill like a homidical robot from the start, suspense is nil.

Not once do any of the characters act out of rationality or common sense. The story itself completely lacks common sense. Too bad Jamie Lee Curtis's best performance to date had to be in such a turkey of film.

Kathryn Bigelow is like a female Michael Mann. She makes moody crime films that are always stylish, gritty, and that boast well choreographed action scenes. In 'Blue Steel' she tells the story of Margaret Turner (Jamie Lee Curtis) a rookie cadet just graduated from the Academy. After less than twenty four hours on the job she has prevented a grocery store stick up by blowing away the robber (Tom Sizemore). Turner's partner was in the bathroom so the rookie went it alone. This doesn't sit well with her superior officer Nick Mann (an excellent Clancy Brown). He takes her badge away and relieves her of duty. The police never found the suspect's weapon because it has been stolen by a commodities trader named Eugene (Ron Silver). He was in the grocery store at the time and made off with the gun before the police could find it. Eugene goes on a killing spree leaving behind spent cartridges that he has engraved with Margaret's name. As more bodies pile up Mann pulls Margaret out of retirement so that he can use her as bait in the hopes of catching the killer. Margaret meets Eugene by accident and the two become lovers. She has no idea that he is the one leaving her these messages. Curtis is strong in the lead role and Silver is legitimately scary as Eugene. The cat and mouse game between the two of them goes on a little too long especially once Margaret discovers who he is but that's more a complaint against having to endure more of Silver's creepiness than it is Bigelow's direction. The beautiful Elizabeth Pena is underused in a few scenes as Turner's best friend. A scarily plausible, disturbingly violent film that's very well made.

This is a great movie. An older movie and often overlooked, I think it is a great example of Jamie Lee Curtis' talent on exhibit early on. As a rookie cop on the NYP force, someone is killing people in her name, but who? It's a taut thriller and will keep your interest untill the end. Movie arrived in great condition as promised and shipping was really fast, and I would DEFINITELY do business with this seller again.

jamie lee curtis made this b movie potboiler , with a higher budget than a usual b movie though, this played at the movie screens and did fairly well back then, and she carries the movie like the pro she is in a engaging manner. At this point she'd been a leading actress for 12 years and this one which was directed by a woman was a interesting choice. I had a friend who loved this movie so much that he named things 'blue steel'! I too enjoyed this one and if you don't overthink it and just take it as a b movie that can be slightly over the top then you will enjoy this one. However if you are not a fan of this type of b movie made on a A budget then you won't enjoy it as much as I did. The late Ron Silver who died fairly young in his early sixties a few years ago, plays the villian as a complete slimey nut and these type of people do exist in real life to be sure, I have met them.
Anyways, the dvd looks decent, but this one did well enough for a blu ray release , at least with another movie. The double feature blu ray is a great idea for catalog movies and this one would fit well that way.

This movie was pretty good considering how long ago it was made. If you are a Jamie Lee Curtis fan you will like this movie. It was suspenseful and kept you going as she was trying to defend herself from a admired predator. Just an ordinary man intrigued with what it was like to kill someone. She was a strong character, could this happen today, you betcha. I like all kinds of movies new and old. Do not like horror but I do love suspense. Give it a try you won't be sorry.

Writer-director Kathryn Bigelow was a very talented painter before she went to film school to become a movie director. It shows in her work which is very artistic for someone primarily known to the action-adventure genre of filmmaking. She is a breath of fresh air in this genre, investing it with literate scripts and haunting imagery. Her most frequent producer is James Cameron (the action wonder king, "Titanic," "Terminator"), who is also her ex-husband. You can see his influence on her work as well. Bigelow's "Blue Steel" is set in the police world with a new cop played by Jamie Lee Curtis. She heroically saves a whole supermarket full of people from an armed gunman only to set off a serial killer played by the aptly villainous Ron Silver, a commodities trader in New York City. The film is a war of wits between Silver and Curtis, with Silver exhibiting all the raw cunning of a supremely intelligent man who has been lured over to the dark side of his existence. Although not as artistic as most of her work, "Blue Steel" works very well in the police movie genre.

Ok, the storyline's pretty weak and the characters aren't developed properly, but one thing is for sure: Jamie Lee's acting has improved in leaps and bounds. I found her quite convincing as a new recruit who has been suspended for shooting a guy whose weapon disappears after she's shot him.

It's far from being the greatest film of the early 90's, but worth owning if you're a Jamie Lee Curtis fan. Go and watch "The Fog" after this, and you'll see what I mean about the improvement in her acting.

Every once in a while someone comes up with a movie and makes the terrible assumption that as long as they put a well known actor/actress in it that everything will turn out good. Blue Steel is one of those movies. Jamie Lee Curtis plays a rookie cop who is being held responsible for civilian casualties (or should I say murders) which she did not commit. Sounds like an interesting plot, right? It would be had the script not been so poorly written. The supporting actors give such a bland/typical performance that not even Jamie Lee could have saved the dialogue. Aside from the acting, the film does not give the action packed performance that it promises. Some scenes are quite dull and as you are watching you wonder half way through the movie when the cop (Jamie Lee) is going to finally kill the psychopath whose been after her. So why do I give Blue Steel an extra star? Well, I'll just say that if you are a fan of Jamie Lee Curtis you might want to watch this if it comes on television. Just don't pay over $3 to rent it and certainly don't buy it.