“Schrader's visceral writing and direction illuminate BLUE COLLAR in the manner of chain lightning in a darkening summer sky.” - Bruce McCabe, Boston Globe
“Schrader has fashioned a powerful film from the anger of the powerless.” - Desmond Ryan, Philadelphia Inquirer
Two years after he burst on the scene as the screenwriter of Martin Scorcese’s TAXI DRIVER, Schrader proved himself as a major director with his first film, a gritty drama about a trio of fed- up Detroit auto factory workers—Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto—who, in an act of desperation, rob their union headquarters and stumble across evidence that the union has ties to organized crime. When they blackmail the union, they become trapped in a dangerous cycle of distrust, paranoia, and violence. With an incredible, fiery performance from Pryor, BLUE COLLAR is radical and clear-eyed, a film furious at power imbalances and injustices, a rare portrait of the American Rust Belt, and a triumphant directorial debut.
Awards & Nominations
Winner - Silver Spike, Best Film, Valladolid International Film Festival
The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu