Overview
Three factory workers take a dangerous gamble that spirals out of control, testing their friendship and morals.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- gritty
- sardonic
- angry
- socially conscious movie night
- 1970s cinema exploration
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a searing, darkly funny indictment of labor exploitation and consumerism, powered by its outstanding ensemble.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film uses a gritty 1970s American setting, antiheroic workers, institutional mistrust, and socially confrontational storytelling associated with New Hollywood.
Zeke, Jerry, and Smokey turn against their union after discovering exploitation, corruption, and dishonesty within its bureaucracy.
The workers’ drinking, robbery, and blackmail create uneasy humor while remaining rooted in economic pressure and labor exploitation.
The car plant, assembly-line labor, factory routines, and working-class domestic life ground the drama in material social conditions.
Films like Blue Collar, and why
Mean Streets
shared new hollywood realism, working-class alienation, crime narrative, and institutional corruption
Dog Day Afternoon
shared gritty urban drama, criminal desperation, male friendship, and social disillusionment
Norma Rae
shared labor exploitation, class conflict, political anger, and serious social critique
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
shared bleakly comic crime, economic desperation, and corrosive institutional power
Movie Details
- Director
- Paul Schrader
- Release Date
- 1978-02-10
- Runtime
- 114 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (215)
Cast
- Richard Pryor
- Harvey Keitel
- Yaphet Kotto
- Ed Begley Jr.
- Harry Bellaver
- George Memmoli
- Lucy Saroyan
- Lane Smith
- Cliff DeYoung
- Borah Silver
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Blue Collar about?
- Three Detroit auto workers turn a desperate union robbery into a dangerous revolt against the institutions exploiting them.
- What is Blue Collar like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Blue Collar as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Blue Collar violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Blue Collar as mild.
- What did critics think of Blue Collar?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a searing, darkly funny indictment of labor exploitation and consumerism, powered by its outstanding ensemble.
- Which films are like Blue Collar?
- Films with a similar feel include Mean Streets, Dog Day Afternoon, Norma Rae, and The Killing of a Chinese Bookie.
- How long is Blue Collar?
- Blue Collar runs 114 minutes.
- Where can I watch Blue Collar?
- In United States, Blue Collar is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
