'The Blues Brothers' (1980)
A retrospective movie review by Walter Frith
Member of the 'Online Film Critics Society' http://ofcs.org/ofcs/
Dan Aykroyd's best film as a talented writer is definitely 'The Blues Brothers'. His follow-up to it in 1998 entitled 'Blues Brothers 2000' is simply horrible. Testifying further to the fact that the worse the sequel, the better the original really looks and is. Only, however, when you consider that the original people who put the first one together also made this one. 'The Blues Brothers', written by Aykroyd and the movie's director, John Landis, has so much going for it that it works for one simple reason. It achieved exactly what it was going for..... irreverence. It's the most irreverent film I've ever seen as tons of cars are destroyed, every character is so unattractive and the comedy avoids being mean spirited and comes off in a most delightfully jabbing manner. The movie is comparable to being poked in the ribs for a good laugh and it's a shame that so many of its stars are now deceased.
John Belushi (1949-1982), John Candy (1950-1994), and Cab Calloway (1907-1994) are all deceased and the second film was no fun simply because Belushi could not be in it and a film with such recognizable cult status as 'The Blues Brothers' simply cannot duplicate itself unless all of the original and important elements are intact.
Jake Blues (John Belushi) is released from prison at the beginning of the film and is picked up by his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) and the two of them embark on a journey to pay a visit to a nun who was there former guardian in an orphanage where they grew up. She informs them that $5,000 is needed to save the orphanage by paying its taxes and the entire film is basically spent in the pursuit of raising the money as the Blues Brothers get into more mischief and make more enemies in comedic fashion than any other screen duo I can think of.
Things occur in their life that would scare the pants off of the average man but the Blues Brothers seem so cool with their black suits, black hats and black sunglasses (they even wear them at night) that nothing gets them rattled. Jumping over a raising bridge, nearly getting hit by ammo from a rocket launcher and having their walls come literally crashing down around them have them driving or walking away from it all in style. They really are more alike and truly act like siblings who have a lot in common.
The real payoff in the film is the last half hour as a wild car chase that lasts for 106 miles and peaks in downtown Chicago is truly a classic and one of film history's most memorable action sequences. Not entirely noticeable when you consider that thrown into the mix are persistent cops, gay nazis, country bar rednecks, jilted girlfriends and the military. The film's climax is way over the top but perfectly executed as that is exactly what was intended and credit has to be given to director John Landis as the king of irreverent comedy direction comes across masterfully in making his best film.
There are more cars destroyed in this film than any other in recent memory and even Steven Spielberg has a speaking cameo at the end of the film as a tax clerk who is the Blues Brothers last contact with civilian life before they get hauled away to.....well, see for yourself. : - )
Avoid all television broadcasts of this film if you can and the only way to truly appreciate it is on home video and DVD, and on DVD, extra lost footage has been added that gives the film a running time of nearly 2 1/2 hours. 'The Blues Brothers' is either a film you'll love or despise depending on your taste in comedy. For low brow and non-critical fans, you'll have a laugh since you don't care about much and for the more serious and high brow movie fan, the wit and self indulgent tricks in this film should be enough to give you one of the most memorable comedic rides of your life. Don't yield during this movie or you'll be frustrated.
Visit FILM FOLLOW-UP by Walter Frith http://www.cgocable.net/~wfrith/movies.htm
wfrith@cgocable.net
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