This film is currently unavailable
Blue Collar
Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel star in Paul Schrader’s great, gritty 1970s drama, one of the rare Hollywood films to tackle American labour.
Director: Paul Schrader
Overview
Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel and Yaphet Kotto play three Detroit car-factory workers disillusioned with both company exploitation and their union’s ineffectiveness. When they discover the union’s illegal ties to organised crime they hatch a plan to improve their lot, but discover that social mobility is never easily won.
Paul Schrader’s directorial debut is a notable film many ways, not least for being one of the few Hollywood films to tackle the issue of industrial relations. Schrader’s sense for the milieu makes it one of the great, gritty 1970s movies. But it’s Pryor’s lead performance that’s a revelation: in his first lead role he plays it relatively straight, carrying the dramatic story while also adding the occasional comic touch. It established Pryor as a bankable star who could deliver a credible performance and, crucially, carry a movie.
Contains strong sex, language and drug useRelated
Wheels of Life Wheels of Life
Advert 1929 8 mins Silent
Bonkers bikes promo. They don't make 'em like this any more... or do they?
12 Years a Slave 12 Years a Slave
Biopic 2014 134 mins Director: Steve McQueen
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender star in Steve McQueen’s fearless, Oscar-winning story of a free man who’s sold into slavery.
20 Feet from Stardom 20 Feet from Stardom
Documentary 2013 87 mins Director: Morgan Neville
This moving documentary shines a spotlight on the backing singers behind some of the great musical hits of the 21st century.
All Night Long All Night Long
Drama 1962 91 mins Director: Basil Dearden
Othello is transposed to the 1960s Soho jazz scene as a malevolent drummer sows mistrust between husband-and-wife jazz luminaries.
Attack the Block Attack the Block
Crime 2011 88 mins Director: Joe Cornish
Aliens wage war on a tower block after one of their number is bludgeoned by a street gang in this witty, action-packed feature debut by Joe Cornish.
Amazing Grace Amazing Grace
Documentary 2019 89 mins Director: Alan Elliott and Sydney Pollack
Aretha Franklin, at the height of her powers, returns to the music which nurtured her prodigious talent.
Ailey Ailey
Documentary 2021 95 mins Director: Jamila Wignot
An immersive profile of ground-breaking and influential choreographer and founder of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Mean Streets Mean Streets
Crime 1973 112 mins Director: Martin Scorsese
Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel excel in Scorsese’s seminal tale of the conflict between Catholicism and crime in New York’s Little Italy.
Who's That Knocking at My Door Who's That Knocking at My Door
Drama 1968 86 mins Director: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese’s powerful and grittily authentic first feature, starring Harvey Keitel as a young New Yorker who falls in love with a free-spirited college graduate (Zeth Bithune).
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
Drama 1974 107 mins Director: Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed fourth feature famously won Ellen Burstyn an Academy Award for Best Actress.
Reservoir Dogs Reservoir Dogs
Crime 1991 99 mins Director: Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino explodes onto the screen with his debut feature following a jewellery heist gone horribly, violently wrong.
Youth Youth
Drama 2015 119 mins Director: Paolo Sorrentino
Michael Caine scintillates as a curmudgeonly composer in Paolo Sorrentino’s deliciously bittersweet drama.
Bad Timing Bad Timing
1980 122 mins Director: Nicolas Roeg
Nic Roeg's complex, elusive cult classic is a Vienna-set tale of all consuming passion, starring Art Garfunkel, Theresa Russell and Harvey Keitel.
Master Gardener Master Gardener
Drama 2022 111 mins Director: Paul Schrader
Joel Edgerton stars as a meticulous horticulturalist with a dark past, in Paul Schrader’s creeping gritty thriller.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.
Night Courier (Mandoob) Night Courier (Mandoob)
Comedy 2023 112 mins Director: Ali Kalthami
A desperate delivery driver gets caught up in the dark underworld of Riyadh in Ali Kalthami’s gripping, pitch-black satire.
The Ballymurphy Precedent The Ballymurphy Precedent
Documentary 2018 108 mins Director: Callum Macrae
John Pilger's film on the conflict in Northern Ireland is a skilful mix of investigative journalism, documentary storytelling and reflections on contemporary history.
Utopia Utopia
Documentary 2013 111 mins Director: John Pilger and Alan Lowery
John Pilger's portrayal of the oldest continuous human culture is also an investigation into a suppressed colonial past, and rapacious present.
The Coming War on China The Coming War on China
Documentary 2016 113 mins Director: John Pilger
John Pilger’s prescient 60th film for ITV is both a warning and an inspiring story of resistance.
Girls Will Be Girls Girls Will Be Girls
Drama 2024 119 mins Director: Shuchi Talati
Teenage romance simmers in a strict Himalayan boarding school in this sublime coming-of-age tale. Winner of the 2024 Sundance audience prize.