Movie Review: Blue Steel (1990)

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Synopsis: Rookie New York police officer Megan Turner kills an armed robber and is suspended when the robber's gun can't be found. Soon after, she accepts an offer from wealthy commodities trader Eugene Hunt to share a cab and begins dating him only to learn he is a serial killer. With no evidence to corroborate Eugene's confession and put him behind bars, even after he kills her best friend, Megan finds herself stalked by Eugene and must find a way to stop him before he harms anyone else close to her.

Who's in it? The movie stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Ron Silver, Clancy Brown, Louise Fletcher and Richard Jenkins.


Review: My youngest daughter had to work, my wife was at her sewing studio, and my oldest daughter was doing her own thing, so I found myself with time to watch a movie yesterday evening. After looking at several options, I settled on the film Blue Steel (not to be mistaken for the John Wayne movie by the same name) just because it sounded interesting and had actors I recognized. After watching it, I would describe it as an OK film but also a movie with flaws.

I'll start out with what I liked about this movie - Eugene (Silver). As far as movie serial killers go, he was a solid one. He had a creepy vibe that would have raised red flags with me even if I hadn't seen him take the gun from the robbery. He clearly wasn't right in the head, which made him unpredictable. Plus, thanks mostly to his attorney (Jenkins), he frustratingly managed to stay one step ahead of the police, though I am still a little confused why his spontaneous confession to a police officer wasn't enough to at least get a warrant.

The above did make the movie watchable, especially as Eugene chose to escalate things and make Megan (Curtis) feel unsafe at every turn. By the end, I was beginning to wonder if he'd somehow manage to get away with all of it and leave Megan facing consequences for her provoked actions.

My biggest complaint about the movie is while I do like Jamie Lee Curtis, I was not a fan of Megan who, in my opinion, had to be one of the worst protagonist movie cops ever.  This starts with her not noticing the beforementioned red flags and not even remotely suspecting Eugene until he told her he was a killer. It includes returning to her apartment and immediately having sex with her partner (Brown) without so much as a cursory check to make sure the serial killer that is at large and knows where she lives isn't hiding in the bathroom.

And don't even get me started on her nearly getting her partner killed prior to that by handcuffing him in the car.

In fact, between that, punching out and stealing clothes from a fellow police officer to get out of the hospital and the reckless shootout that probably should have resulted in civilian deaths, I'm not so certain Megan could even be considered the good guy. The movie chooses not to address the aftermath, but there is no way to justify her keeping her badge after all of that or even not facing criminal charges of her own.

Final Opinion: It is an entertaining movie, and I'd recommend it based on that. I just wish the main protagonist would have been someone a bit more competent and likeable.

My Grade: B

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Here are some reviews of other Jamie Lee Curtis movies:

Movie Review: Borderlands (2024)

Movie Review: Halloween Kills (2021)

Movie Review: Terror Train (1980)

Movie Review: Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998)



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