The Blues Brothers Review

It's a heckuva mess, The Blues Brothers. From the sci-fi tinged opening (which influenced Blade Runner' early scenes) to the carnage-heavy conclusion, John Landis' picture changes pace and direction like a liquored-up learner driver. Musical, comedy, road movie - it's anyone guess what it's meant to be. The one thing that's undeniable is that The Blues Brothers is a lotta fun.

The movie that launched a handful of so-so covers albums, The Blues Brothers has its origins in 'Saturday Night Live', upon which Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi liked nothing better than to slap on the shades and belt out workman-like versions of 'Soul Man'. The film opens up this idea. Indeed, Aykroyd's original screenplay ran to almost 400 pages, many of which comprised lengthy descriptions of Jake and Elwood's beloved steed, the Bluesmobile. As for the finished film, it sees Aykroyd's Elwood and Belushi's Jake putting their band back together in the hope of saving their childhood home. Oh yes, and there's also some stuff about Illinois Nazis and a crazed C&W outfit lead by the impressively bechinned Charles Napier.