For those of us that remember when the Blues Brothers premiered on SNL back in 1979, it's a blast to go back and watch THE BLUES BROTHERS again and see just how perfectly it's held up.
The film opens with Jake Blues (John Belushi) getting out of prison and reuniting with his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd).
When the boys go as promised to visit the Penguin (the nun that raised them in Catholic schools, perfectly played by Kathleen Freeman) they find that the school they grew up in will be closed in 11 days without back taxes paid in full.
Jake and Elwood decide to reunite "The Band" for one big concert to raise the tax money and hilarity ensues, all set to fantastic music.
Director John Landis pulls out all the stops with over two hours of non-stop action, laughs and classic Blues songs.
As the boys travel the city to collect the members of the band, musical scenes with Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Cab Calloway and Belushi & Aykroyd deliver knock out after knock out.
Early in the film, the boys destroy a mall in trying to avoid numerous police cars that end up flying through every portion of a shopping mall you can imagine.
By the end of the film, seemingly hundreds of cops, nazis, an angry country band and an angry spurned suitor of Jake's with a bazooka (well played by his former real life girlfriend Carrie Fisher) are in pursuit.
Landis doesn't just stage an all-time great car chase scene through the city of Chicago, he piles twenty police cars in never ending metal carnage. When a car load of Nazi's drives off a freeway ramp, the car gets higher in the air every time you see it. This is one of Landis' best movies. The big budget, the cast, the music, the jokes, everything is firing here.
Belushi was never better and Aykroyd is terrific. Their chemistry is so flawless here that they can go 15 minutes without saying a word and make you laugh with a raised eyebrow or a subtle shared look.
It's one of the rare films of 1980 that's as fun to watch today as the day it was released. If you haven't seen The Blues Brothers lately, check it out and then try to not listen to the great blues songs for weeks afterward.
Sweet Home Chicago wont leave my head.
These brothers are on a Mission from God that gets an A.
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