John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd play Jake and Elwood Blues, two brothers who discover their mother’s will leaves them $1,000 to clear a tax debt owed by the orphans’ Home where they grew up. The catch: the money is tied to a bond, so they need $5,000 to cash it out. What follows is a chase across Chicago as they perform gigs to raise the money, tear up local bars, and dance their way through the city’s music scene.
The Blues Brothers is a comedy built on music, and it almost never stops moving. The film follows the pair from one gig to the next, with Belushi and Aykroyd driving a police car, crashing into buildings, and generally resisting attempts to stop them. The chase scenes carry the film, and the music scenes carry the film, and the two rarely overlap.
Trailer, via Universal Pictures.
Belushi and Aykroyd
Belushi plays Jake as a loose, sly leader, and Aykroyd plays Elwood as the more grounded, practical brother. Together they make a pairing that works because one is the idea man and the other is the doer. Their chemistry is the reason the film holds together, even when the plot grows thin.
The chase scenes are where the film stretches. Cops, cab drivers, and a pair of monsters who want to kill Jake and Elwood all pursue them over the course of the film, and these scenes give the film its energy. It is not a film built on character work or dialogue, but on spectacle, and that spectacle is often very funny.
The Music
The film’s best scenes are the ones that let the music breathe. The brothers perform at a bar, a church, and a big stage, and each set is shot with the wide, loose feeling of a live band. The songs are often blues standards or original numbers written for the film, and they give the film a rhythm that the chase scenes sometimes lack.
The standout performance, and the most famous moment in the film, is a rendition of “Gimme Dat Ding” at a bar. The scene is short, loose, and full of energy, and it shows the film at its best.
The Chase
The chase scenes are the film’s engine, and they are often very good. The brothers are chased by police, by monsters, and by the film’s villain, and the scenes are shot with a loose, almost documentary style that makes the action feel real. The scenes work because they are fast, chaotic, and often funny, even when they are meant to be serious.
One scene in particular stands out. The brothers are driving a stolen police car when they crash into a building, and the scene plays as a chase, a collision, and a moment of pure chaos, all in a single take. It is a moment that shows how the film balances comedy and action, and it is a scene that has been replayed and copied many times since.
The Songs and the Listeners
The film’s songs are part of what makes it work. A bar, a church, and a big stage all give the film a sense of place, and the songs, often blues standards, give the film a sense of history. The songs are performed with energy, and they are often the scenes that work best.
- The rendition of “Gimme Dat Ding” at a bar.
- The performance at the church.
- The performance at the big stage.
- The rendition of “Down on the Corner” at a bar.
These four scenes are the film’s best, and they are the scenes that define its place in pop culture.
The Run Time
The film is long, and some of the middle sections drag. The chase scenes are fast, the music scenes are short, and the comedy scenes are scattered, and the film’s structure can make it feel like a series of set pieces rather than a single story. The film does not always connect its scenes, and some of the middle sections feel like filler between the chase and the music.
It is not a film that holds together as a single story. It is a series of set pieces, and it is best watched as a collection of moments rather than a single, continuous narrative.
The Verdict
The Blues Brothers is a film that is best remembered for its performances, its music, and its chase scenes. It is a film that is silly, loud, and fast, and it is often very funny. It is not a film that is perfect, and it is not a film that is subtle, but it is a film that knows what it wants to be and delivers on that promise, even when the plot grows thin.
The film’s best scenes are its music scenes and its chase scenes, and they are the reason the film endures. The songs give the film a rhythm, and the chase scenes give the film its energy, and together they make the film a memorable experience, even if the plot never fully comes together.
“We’re on a mission from God.”
That line, spoken by Jake, sums up the film’s spirit. It is a film about two brothers who are determined to do what they believe is right, even when the world is against them, and it is a film that is best enjoyed for its music and its energy rather than for any deep meaning.
The film is not a masterpiece, but it is a film that is worth watching for its performances, its music, and its chase scenes. It is a film that knows what it is, and it delivers on that promise.
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