feeldb

Blue Steel

1990 · 102 min · Director: Kathryn Bigelow ★ IMDb 5.8 · 19,438 ratings

Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)

On her first day on the job, NYPD officer Megan Turner, the lone officer on the scene, shoots and kills the perpetrator of a supermarket hold-up. Since no gun was found on the perpetrator's person or at the scene and none of the witnesses could corroborate Megan's story definitively that the perpetrator was indeed wielding a gun, she is suspended from active duty. She is quickly albeit temporarily reinstated to the position of homicide detective because the spent shell casing from the bullet used in a subsequent murder had her name carved on it. This murder ends up being only the first in a series. Working on the case with fellow homicide detective Nick Mann, Megan initially has no idea who in her life could be the murderer. In short order, the murderer does show himself to her. He is commodities trader Eugene Hunt who she met immediately following her suspension and who she has since dated. He also implies to her that he was in the supermarket at the time of the hold-up and that he fled the scene with the perpetrator's gun. The supermarket shooting caused a psychotic break in him which resulted in among other things his obsession with her. However, beyond his implications only to her of being the murderer, Megan has no hard evidence that would stand up in a court of law that Eugene is indeed the murderer. Megan has to convince her colleagues, especially Nick, that she is telling the truth about Eugene, while stopping him from killing again and equally as important stopping him from his continued psychological torture of her.

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Emotional fingerprint

Blue Steel (1990) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Tension 35%, Anxiety 25%, Fear 20%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure

20%Fear
  1. Fear20%

AI estimate · no viewer votes yet

How we measure

AI estimate

Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.

Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.

Why it feels this way

The strongest emotional signals are Tension, Anxiety, Fear. Genres: Drama, Crime, Action. AI estimate.

Is it worth watching?

Consider this title if you are looking for Tension, Anxiety and Fear. Its IMDb rating of 5.8/10 suggests a mixed audience reception; consider how well the emotional profile suits you. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 60/100.

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Emotional journey

AI · from subtitles
  • Tension
  • Fear
  • Disturbing

Not enough subtitle evidence

No dominant emotion

Dominant emotion: Tension

Dominant emotion: Curiosity

Dominant emotion: Disturbing

Dominant emotion: Sadness

Tension
Fear
Disturbing
Emotional journey Emotional intensity over the film’s runtime, from quieter to stronger on a fixed 0–1 scale. Hatched intervals have insufficient subtitle evidence. The table provides the values.
Ending hidden

Dominant emotion

Intensity dips around 23 %, then peaks around 57 %, then dips around 98 %.Ending hidden

Emotional journey
%Approximate minuteDominant emotionOverall intensityTensionFearDisturbing
2.5 %≈ 3′Tension62 %53 %43 %40 %
7.5 %≈ 8′Not enough subtitle evidence56 %44 %35 %29 %
12.5 %≈ 13′Tension64 %56 %41 %33 %
17.5 %≈ 18′Curiosity58 %49 %28 %26 %
22.5 %≈ 23′Curiosity48 %38 %20 %23 %
27.5 %≈ 28′Tension55 %49 %33 %33 %
32.5 %≈ 33′Curiosity54 %46 %28 %28 %
37.5 %≈ 38′Curiosity51 %43 %23 %30 %
42.5 %≈ 43′Tension59 %53 %33 %41 %
47.5 %≈ 48′Tension65 %60 %41 %48 %
52.5 %≈ 54′Disturbing74 %69 %54 %59 %
57.5 %≈ 59′Tension81 %71 %56 %57 %
62.5 %≈ 64′Sadness81 %65 %44 %54 %
67.5 %≈ 69′Sadness78 %66 %43 %54 %
72.5 %≈ 74′Tension76 %73 %54 %46 %
77.5 %≈ 79′Tension75 %71 %59 %40 %
82.5 %≈ 84′Tension74 %69 %59 %40 %
87.5 %≈ 89′Tension81 %76 %68 %50 %
92.5 %≈ 94′Tension75 %71 %64 %48 %
97.5 %≈ 99′Tension56 %52 %43 %32 %
Riches to rags

Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.

Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.

Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.

Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.

Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.

Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.

AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗

Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers

Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.

0 responses so far

Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.

Cast

Elizabeth Peña

Tracy Perez

Louise Fletcher

Shirley Turner

Philip Bosco

Frank Turner

Kevin Dunn

Asst. Chief Stanley Hoyt

Richard Jenkins

Attorney Mel Dawson

MF
Markus Flanagan

Husband

MM
Mary Mara

Wife

SL
Skipp Lynch

Instructor

MH
Mike Hodge

Police Commissioner

Mike Starr

Superintendent

CW
Chris Walker

Officer Jeff Travers

Tom Sizemore

Wool Cap

DI
David Ilku

Counterman

AH
Andrew Hubatsek

Cashier

JJ
Joe Jamrog

Doorman

Matt Craven

Howard

RW
Reginald Wells

TV Announcer #1

Details

Directed by
Kathryn Bigelow
Type
Movies
Released
1990
Runtime
102 min
Country
United States
Ratings
★ IMDb 5.8 · 19,438 ratings
Feels mostly
Tension
Data updated

Where to watch

Also on

Availability varies by country

Data: JustWatch · Wikidata

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Emotion overlap shows mood similarity, not a prediction of enjoyment.