Blow Out
"A great movie!" -Pauline Kael, The New Yorker
John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Face/Off) stars in this riveting mystery/thriller filled with powerful performances, intense action and an "engrossing web of suspense and intrigue" (Blockbuster Entertainment Guide). Written and directed by master filmmaker Brian De Palma (Mission: Impossible), Blow Out is a heart-stopping adventure hailed by Rolling Stone as "an American moviemaking triumph!"
Jack Terri (Travolta) is a talented audio technician who makes his living by recording unique sounds for horror movies. But when he accidentally tapes an automobile crash that kills a presidential candidate and injures his young mistress, Sally (Nancy Allen), Jack is hurled into a mystery far more terrifying than any of his films! Soon he and Sally must fight to stay alive as they uncover an explosive political conspiracy that will send shockwaves to the highest levels of government.
Member Reviews
One of De Palma's best. - estefan
Sound is the most under-appreciated and one of the most important elements of filmmaking and Brian De Palma's Blow Out has an understanding of this in the most interesting of ways. This is an enthralling mystery that De Palma puts the right care into and while it might get a little convoluted at points, he still crafts an exciting narrative. John Travolta is a solid lead and the way he unravels through the course of the film, it's evident what he has gotten himself into. By the end, Blow Out becomes especially suspenseful. Of course, in a film like this, sound is especially a key factor, so James Tanenbaum and Dan Sable deserve plenty of credit for the strong work displayed here in that department. Paul Hirsch's editing and Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography are also superbly crafted in how they effectively tell this story with the right crispness. This is one of their films that is so superbly pieced together as well as nicely showing just how much sound plays a role in the film-going experience.Good enough for me - Coconut_Willy
Surprisingly, I had never seen this film before. There are obviously a few scenes here and there that don't allow this to be shown on television but still, I would have thought that this being a Brian DePalma movie it would have gotten a little bit more exposure. True, it does rip off a few well known movies but certainly more as a tribute to the original than anything else. The storyline is quite good although strangely developed as if the screenwriter did not want to overplay the conspiracy theory by veering towards the slasher genre. The cast is quite good (even though the Nancy Allen character makes her look somewhat dumb) doing a fine acting job with an acceptable dialogue. The sets and locations are appropriate as well as the soundtrack and the camera work is occasionally very good with very original shots. I do like the split screen shots but I really hate slow motion scenes like the one near the ending. All in all, not DePalma's best but quite good; recommended to thriller fans.
The transfer to DVD is very good; really widescreen, crisp colors, good definition and no visible damage to talk of. A few extras would have been welcomed though...Excellent thriller - Port_Moresby
Highly enjoyable thriller from the time when Brian De Palma’s films were tributes to his favourite directors and not just pale imitations of them. John Travolta is excellent as a movie sound mixer who is out on a random night taping wild sounds and happens to witness a car drive off a bridge and into the river. After saving the female passenger (Nancy Allen) from drowning, Travolta later listens to the tape he made of the accident and believes wholeheartedly that he can hear a gunshot taking out one of the car’s tires. When it turns out that the now-dead driver of the car was a prominent politician, it sows the seeds of a conspiracy theory that sees both Travolta and Allen looking to prove a murder and avoid getting killed by those who would rather let the mystery remain undiscovered. Great cinematography, fantastic editing and sound and two brilliant performances in the leads make for a very satisfying thriller with some really fun, highly tense moments.
Member Reviews
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One of De Palma's best. - estefan
Sound is the most under-appreciated and one of the most important elements of filmmaking and Brian De Palma's Blow Out has an understanding of this in the most interesting of ways. This is an enthralling mystery that De Palma puts the right care into and while ...Good enough for me - Coconut_Willy
Surprisingly, I had never seen this film before. There are obviously a few scenes here and there that don't allow this to be shown on television but still, I would have thought that this being a Brian DePalma movie it would have gotten a little bit more exposure. ...Excellent thriller - Port_Moresby
Highly enjoyable thriller from the time when Brian De Palma’s films were tributes to his favourite directors and not just pale imitations of them. John Travolta is excellent as a movie sound mixer who is out on a random night taping wild sounds and happens ...