Blow Out

I was blown away by Brian DePalma's "Blow Out" (1981), the Real American Classic from the 80th. Yes, of course, De Palma pays homage to both, "Blow Up" and "Conversation" but "Blow Out" is a vintage DePalma at his best, in his glory and brilliance. The story is great, packed with twists and turns and also lets us peek once again as in Body Double" at the B-movies making process. John Travolta is Jack Terri, a sound technician who rescues a girl (Nancy Allen) from a car that crashes into a river after a blow out. The man who drove the car did not survive and he happened to be the next presidential candidate. Jack soon realizes that it was not just a blow out but a murder, and he's got an evidence to prove it, the tape that he made on the bridge while recording the background noises for the movie. As good as the story is, it does not forget its characters, and they are memorable and multi-dimensional. The actors are terrific. It was the time when John Travolta was both cute without being smug and compelling. Nancy Allen as Sally, was sweet and heartbreaking, Dennis Franz's character, Manny Karp, the petty blackmailer who got more than he bargained for was fun to watch, and John Lithgow made such a chilling villain that Anthony Hopkins could've learned something from him. I did not even start on Vilmos Zsigmond's camera work. Only one word comes to mind - mesmerizing. The final chase sequence on the streets of Philadelphia during the celebration of the ringing of the Liberty Bell is as well staged and shut and as exiting as the similar climatic chase on Mount Rushmore in Hitchcock's "North By Northwest". The movie is perfectly balanced by the last scene and the hilarious opening scene mirroring each other but this time the scream is different. It IS a good scream that came from the streets of Philadelphia.

If you liked F/X, you'll probably like Blow Out and vice versa because both films involve a person who uses their craft to solve a highly corrupt case of murder.

While F/X's Rollie Tyler was a special effects engineer, our hero in Blow Out is a sound technician who must piece together parts of a sound recording (along with some other vital information from other sources along the way) to solve the murder of the gubernatorial candidate, a death which the police have written off as a homocide. Travolta employs Nancy Allen's help, a rather dumb prostitute who was in the car with the victim when their car ran off the bridge, but who is the only survivor and essential key to unlocking the mystery. They are dealing with a very relentless killer who will stop at nothing to make sure the trail of evidence leading to him is eliminated.

It is a typical DePalma movie in that it is done with many Hitchcock elements (they didn't call him the master of suspense for nothing) and also that he works with movies-in-a-movie (see 'Body Double' and 'Dressed to Kill'). It is an enjoyable crime and mystery movie in the days when John Travolta movies were still fun to watch.

Brian De Palma's ''Blow Out'' starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen and John Lithgow would go down as my favourite film (just ahead of "Causalities of War" and ''Dressed to Kill'') of his on-going filmography. Usually I find him to be an on-and-off director, and ''Blow Out'' was switched on. It's one of those presentations that doesn't just hold you there with its captivating sombre murder mystery (similar to Blow-Up and 'The Conversation') relating to a political conspiracy, but also De Palma's showy technical side is nothing short than exquisitely striking. Well you might say that's the case for most of his work, however on this occasion its extremely well controlled to balance the story and it isn't so much the peering camera and sharp editing (although still commendably evident and how can you go wrong with split frames) but the ingenious use of sound effects and the ironic nature of our main protagonist being an audio technician for b-grade horror movies (which within the building he works bestows some cool horror posters that fans will surely pick up on).

The layered story has that old-fashion noir quality, with the momentum building upon mood and suspense constructing illuminating atmospherics and consisting of fitting performances. While the brooding plot screws around with its webby developments and taut tension, never does the suspiciously tactical script entirely pick it apart with any sort of depth or rationality. In the end its quite basic. However this made the harrowing impact of the film's conclusion even more lasting, as the emotional brunt came from De Palma's intensely slick visual work like the stirring slow-motion climax with Pino Donaggio's harrowing score (which holds a delightfully crisp and variable arrangement throughout). It's top drawer in De Palma's illustratively intimate details oozing with colour, tones and shades with it being served by some beautifully projected expressive photography and a lingering nasty current. An excellent John Travolta brings a convicted temperament to the lead and a bubbling Nancy Allen adds a perky injection. A precisely scheming performance by John Lithgow is truly menacing. Also in support is Denis Franz.

An enjoyably stylish, if simple thriller.

The opening of this movie must rival Bullit as cool openings go. Wonderfully shot throughout, and even though you can see how dated the film is just by Travoltas' and Allens' hair and dress sense, it doesn't affect the quality. The story is competent, but what makes the film is DePalma's treatment. The quiet scenes and the complete focus on noise, other than that of the characters talking. Visuals and backgrounds start this movie and run all the way through the major scenes, finally closing it. This is an excellent thriller, and many modern films of this genre should take notes. A great movie.

Many consider "Blow Out" to be the highlight of Brian De Palma's career, but to be honest I was pretty underwhelmed. It starts of great though. De Palma gets to show of his amazing knack for style in a brilliant opening scene that provides a hilarious pastiche on the slasher genre. The faux-sleazy look, the clever winks at genre classics, the genuine suspense even though you know it's a movie-within-a-movie, it's genius at work. There are more of those beautiful stylistic touches spread throughout the movie (the fireworks during the climax would be an obvious example), but the plot is just contrived and the final act demands more than a little suspension of disbelief. And while John Travolta puts in a strong lead performance, obligatory damsel in distress Nancy Allen never really manages to make her character likable so you don't really care whether she lives or dies. That's why the obvious Hitchcock influence isn't as effective as it could have been, Hitchcock gave us characters we deeply cared about and then did awful things to them. Sally is no Marion Crane to say the least, making it more difficult to stay interested in her story. "Blow Out" looks fantastic, but doesn't go very far beyond that.