Blow Out
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Movie Reviews of Blow Out
Movie Review: Political Murder Mystery
Summary: 5 Stars
The film shows sound technician Jack Terry while his TV is showing political news about Governor McRyan at the Bellevue-Stratford hotel in Philadelphia (site of the 1976 American Legion convention). McRyan is the likely candidate for President. This sound man goes out at night to collect sounds for special effects. A shotgun mike, which is highly directional, can pick up distant sounds. When he hears tires squeal he picks up that sound. There is a sharp noise, and the car crashes. He dives into the water to rescue the woman in the back seat. At the hospital his objective testimony is questioned. The driver in the car was the late Governor McRyan! Lawrence Henry tells Terry to forget about it. The truth about the girl must be suppressed in the national interest. [Does this remind you of a Massachusetts Senator or a New York Governor?]
We see someone break into a garage and remove the tire with a bullet hole to replace it with another tire. Sally is a make-up girl at Korvettes. A local photographer happened to be filming at night and recorded the car crash. Frames are printed in a magazine (like the Zapruder film). Terry re-photographs the frames to create a movie film from the stills. Meeting with Sally, Terry tells about his past work with a commission investigating corruption. Something went wrong. Sally was paid to go away for a few months. There is a shocking event where a woman is attacked and killed on the street. Sally visits Manny at a cheap hotel, and we learn more about Manny. Back at the sound laboratory Terry is working on the audio tape to synchronize the sound to the film. There was a flash behind a fence that connects to the sharp noise. [Does this remind you of the 1977 Select Commission to Investigate Assassinations?]
When Jack Terry visits his police friend his story is considered a "conspiracy theory". But they will investigate. A telephone conversation reveals the hidden hands used to remove McRyan from politics. Back at his sound laboratory Terry finds his tapes have all been erased! (But this is no conspiracy.) Reporter Frank Donohue visits Terry to get information about his tape of the car crash. Later Terry learns that Sally worked to set up men for blackmail in divorce cases. Sally visits Manny and learns more about the deal. Terry's phone is wiretapped, and the secret operative Burke asks Sally to meet Frank Donohue and hand over the film and tape. [Why didn't they go to Donohue's office?] Terry wires Sally to record her conversation. [We see the spacious railroad stations in Philadelphia, so much better than the Penn Central station in NY.]
Terry realizes something is wrong, and tries to follow Sally. But they take a train to someplace. He drives through City Hall in pursuit of Sally, but crashes his car. Sally seems incredibly naive and trusting given her experiences. The fireworks distract people and the noise covers up screams. Terry sees the two and runs to stop Burke [a scene that reminded me of Hitchcock's "Psycho"]. Burke is stopped, but Sally expired. There are no witnesses. Sally's dying scream is used for dubbing a cheap porno/slasher movie. [There are problems with this story. What need is there for Burke to silence witnesses whose story can't be corroborated?] Nancy Allen and Dennis Franz did an excellent job portraying their characters. John Lithgow plays the creepy political operative. John Travolta plays a sound man whose most important work is in his past. Brian de Palma's writing and direction make this his best film.
Movie Review: Has great moments, but never capitalizes
Summary: 3 Stars
The dense, complicated plot of Blow Out is hard to simplify. Basically, Jack Terry (Travolta) is a sound man for a seedy film company in Philadelphia. One night, while out in nature taping for effects, Jack witnesses the car crash of a vehicle carrying the man who was probably going to be the next President of the USA. The vehicle was also carrying Sally (Nancy Allen in a well-acted but annoying role) whom Jack saves by diving into the river and pulling out of the car. When listening back to his recording of the events, Jack realizes that this was no accident, and he sets out to unravel the conspiracy surrounding the blow out.
The movie never really takes off until Burke (John Lithgow) enters the picture. Burke is an evil, brutal hit man, who is willing to stop at nothing to eliminate all witnesses. Lithgow is great, but he just isn't in the film enough to pull it all off the ground. While the movie does have some great De Palma moments (the final chase scene, the train station sequence, the examination of the video/audio tapes) it unfortuately just never captured my attention the way most De Palmas do. I was never on edge, and I never found myself truly caring about the outcome. I think that the plot of Blow Out is one of De Palma's best written screenplays, but it just didn't have enough "De Palma moments" to make me say I loved the film. I did enjoy watching it, however, and would recommend it to any fan of De Palma.
Movie Review: Manipulative trash
Summary: 1 Stars
I'm disgusted by DePalma. This is trash and so is he. It is too manipulative and it is completely his fault. He stretches out these horror scenes in the most manipulative way, as we watch Travolta fight his way through crowds to save the girl. This kind of manure (self censorship) angers me. This isn't art. It's garbage. His whole purpose is to manipulate us, to extend the horror scene in the most manipulative way. Don't you see how phony it is? Don't you resent how he is playing with your emotions? You call this art? You call this talent? You call this good directing? It's trash. He stinks. If he's trying to copy Hitchcock, he's not doing it right. Why not show us Travolta swimming through sharks trying to save the girl. I got it. How about Travolta pushing kindergarten kids out of the way trying to save the girl from a four year old strangler. And stretch the scene out, make it last through the whole milk and cookies period, as Travolta keeps pushing kids out of his way and the kids are merrily eating their Oreos and the girl is getting strangled. Eeek. That's a good scream. DePalma, you stink. What other stupid tricks can you do?Movie Review: Political intrigue in Philadelphia
Summary: 5 Stars
An excellent political thriller by Brian De Palma. John Travolta plays a movie sound-effects man who inadvertently records a gunshot, tire blow-out, and a car crashing into a creek off a bridge. He saves the girl (Nancy Allen) who was in the car, but another occupant, the governor of Pennsylvania and presidential candidate, drowns. It becomes obvious that the governor was being set up for blackmail, and now those involved want it covered up by getting rid of the witnesses.
The acting is superb and De Palma really builds up the tension to a riveting climax (which, after the fact, feels like a letdown because Travolta is able to get the man behind the conspiracy (John Lithgow - who is actually a CIA agent and the perfect foil for De Palma's obsession with conspiracy theories [echoes of Chappaquiddick and Dallas]), but the truth may never be revealed because evidence has been destroyed - and Allen is killed at the end. Filmed in Philadelphia, De Palma has a great feel for the city. Everything (mostly) works here; the movie is of a whole. (Although I have a personal problem with why two innocent women are killed by Lithgow; there seems to be no apparent reason for it.) It's an excellent movie, and there is much to mull over after it's done rolling.
Movie Review: Classic De Palma
Summary: 4 Stars
Blow Out is another of Brian De Palma's Hitchcockian-esque yarns, and it's definitely one of his best. John Travolta plays a Philadelphia sound technician who's stuck making sound effects for low budget horror films. One night, he's out collecting some sounds, and he becomes a reluctant witness to a tragic accident which kills a Presidental candidate. He soon learns however, thanks to the recording he was making at the time, that it was no accident at all, and he becomes trapped in a deadly web that also involves a hooker (Nancy Allen), a sleazy photographer (Dennis Franz), and a homicidal killer (John Lithgow) who holds all the cards. Like all of De Palma's 80's films, Blow Out is dated as can be, but his camera techniques are superbly done, and the cast, in particular Travolta and Lithgow, are electric. Blow Out is classic De Palma all the way, and it's denouement makes it all the sweeter.