Blow Out

Rating:
Summary: One of DePalma's best films
Review: Brian DePalma has been (sometimes correctly) accused of manufacturing little more than brilliant pastiche (which is another way of damning him with faint praise). I confess to be as guilty as anyone of this practice, finding films like Dressed to Kill slick, fun, but ultimately less works of art than of skillful post-modern artifice.

Blow Out is a haunting exception. Yes, it has clear antecedents in Antonioni's Blowup and Coppola's paranoid classic, The Conversation. But it is unfair to judge Blow Out by its similarities to these films. One need only pay minimal attention to realize DePalma has his own goals in mind. No mere retread of the standard paranoid political thriller, Blow Out is a bravura exercise in nuanced, multi-layered story telling.

Low budget movie soundman Jack Terry (John Travolta) is in the right place at the wrong time - while out recording some nature sounds for a B slasher flick (in which DePalma seems to poke fun at some of his own earlier work), he catches the sounds of an auto accident. In an incident reminiscent of Chappaquiddick, a car driven by a presidential candidate suffers a tire blowout and careens off a nearby bridge. The candidate dies, but Terry manages to rescue his "lady friend", a party girl named Sally (Nancy Allen). Key to the story is his recording, which seems to contain a double-bang - perhaps the blowout preceded by a gunshot? Naturally the story leads Terry into a web of intrigue featuring slimy political operatives, corrupt cops, and nefarious CIA henchmen.

Blow Out's visual style has drawn criticism from some quarters as being too flashy. Ridiculous! The camera movements are precise and deliberate; designed to communicate story points with great efficiency. The visual technique draws no more attention to itself than anything directed by Scorsese. Raging Bull (released about the same time) is far more "flashy" and nobody complains about it.

The DVD itself lacks any special features, but the film transfer is vivid and detailed, with good color fidelity (essential, since the art-direction is a major "star"). It is also double-sided, with a pan-scan presentation on one side, and enhanced widescreen on the other. Don't even bother with the pan-scan; DePalma and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond's compositions are edge-to-edge, making full use of the Panavision frame.

Blow Out is not perfect. Some of the dialogue is contrived and sophomoric. Assassin Burke's (John Lithgow) golf pants in one scene make him look silly when he should seem sinister. But, on balance, John Travolta's solid performance and Brian DePalma's skilled direction more than make up for such lapses. With Blow Out DePalma reaches deeper than usual - with a disquieting sub-plot about guilt, unrequited love, and the futility of seeking redemption. Its conclusion is the punch line to a bitter, existential joke. Read closely, it's a scathing commentary on the Hollywood film industry itself, and the vampiric way it often feeds on very real, sometimes very sad, lives.

Rating:
Summary: TWISTY, DISTURBING, GREAT
Review: Brian DePalma is one helluva showman, and when he nails the material with as much nerve, bite and sensual flourish as he does with this paranoid thriller, the results are breathtaking. Nancy Allen is heartbreaking and unusually character-driven as the prostitute; John Lithgow is all menace and glowering evil as the madman. But John Travolta is a jolt to your senses as the emotional sound engineer: his character goes through a wild series of transformations, brought on by a paranoia that is more than justified, and the Kennedy-like murder that begins the movie in such a stylish way. Along with Carrie, this is one of DePalma's bleakest films, and somehow that seems completely right; although it does not share that film's horrific, nightmare-inducing final shock, it has its own nasty trick up its sleeve. Prepare to remember Blow Out.

Rating:
Summary: Overblown...except in the extras
Review: Brian DePalma's 1981 homage to "The Conservation" and "Blow-Up" is somewhat of a mixed bag. The opening and first half of the film are very well-handled, suspenseful and controlled, with very good use (as was DePalma's forte') of split screen, tracking shots and other filmic effects. However, the latter stages of the film sink into a few too many cliche's and towards the end what was meant to be suspenseful, almost seems laughable and too drawn out for it's own good. However, the film does hit the right note at the end.

John Travolta puts in a very good performance as the heroic soundman and John Lithgow plays an overzealous assassin incredibly well. I realise that Nancy Allen was DePalma's wife, but jeeeezz she's wooden, playing the idiot with the heart of gold routine that became a stereotype in the 1930s.

The DVD of "Blow Out" comes with the original trailer and the film itself has been nicely restored, with the visuals benefitting immensely from the widescreen ratio. Still, I think that the film could have been shorter, sharper and less cliche'd, and as such would advise the casual DePalma fan to go for "Dressed to Kill" which not only has a boatload more extras, but also a very entertaining Michael Caine performance as well.

Rating:
Summary: Overblown...except in the extras
Review: Brian DePalma's 1981 homage to "The Conservation" and "Blow-Up" is somewhat of a mixed bag. The opening and first half of the film are very well-handled, suspenseful and controlled, with very good use (as was DePalma's forte') of split screen, tracking shots and other filmic effects. However, the latter stages of the film sink into a few too many cliche's and towards the end what was meant to be suspenseful, almost seems laughable and too drawn out for it's own good. However, the film does hit the right note at the end.

John Travolta puts in a very good performance as the heroic soundman and John Lithgow plays an overzealous assassin incredibly well. I realise that Nancy Allen was DePalma's wife, but jeeeezz she's wooden, playing the idiot with the heart of gold routine that became a stereotype in the 1930s.

The DVD of "Blow Out" comes with the original trailer and the film itself has been nicely restored, with the visuals benefitting immensely from the widescreen ratio. Still, I think that the film could have been shorter, sharper and less cliche'd, and as such would advise the casual DePalma fan to go for "Dressed to Kill" which not only has a boatload more extras, but also a very entertaining Michael Caine performance as well.

Rating:
Summary: Very well done neo-noir
Review: Brian DePalma's Blow Out is a taut thriller that would make Hitchcock proud. The Master of Suspense loved to put his characters in situations where they had to sit by helplessly while events occur beyond their control - the best example of this is Rear Window - and DePalma uses that technique to great effect in the finale of Blow Out.

John Travolta plays Jack, a Philadelphia movie sound man who witnesses a car accident one night while he is out recording audio on a bridge. He manages to rescue Sally (Nancy Allen) from the wreckage, but another man - who we later find out is the front-running Presidential candidate McRyan - is left for dead.

After reviewing his recording of the accident, Jack determines that this was no accident. He believes that somebody deliberately shot out the tire, but who, and why? When video of the accident surfaces, shot by a man named Karp (Dennis Franz), Jack begins to suspect that both Sally and Karp know more than they're letting on.

We also see glimpses of a vigilante psychopath, played by John Lithgow, but who is he, and what are his motives? Jack is determined to find out the truth and unravel the conspiracy, but despite many clues that this wasn't an accident, nobody else seems to want to investigate any further. Jack is also scared that now that the assassins have achieved their goal, anyone who might discover that this was no accident must be eliminated, including himself and Sally, to whom he has developed an attachment.

Blow Out is an excellent film that entertains on many levels - plus it takes place in my fair city of Philadelphia. It doesn't dumb anything down for the audience, and the characters manage to act like any of us could see ourselves acting if placed in the same situations. Thumbs up.

Rating:
Summary: The DePalma film to see
Review: Even with its plot contrivances and often amateurish performances (Lithgow and Franz overplay it to the hilt), Blow Out is utterly engrossing from beginning to end.

Travolta is good here. Philadelphia works brilliantly as a character in this story about political corruption in the City of Brotherly Love. And, sure, DePalma takes his camera for a joyride or two--that's to be expected.

But the feeling of paranoia DePalma creates is so pervasive, you just might wonder where the bug is in your den. And the most amazing aspect of the film, one never noticed by critics, is that every shot in the film is composed of red, white, and blue elements, furthering the motif of real trouble in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Not to be missed.

Allegedly, the elaborate parade/chase sequence had to be completely reshot after production ended: It simply disappeared. Hmmmm...

Rating:
Summary: What a Movie!
Review: Fantastic film, one of the most underrated of all time. mesmerising

Rating:
Summary: A must for any Travolta or De Palma's fans
Review: Finally it is out on DVD. While the picture quality is good, it is not much better than the excellent Wide Screen LD that was released some time ago. Anyway both Wide screen and full screen is provided to satisfy both. But this movie is the perfect example to see why Pan & Scan won't work.

The movie itself is great, John Travolta is a sound-effect man who was out in the middle of the night to record some sound when he witnessed a car accident and the recording of the accident revealed something that could cause his life. The direction of Brian De Palma is good and the movie is so exciting to watch. 2001 is 20th anniversary of the movie. Too bad MGM didn't bother to release this as a special edition. But for the price it is worth owning.

Rating:
Summary: An absorbing film with one of the most tragic endings ever.
Review: For a long time I searched for this film, and all I can say is that the search was worth it. This film has a great and absorbing story, fantastic direction, John Travolta's best performance and also one of the most tragic and heart rending endings ever captured on film. For two weeks after my first monumental viewing of this film, I couldn't get the closing scene out of my mind and 15+ subsequent viewing have left me with the dame feeling every time. But I don't want to praise this movie just for the ending. As said before, the story is very involving, the acting great, and the direction fantastic. If you take my word for it and decide to hire this film, while it may seem slightly tedious at times, please stick with it. It's definatly worth the wait.

Rating:
Summary: Great, but Annoying at the Same Time
Review: Having heard before hand, that Brian DePalma's "Blow Out" was like a tribute to Antonioni's "Blow Up", i was definately intreagued. "Blow Up" is one of the greatest art films I've ever seen, and knowing that tributes are never as good as the original, i knew not to expect too much.

Basically, "Blow Out" involves a sound man (Travolta) recording sounds in a park at night, when a speeding car has what seems to be a blow out, crashes through a fence and into a lake. Travolta is able to rescue the woman, but the man behind the wheel was dead before he could be helped. Upon listening to the tape he'd made that night, Travolta recovers what he believes to be two sounds. Naturally, he can't help but get involved, and try to solve the case.

I Enjoyed Blow Out for the obvious reasons; good acting, complex script, lots of well-drawn suspense. And, if you've never seen or liked Antonioni's "Blow Up", the review can end here for you. You'll probably enjoy this version. Despite my complaints in the next paragraph, i really liked this movie.

However having seen and enjoyed "Blow Up", it looked to me like Brian De Palma did what everyone was tempted to do, but that no one should have done. Made "Blow Up" a Hollywood movie. "Blow Up" actually has a lot a great suspense and intreague, but the end is sure do disappoint those who need a clean-cut ending, which is to say, most theatre goers. Basically, they smushed the plot of "Blow Up" down about 30 minutes, added some more murders and people skulking around shadowy rooms, and then gave it a conclusive ending.

Needless to say, it's frusterating to see a great piece of art turned into a decent Hollywood movie. But hey, if you like a good suspense thriller, this works.