Blow Out | 
| Director: Brian De Palma
Actors: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz, Peter Boyden
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy New: $6.97
You Save: $8.01 (53%)
New (9) Used (13) from $5.95
Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 13923
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: D1000982D
ISBN: 0792850432
UPC: 027616852885
EAN: 9780792850434
ASIN: B00005K3NV
Theatrical Release Date: July 24, 1981
Release Date: August 28, 2001
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Brian De Palma's 1981 thriller is something of a homage to Michelangelo Antonioni's masterful Blowup, though there are hints of Francis Ford Coppola's paranoia-inducing Conversation sprinkled throughout. John Travolta plays a sound-effects man who witnesses what appears to be a tragic car accident killing a presidential candidate. The audio tape he happened to be recording at that moment (adding to his collection of natural sounds), however, suggests but doesn't prove that a murderous conspiracy is afoot. Trying to tease a shred of evidence from murky doubt, Travolta's character turns to a hooker (Nancy Allen) for help and stumbles into a web of evil spun by a right-wing kook (John Lithgow). De Palma's fetishistic fascination with obscured truth in a universe ruled by chance makes Blow Out one of his most operatic films. It's also perhaps one of his most revealing about the inherent decadence of creating verisimilitude for art. Sometimes knocked for its outrageous camera technique, Blow Out contains several exciting sequences that underscore De Palma's amped-up admiration for many of Hitchcock's best moves. --Tom Keogh
Description
John Travolta (Pulp Fiction, Face/Off) stars in this riveting mystery/thriller filledwith 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 mustfight to stay alive as they uncover an explosive political conspiracy that will send shockwaves to the highest levels of government.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 44 more reviews...
 Solid paranoid thriller June 27, 2009
One-Line Film Reviews (Ann Arbor)
The Bottom Line:
Blow Out is a fine thriller-ized take on Antonioni's Blow Up, with an appealing John Travolta in the lead and sufficiently creepy villains trying to prevent him from exposing the truth about a supposed car crash; Nancy Allen does hurt the movie with her awful performance (that showcases none of the winning qualities she displays in Dressed to Kill) but it's still one of DePalma's better films.
3/4
 A must see Cult Classic April 3, 2009
AC (Central Valley , Californnia)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I lived in Philadelphia when they where filming this movie. I remember them blocking off the entire city for this movie. The horrible traffic, the entire center of the city (City Hall, etc) off limits. It was so exciting. Nothing really ever happens in Philly. Anyway...
This is one of the few John Travolta movies I love. This is a love story of sorts wrapped in politics and murder. John Lithgow is incredible.
There are also some really great views of Philadelphia Philadelphia Then and Now (Compact) (Then & Now Thunder Bay) and the old John Wanamaker Building John Wanamaker: Philadelphia Merchant (Signpost Biographies). You must see this film.
Other Philadelphia theme: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Seasons 1 & 2, Philadelphia, John Legend - Live from Philadelphia, History -- History's Mysteries : True Story Of The Philadelphia Experiment
BRIAN DE PALMA, OPUS 14 February 3, 2008
wdanthemanw (Geneva, Switzerland)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
***** 1981. Written and directed by Brian De Palma. A sound engineer tries to unravel a political conspiracy but nobody believes him. This lyrical thriller, which has become a cult movie, proves once again that Brian De Palma is a major director. The film is a smart comment about cinema and manipulation worth multiple viewings. Masterpiece.
Blow Out January 3, 2008
Jan M. Cornely (philadelphia, pa)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a fabulous movie that was filmed in Philadelphia.
Being from Philadelphia, I love looking at all of the locations.
I also love all Brian DePalma films.
DePalma's Psychological Conspiracy Thriller! November 5, 2007
R. A. Bean (knoxville, tn usa)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Just like in 1980, when Brian DePalma, Master Of The Macabre, invited you to see the latest showing in fashion...in murder, in 1981 he invited you to listen to the sound of murder, conspiracy, paranoia, mistaken identity, a psychotic serial killer, and political corruption...in "Blow Out", written & directed by DePalma, and produced by George Litto.
Starting the film out with a B-grade slasher flick, brilliantly satirizing the heavily trafficked godawful sleazy marketing of a schoolbus full of gonzo slasher films, DePalma establishes from the outset that all is not as it appears to be (plus, he shows just how easy he could just as well do a cheap-a** slasher flick if he so chose, but would rather expose them for the low-brow form of film that they are). We soon learn that the slasher flick is a film that main character Jack Terri (John Travolta) is working as a sound man on; and, this is just one in a thousand B-rate horror films he has done for this company. A problem arises: The girl in the film has a terrible scream! It is like nails on a chalk board.
So, Jack has a new mission, and that is to find a good 'screamer' for the audio track of the film, plus some more background sounds as well, something fresh, something not used a thousand times already. So, late at night, Jack goes to a nearby park to record some fresh nature sounds for the film. Out of the blue, he hears a loud BANG with hints of an echo, then a car appears onscreen, careening off a bridge, and Jack is quick to dive into the murky water(s) to try and be of help. He see's that the driver (who we later find out was Governor McReiley, who was possibly gonna be the next President of the USA) is dead, but there is a woman inside, screaming for help. He rescues her, then at the hospital, is asked by high goverment officials to 'forget' that she was even there. And, to 'forget' that the whole 'incident' even took place. He is puzzled, but goes to Sally's (the girl that was in the car) room, and gets to know her, and invites her to have dinner with him.
As the film progresses, Jack and Sally (Nancy Allen) get to know each other better, Jack works on the tape he recorded of the accident, converting it to visual film that he pieced together from pictures of the accident from a tabloid newspaper, taken by a guy named Manny Carp (Dennis Franz). Well, it just so happens that Manny and Sally know each other, and Jack wants Sally to get the original film from Manny.
Meanwhile, there is a terrorfying madman, Burke (John Lithgow) on the loose, trying to cover up any and/or all loose ends to the 'conspiracy', and the last one involves doing away with Sally. He, by accident, then on purpose, becomes "The Liberty Bell Killer", killing women and carving a sign of the Liberty Bell into their stomach/groin area with an ice pick, so that way Sally's 'death' will look like a random of killings by the same serial killer.
Jack turns his tapes into the police (which he has a very painful memory with, for he used to be a soundman for them, and a guy he wired was exposed and killed, and Jack blamed himself), but later finds out the tapes are erased, making Jack sound like a conspiracy nut. All of his tapes in his office are erased as well. A 'Phil Donahue' type reporter named Donahue (Curt May) wants to meet with Jack and see his film mixed with the sound he recorded. Jack is hestitant. He decides to 'wire' Sally, and she goes to meet with Donahue, and Jack trails behind.
And, this is where I'll stop as far as plot goes, for I would never want to give away the ending to this for anything!
DePalma makes great use of MANY of his brilliant techniques in this, ranging from split screen, split dioptor, to spinning and whirling, crane tracking shots, to slow motion, making everything work to his advantage.
The story is quite a mix of "Blow Up" (but, where in "Blow Up", Antonioni's themes were how things lost meaning and/or relevance once out of context, DePalma shows just how important each and every little piece of a puzzle is important, whether in/out of context or not), "The Conversation" (where as Coppolla had a character 'think' he heard the sound of a murder, DePalma lets you know his character DID hear the sound of a murder), "Vertigo" (the hero has an incident from the past that is 'crippling' to him now, plus the whole 'saving the lady' theme), and the real life Chappaquiddick Incident (but, here we are shown that it WAS a cover up!). Showing (and exposing) just how corrupt and manipulating the film industry, the media, and politics are, this film will leave you utterly breathless, and cold, and in utter bewilderment to see how a Human life can be condensed to nothing more than a mere scream in a low budget horror film.
HIGHLY recommended!! Thank you! ;-)
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