De Palma's Blow Out (10/10)

[Danreiter]

De Palma pulled it off once again!!
This movie is amazing!! Just amazing. I won't say too much of what happens in this movie so I don't ruin it for anyone, but the plot is about is about a movie sounds' man who gets cought up in a murder conspiracy.
The directing is perfect from start to finish, and proves once again why De Palma is one of the most visual directors ever. He uses his camera to tell a lot of the story and provides more suspense. He also fills the movie with many comedic moments, including the slasher parody. Also, there were so many beautiful shots, like for example the ending with the fireworks (anyone who has seen it knows what I'm talking about), and I think that the credit should be given to the cinematographer (Vilmos Zsigmond, I believe). The performance by John Travolta in the lead was also great as was the one by Nancy Allen (although slightly annoying, she still gets your sympathy) I just love this movie so much, words cannot describe how great I think it is and how De Palma exploits the movie business and uses a lot of satirical elemnts to enhance the suspense and make the movie more powerful. The ending is tough to take, but still beautifully done, especially accompanied with that beautiful score by Pino Donaggio. I love this movie. 10/10

[Cyclonus]

I have some pretty mixed feelings about Blow Out. The setup is very effective, promising a masterful thriller. But the rest of it is kinda draggy actually. As director, Brian DePalma gives us some pretty cool bits, but he doesn't push the envelope far enough. He needed to go over the edge here and slap us silly with style. John Travolta's magnetic performance anchors the film, though I didn't care for the supporting players--Nancy Allen plays an annoying ditz, and John Lithow's villian is so one-dimensional (at least, he gets limited dialouge). The really cool part for me was the opening send-off of slasher movies, which of course gives DePalma an excellent excuse to show some bare breasts--and check out the chick masturbating! In the end, I took the DVD out of my player thinking, "well it was interesting but still could have been better."

[Cronos]

im not exactly sure whether or not i like Blow Out, it has a great plot and good acting but there was something missing while i watched it, it was slow which is possibly one of its faults but there was something else

8/10

[Brando @$$ Fat]

DePalma who's directed many great films like CARRIE, SCARFACE, and many others, is a great director. This movie wasn't too shabby.

[Cyclonus]

BLOW OUT

1981
Filmways Pictures
108 Minutes
Rated R

Written and directed by Brian DePalma

Produced by George Litto

Starring: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz

Plot: John Travolta plays Jack, a motion picture soundman stuck in an unsatisfying career working on sleazy horror movies. While "capturing" sound on location, his career takes a bizzare turn when he unwittedly records what may be a political murder. His only ally is a dimitted prostitute (Nancy Allen), his only clue with a shady private eye (Dennis Franz).

Critique: Brian DePalma's films are a mixed bag. Sometimes he's quite good, other times he's just mediocre. This variance in quality can be found within individual films. For example, his Dressed to Kill had some genuinely suspensful moments, but dragged at times. Likewise, Blow Out is an uneven film. The first half effectively sets things up, promising a masterful thriller (the send-off of slasher movies is a hoot). However, the second half tends to lag. The director's trademark style is evident here. He uses split screen, slow motion, and deep focus photography to craft some truly striking bits. Full use is made of the Panavision frame, so this movie cannot be appreciated in pan-and-scan. Unfortunately the pacing is off, and Blow Out never quite gathers steam, despite its virtues. I finished it thinking that it was interesting, but still could have been better.

Travolta's magnetic performance anchors the film during its weaker moments--forget about his recent turkeys, this movie shows his true star power. His supporting players do not fare as well--Nancy Allen's character is too much of a ditz to generate much sympathy, and John Lithow, as the killer, just isn't interesting as a character (in part due to his limited dialouge). Dennis Franz is appropiately seedy, if one-dimensional, as the aformentioned private eye. In fact, the film tends to work best when focusing exclusively on Travola's character--it's always intriguing to see him use his skills to piece together the clues.

In the end, I'd recommend Blow Out to three main camps: DePalma fans, Travolta fans, and fans of cult movies in general. While stylish, it's too dated and uneven to appeal to most mainstream viewers.

Rating: 6/10 or (**1/2)