Blow Out (1981)
A soundman accidentally records the evidence that proves a car "accident" was murder, and consequently finds himself in danger. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Brian De Palma
Written By: Brian De Palma
Starring: John Lithgow, John Travolta, Nancy Allen, Dennis Franz, Tony Devon, Curt May, Peter Boyden
Genres: Suspense/Thriller, Mystery
Country: USA
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Blow Out belongs to 58 collections
1. Criterion Collection (collaborative: moderated by caffe - 167 stars)
2. boobs (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 51 stars)
3. Psychotronic Film and Video Guides (collaborative: moderated by Gregzilla - 40 stars)
4. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2008 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 39 stars)
5. Empire's 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time (public: Ross - 36 stars)
6. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2010 revision) (collaborative: moderated by MMAlpha - 32 stars)
7. Neo-noir (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 28 stars)
8. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2014 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Jehan - 27 stars)
9. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2012 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 25 stars)
10. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2017 revision) (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 22 stars)
11. Criterion Collection (Blu-ray) (collaborative: moderated by epiphany - 20 stars)
12. They Shoot Pictures' Recommended Viewing (collaborative: moderated by Cinephile - 19 stars)
13. The Best Hitchcock Movies (That Hitchcock Never Made) (collaborative: moderated by teckgecko - 17 stars)
14. Edgar Wright 1000 Favorite Movies (Aug 2016) (collaborative: moderated by Aron Ericson - 17 stars)
15. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2013 revision) (collaborative: moderated by rant1229 - 16 stars)
16. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2011 revision) (collaborative: moderated by PeaceAnarchy - 14 stars)
17. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2020 revision) (public: djross - 14 stars)
18. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
19. Remake (collaborative: moderated by td888 - 9 stars)
20. Best of criticker: Suspense / Thriller (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 9 stars)
21. Sight & Sound's 75 Hidden Gems (collaborative: moderated by Coheed - 8 stars)
22. Best of criticker: Mystery (collaborative: moderated by avgcrtckr - 8 stars)
23. Anamorphic Cinematography (collaborative: moderated by Bojangles - 7 stars)
24. List: Taschen (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 6 stars)
25. They Shoot Pictures 1,000 Greatest Films (2007 revision) (collaborative: moderated by Scottathon - 4 stars)
26. cultfilms (public: medium123 - 4 stars)
27. Roger Ebert's 4-Star Movies (collaborative: moderated by KirkJiggler - 3 stars)
28. Sarsanlar (public: Ozancan - 3 stars)
29. Criterion Collection (Blu-ray and 4K) (public: PepeCamello - 3 stars)
30. Films Photographed by Vilmos Zsigmond (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 2 stars)
31. Philadelphia (collaborative: moderated by djross - 1 star)
32. List: Empire's masterpiece picks (collaborative: moderated by KasperL - 1 star)
33. A Year of Essential Cinema (collaborative: moderated by Ibetolis1 - 1 star)
34. 4k Ultra HD discs owned (collaborative: moderated by dumbjaw - 1 star)
35. buoni registi (public: Rubens - 1 star)
36. Leaving Criterion Channel 1/31/20 (public: kubricksucks - 1 star)
37. Arrow Video (collaborative: moderated by mattburgess)
38. Cinema Sewer (collaborative: moderated by mattburgess)
39. Split screen (collaborative: moderated by juandr)
40. dress (collaborative: moderated by ceseth)
41. The Canon podcast (all films) (collaborative: moderated by psim)
42. Ratings (collaborative: moderated by cheapthrills)
43. The Canon podcast (only the Canon) (collaborative: moderated by psim)
44. Watched in 2020 (collaborative)
45. Piero Scaruffi's list of great films (collaborative)
46. Available on Divicast (collaborative: moderated by Dunstan-xxx)
47. To Watch (public: normalchaos)
48. Owned (BD) (public: bizarre_eye)
49. 1981: Year in Review (public: polanski28)
50. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 8 (public: PeaceAnarchy)
51. My Criterions (public: Matthew Parkinson)
52. Mr. Hallenbeck's Blu-Ray Collection (public: MrHallenbeck)
53. Available to watch (public: Paxton)
54. Tom's Movies (public: tomwalsh)
55. Forrest Watch List (public: ForrestQ)
56. Backyard candidates (public: tomwalsh)
57. My ratings (public: tpbradbury)
58. 100 essential thrillers (public: rocketrac19)
Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 7 |  |
BillyShears | 95 96th |
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De Palma movies come from some cinematic blender with all the right ingredients put in and he knows when to shut the thing off and get that perfect, silky consistency until 2000's De Palma emerged and forgot how the hell to work the damn thing.
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| 4 |  |
saucyjack | 83 72nd |
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Amazing trademark De Palma visuals and one of the few good Travolta acting jobs combine for an allusion to the similar (but superior) "Blow-Up". Regardless, it is effectively told in an unorthodox way and one the best films Brian De Palma has made. It also uses authentic Philadelphia locations effectively to create a menacing environment.
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| 3 |  |
Ocelot | 60 54th |
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De Palma steals from pretty much everyone, and it mostly works. The beginning is great and Travolta gives a pretty strong performance. Sadly, the middle meanders into a bloated climax that only exists because every character is stupid. I'm not sure if Nancy Allen just gave a terrible performance or De Palma thinks all women are stupid whores. Both? Not sure. Still, ultimately worth watching for the striking use of color.
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| 3 | jonnykungfu | 55 27th |
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De Palma is a great visual director, but an awful storyteller. There are so many amazing moments in this film, which makes the awful acting from everyone outside of Travolta and Lithgow, the convoluted, clumsy storytelling, and the cheesy music all that much more frustrating.
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| 3 |  |
JSchlansky | 92 93rd |
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The script is great, De Palma might just be in top form here, and my man Vilmos crushes it with his cinematography. Nancy Allen seems to be playing her character as at least slightly mentally challenged. If that was the intention, then it makes the way every man in the entire film uses her all the more disturbing.
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| 2 |  |
terrymac | 77 77th |
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Opens strongly, and holds the attenstion throughout, even if the ending left an odd taste in the mouth. Terrific use of the camera, sound and colour, the score seems like it is from another era. Feels like an homage to countless other films; Hitchcockian and noir elements featuring highly. Travolta does well in the lead, and the assembly of interesting character actors add flavour; Allen grates a bit, though, Worth seeing - maybe De Palma's best.
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| 2 |  |
twincinema | 100 99th |
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A noir-y thriller about a man in search for the perfect scream. De Palma's response to post-Watergate America, filled with lush colours (red, blue, and white, baby!), and a great performance from Johnny T (and a sleazy appearance by Franz). Allen's Sally resembles a femme fatale, but she lacks the power and knowing of the archetype, and is instead used by each man she comes across for their gain (which makes the last scene in the film that much more heartbreaking).
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| 2 |  |
KMcNeil | 8 84th |
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Starts on a high note, ends on a high note, but drags in the middle section. Striking visuals and similarly inspired use of sounds both diegetic and non-diegetic keeps the mind alert. One of De Palma's best, almost reaching the level of The Untouchables, Carrie, Carlito's Way - and Sisters.
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| 2 |  |
deaddilly | 50 14th |
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Watching Travolta interact with the audio equipment was honestly more intriguing than anything else this movie had to offer after the first 20 minutes. The ending made up for what was a disappointingly tedious watch that lacked any real suspense or mystery.
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| 2 |  |
Noblet | 46 21st |
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Starts out promising, but eventually descends into tedious nonsense. The climax and ending are particularly awful.
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| 2 |  |
TrixRabbi | 84 85th |
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Every time I think back to this film the more and more I love it.
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| 1 |  |
DavidKahane | 68 46th |
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A tight film with a wobbly narrative focus. De Palma almost seems to be restraining his own sensibilities, trying to construct a more conventional, relatively lean thriller. He can't quite do it, and the film teeters on that indecision. John Travolta gives a solid, engaging performance in the lead role, although it becomes clear as the film proceeds that the character is too thinly conceived. By the end, he has little more to do that play variations on a man becoming slowly unhinged.
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| 1 |  |
Moribunny | 75 84th |
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One of De Palma's best works. Sort of like a cross between political paranoia thrillers (The Parallax View or Three Days of the Condor), Coppola's The Conversation and Antonioni's Blowup. Hitchcock's influence on De Palma is as strong as ever. The plot may be a bit lacking in the believability department, but the film is so nicely written and engaging that it doesn't matter. Blow Out is just serious enough and not too serious, and really feels juicy and bubbling throughout.
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| 1 |  |
Pickpocket | 8 82nd |
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Completely unoriginal, stealing from Coppola, Carpenter and Hitchcock, to name a few, but still a satisfying movie that is well paced and has a great premise. John Lithgow was basically born to play a serial killer. Between this and Dexter I think he perfected the role. The ending was pretty solid as well. John Travolta gives it a lot of life.
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| 1 |  |
Nathan S | 3 45th |
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An engaging genre film, generally well-crafted but not without flaws, such as the tacky music and the drab acting. I found myself by turns thrilled and annoyed, but on the whole it's an enjoyable flick.
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| 1 |  |
joseywales | 78 82nd |
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De Palma manages to rip off Hitchcock AND Antonioni en route to showcasing "his" best work. The visuals are there and Travolta gives a surprisingly good performance but the soundtrack really bogs this one down, which is a big nono in a film dedicated to sound.
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| 1 |  |
Stain | 30 20th |
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Now I know what Harlan Ellison means when he talks about how there are times when you choke on the word "hommage" and end up exclaiming, "THIEF!" as De Palma steals not only from Hitchcock this time but Antonioni as well. I also know what he means when he describes De Palma's work as "sick". I knew he was a misogynist before, but this movie is so much so that I felt a little ill afterwards
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| 1 |  |
frederic_g54 | 9 90th |
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Fantastic, consistently intriguing film from De Palma, who makes a strong case on the indispensable marriage of image and sound while toying with viewer's expectations. Jack Terry's obsessive devotion to uncovering the truth and subsequent exploits are traits I tend to be irresistibly attracted to and Travolta's underplayed performance makes it really easy to root for him. All in all, a cool as heck movie and essential viewing for any filmlover.
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| 1 |  |
Luna6ix | 62 18th |
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Sub-par thriller fare, with no mystery at all--John Travolta doesn't impress, and Nancy Allen is obnoxious. De Palma could have done much better, had he let someone else write this. The score sounds more like this is an 80's drama than a thriller, and that's a bad thing.
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| 1 |  |
svenerik | 50 15th |
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Starts off as a very intriguing thriller along the lines of "The Conversation" or "Blow-Up" but loses its way with the introduction of Lithgow's absurd character. Also, Nancy Allen is awful. Travolta is mesmerizing however.
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| 1 |  |
Rufam | 65 42nd |
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"Blow Out" is another De Palma film that fits the description "overblown, but entertaining". This thriller works as partly self-aware camp and greatly benefits from De Palma's gimmicky but sharp visual style as there is an abundunce of terrific shots. The acting and writing are middlebrow, but the suspenseful, Hitchcock-esque atmosphere makes this loopy, corny endeavor quite fun.
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| 1 |  |
hellboy76 | 70 79th |
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A poor man's Hitchcock even if you hate De Palma this is still a pretty good thriller. Lithgow is great as usual.
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| 1 | klea | 39 34th |
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Meh, don't get the love for this one
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| 1 |  |
Leonardis | 95 85th |
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This was very good. Probably one of the best thrillers I’ve seen in a long while. I think it was plotted really well, never letting the tension go even after the viewer has perhaps figured everything out. I don’t think it feels very dated either, which is a miracle. It’s a shame this may have ended Travolta’s relatively successful career at the time. He was very good, as were Allen and Lithgow. Also probably one of the best last acts I’ve seen in awhile, and an ending for the ages.
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| 1 |  |
Gnalkhere | 85 81st |
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A blown-up conversation
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| 1 |  |
WalkenRoll | 90 93rd |
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John Travoltas best performance. One of De Palma's best films. Music's great. The ending will stay with you...'Good scream, good scream.'
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| 1 |  |
Paxton | 90 97th |
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I would have ranked this in the eighties but I watched Berberian Sound Studio last night. Now this is in the nineties.
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| 1 |  |
3dRevelation | 65 33rd |
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Starts out good, but kind of goes downhill from there.
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| 1 |  |
DesertPunk | 89 96th |
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It really makes me wonder how odd this movie will seem to future generations, since half the movie is showing analog media. Between that and John Travolta's mullet, this might be lost to time.
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| Average Percentile 65.89% from 1839 Ratings |  |