Blow Out poster

1981·108 min·Released

Blow Out

“Murder has a sound all of its own.”

Crime
Mystery
Thriller

While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.

7.4(1,697 votes)

Popularity4

Videos

BLOW OUT (1981) Trailer

Cast & Crew

John Travolta

John Travolta

Jack Terry

Nancy Allen

Nancy Allen

Sally Badina

John Lithgow

John Lithgow

Burke

Dennis Franz

Dennis Franz

Manny Karp

Peter Boyden

Peter Boyden

Sam

John Aquino

John Aquino

Det. Mackey

John McMartin

John McMartin

Lawrence Henry

Deborah Everton

Deborah Everton

Hooker

J. Patrick McNamara

J. Patrick McNamara

Detective at Hospital

Roger Wilson

Roger Wilson

Coed Lover

Missy Cleveland

Missy Cleveland

Coed Lover

Curt May

Curt May

Donahue

No editorial yet

Guides and articles for this movie will appear here after content sync.

John Chard

Written on 1/4/2015

Superior entry on De Palma's CV. Brian De Palma has always gotten a bad rap for his penchant for essaying his heroes and favourite thrillers, what often gets forgotten is just how great he could be in crafting said thrillers. Blow Out has John Travolta as a sound engineer for low budget horror movies, who while out recording sounds one night witnesses a car crash and dives into the river to rescue the call girl trapped in the back seat (Nancy Allen). Upon listening back to the footage of the crash, he hears two noises which point to a gun shot being fired at the car. So with the dead man in the car turning out to be a big political mover, he quickly finds himself spun into a web of intrigue, peril, paranoia and conspiracies. Can he and the girl stay alive long enough to solve the case? Blow Out finds De Palma at the top of his game, blending the twisty plot dynamics with virtuoso technical smarts. A number of scenes are striking, both visually and in execution and the garnering of acting performances. Pino Donaggio provides an unforgettable music score to marry up to the layers of sub-plots folding together, and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond sharpens the primary colours (pic is awash with lurid pinks and purples - true neo-noir style) to give the story a Giallo like sheen that runs concurrent with the emotional states of the major players. A sprawling and bustling Philadelphia plays host to a conspiracy sandwich, with a corking side order of the film making process. Sometimes bleak and complex (how great it is to find a true noir finale), but never over stuffed, Blow Out is both thrilling and smart, while Travolta has never been better and John Lithgow is tailor made as the unstoppable crack-pot unleashed into our two protagonists' world. 9/10

Wuchak

Written on 6/14/2021

_**Colorful De Palma crime mystery with Travolta and Lithgow**_ A sound effects man in Philadelphia (John Travolta) obtains evidence that a fatal accident involving the governor wasn’t really an accident, which thrusts him into danger with shady characters. John Lithgow, Dennis Franz and Nancy Allen are all somehow involved in the nefarious conspiracy. Written & directed by Brian De Palma, "Blow Out” (1981) is a crime drama/thriller whose colors, artistic style, cast and Philadelphia locations make it worthwhile. It’s similar to Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation” (1974) but more dynamic. Allen plays a ditzy character, yet is alluring and enjoyable, while Travolta is in his prime. Meanwhile Lithgow makes for a great shady character. I loved the colorful, well-staged sequence under the Henry Avenue Bridge, but started to lose interest in the second half for some reason. The storytelling became increasingly contrived. Nevertheless, respectable critics rave about this flick. The film runs around 1 hour, 48 minutes, and was shot in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; with additional stuff done in New York City and Burbank, California. GRADE: B-

JPV852

Written on 9/8/2022

This is one I've watched a few times over the years and it's still great with each viewing. John Travolta and Nancy Allen give great performances and although it's not one of these thrill-a-minute films, it still maintains the suspense throughout. It's one of the gems for Brian De Palma. **4.5/5**

Media

Blow Out Official Trailer #2 - John Travolta Movie (1981) HD

Blow Out Official Trailer #2 - John Travolta Movie (1981) HD

Three Reasons: Blow Out

Three Reasons: Blow Out

BLOW OUT (1981) Trailer

BLOW OUT (1981) Trailer