Plot: What’s it about?
Jack Terri (John Travolta) has a rather unusual job, as he records special effects for horror movies, to enhance the experience. He is a master sound technician and is able to capture a lot of unique, effective sound effects, via various methods. At times, he is even surprised by the nature of some of his recordings, but never as much as in this case. As he was doing some sampling for a project, he heard a strange noise and recorded it, right off the bat. It turns out the noises were part of an automobile accident and a bad one at that, one which killed a presidential candidate and injured the man’s mistress, Sally (Nancy Allen). As Jack delves deeper into the accident, he discovers it could have been a political assassination, which his recordings could help prove, of course. But he begins to put together more and more pieces, all the while aware of the potential danger involved. Has Jack recorded evidence that the accident was no accident, or has his work on all those horror movies tainted his mind?
If you ask me, “Blow Out” is one of those movies that is great as you watch it, then not so good once you think about what you’ve just seen. But even as I watched it again and again, it was rich with suspense and held my attention, even with logic problems and such. So if you just sit back and watch, “Blow Out” is an engrossing suspense thriller, with good performances, a solid premise, and ample direction. But if you go in with a critical mindset, you’ll note all the plot holes, missteps, and other flaws, which of course, lessens the experience. As such, I recommend just letting the flick entertain you, even if you’re one of those people who love to find all possible flaws, which is a habit I find very annoying, without a doubt. DePalma’s direction is good, Travolta’s performance is great, and the movie keeps you glued to the action, which is about all we can ask of a thriller, I think.
I don’t think “Blow Out” is one of director Brian DePalma’s best overall films, but I do think his writing here is superb, perhaps his best work in that respect. I know it is flawed at times, but DePalma supplies a complex, well executed storyline and it is a good one, with a lot of nice twists and unexpected stops. In terms of direction, DePalma is his usual self and while not at the top of his form, his work is still more than solid. He fills the running time with tension and well lined visuals, but the real emphasis is on sound, which is another reason I like this one so much. Yet he still manages to borrow from other sources, as we expect from DePalma, although not as much as usual, which is good news in this case. Other films directed by DePalma include Phantom of the Paradise, Carrie, Mission to Mars, Obsession, The Untouchables, Sisters, and The Fury. The cast here includes John Travolta (Battlefield Earth, Swordfish), Nancy Allen (The Philadelphia Experiment, Robocop), and John Lithgow (A Civil Action, Princess Caraboo).
Video: How does it look?
This movie first appeared on standard DVD about a decade ago and oh my have things changed since then. Criterion usually does a fine job with their restorations of their titles and “Blow Out” is certainly no exception. The 2.40:1 AVC HD transfer is a few steps up from the previous standard DVD. Director Brian De Palma supervised the transfer personally and though there are some elements of grain throughout, it’s a source problem. Everything else seems to have benefitted from the new transfer, contrast and black levels are spot on and some of the exterior shots simply glisten with clarity. On the whole, a very nice, top notch effort from Criterion.
Audio: How does it sound?
The transfer isn’t the only new thing to be found on this Blu-ray, there’s also a newly minted DTS HD 2.0 surround track. Given the subject matter of the film itself (a man whose job it is to record sound effects for horror movies) this is a very vivid and encompassing track. While it might not have the muscle to stick with today’s soundtracks, this is a very unique track that will satisfy the viewer. Also worth mention is the rather odd score by Pino Donaggio that I find words hard to do it justice.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The standard DVD released by MGM had only a theatrical trailer. Criterion has unearthed all sorts of interesting supplements, so let’s dig in. First up is a trio of video interviews that are new. We get director Brian De Palma as he gives us his thoughts and as he talks with Noah Baumbach about the movie and all of its technical merits. Running at nearly an hour, there’s some good information here. Next up is Nancy Allen (aka the former “Mrs. Brian De Palma”) as she tells us some stories of the set and how her character grew. Lastly is Garrett Brown who some might know as inventor of the steadycam. His is more of a technical nature, so I enjoyed it the most. We’re also treated to a photo gallery of images by Louis Goldman (photographer). We also get another entire movie “Murder a la Mod” directed by De Palma back in 1967. It’s…interesting to say the least and if you look closely, it can be seen being watched during the feature film. This film was thought to be lost until it was found in 2006. Lastly we get the original theatrical trailer shown in 1.85:1 as well as the ever-so-popular Criterion booklet with some information about the film.
