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IMDb > Blow Out (1981)
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Blow Out (1981) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   9,356 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 5% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer:
Brian De Palma (written by)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Blow Out on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
24 July 1981 (USA) more
Tagline:
The Blow Out took them to the edge of terror . . . his questions took them way beyond [Video Australia] more
Plot:
A soundman accidentally records the evidence that proves a car "accident" was murder, and consequently finds himself in danger. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
NewsDesk:
(19 articles)
Fall Frights: Carrie (DVD Review)
 (From Fangoria. 5 October 2009, 1:23 PM, PDT)

Third Teaser Poster - All About Evil
 (From Dread Central. 29 September 2009, 10:43 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Another DePalma thriller that owes a lot to Hitchcock... more (101 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Travolta ... Jack Terry
Nancy Allen ... Sally

John Lithgow ... Burke

Dennis Franz ... Manny Karp
Peter Boyden ... Sam
Curt May ... Donahue
John Aquino ... Det. Mackey
John McMartin ... Lawrence Henry
Deborah Everton ... Hooker

J. Patrick McNamara ... Detective at hospital
Missy Cleveland ... Coed lover (as Amanda Cleveland)
Roger Wilson ... Coed lover
Lori-Nan Engler ... Sue
Cindy Manion ... Dancing coed
Missy O'Shea ... Dancing coed
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Additional Details

Runtime:
107 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Also alludes to the Watergate scandal and the JFK assassination. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When Burke murders a girl who looks like Sally, to establish the fictitious serial killer's MO, and turns her over to look at her face, the dead girl blinks. more
Quotes:
Jack Terry: No one wants to know about conspiracy any more! more
Movie Connections:

FAQ

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14 out of 18 people found the following comment useful.
Another DePalma thriller that owes a lot to Hitchcock..., 30 August 2006
6/10
Author: Neil Doyle from U.S.A.

BLOW OUT deserves more attention than a lot of other thrillers from the '80s, partly because it's taut with suspense most of the time and owes a lot of its chill to JOHN LITHGOW's performance as a cold-blooded psychotic killer.

It's also one of JOHN TRAVOLTA's best early roles as a soundman looking for "the perfect scream" for one of his horror movies who accidentally shoots some film of a car careening off a bridge. He dives into the water to try saving the victims but is only able to rescue the woman (NANCY ALLEN). It turns out that the driver was a senator who was a presidential candidate (shades of Chappaquiddick).

From then on, the mystery deepens as he comes to suspect there's some kind of conspiracy involved. DENNIS FRANZ is Allen's boss, a sleazy photographer, who offers to help Travolta. The whole story is filmed with all the DePalma camera tricks and touches that keep the suspense boiling until the climactic shoot-out at the climax.

But it's JOHN LITHGOW who steals the film as the merciless killer with undisclosed political reasons for his murderous mission.

A forgotten gem among the stylish DePalma films that deserves more recognition today. I'm not much of a Travolta fan, but this is one of his better roles.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Blow Out (1981)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Dexter (Lithgow as the killer) should have ended season 4 like Blow Out yeti_dude
a bunch of goofs, would love a remake podtron-mn
The only real problem is...*spoilers* spencergrande6
the beginning great, the ending terrible nickzee
What Happened? pika317-1
DVD Out of Print? entropicflan
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