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Blow Out (1981)

Director:
Brian De Palma
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Thriller
NORWEGIAN TITLE
Blow Out
RUNNING TIME
108 minutes
Producer:
George Litto
Screenwriter:
Brian De Palma


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Jack Terry John Travolta ½
Sally Nancy Allen ½
Burke John Lithgow ½
Manny Karp Dennis Franz

 

Review

It isn't just the title that is reminiscent of Antonioli's Blow-Up, it's director Brian De Palma's entire approach. With its high focus on imagery, compositions and juxtapositions, Blow Out may well be De Palma's most stylistically ambitious film. And his wizardry is quite successful, because the film looks and feels great, like a juiced-up and playful version of the 70s political paranoia thriller. Made in 1981, the film catches John Travolta right in the wake of his breakthrough, possibly at his most confident and good-looking. He has rarely done better, before or since, when it comes to pure acting performance. He is De Palma's perfect instrument to modernize and freshen up an otherwise rather Hitchcockesque thriller – which holds up well and is only a little short of magnificent. John Lithgow played his first of many psychos, although as with all of them, you kind of sense the good guy behind the mask.

Copyright © 22.08.2016 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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