Blow Out: Brian De Palma's Classic suspense thriller from the '80s

By Sreejith Kamalanayanan

The political paranoia prevalent in the 70's, after the Watergate scandal, seeped into the early 80's resulting in Blow Out (1981), a suspense thriller by Brian De Palma.

The film is marked by the stylistic influence of Alfred Hitchcock and thematic influence of 1966 film Blow-Up directed by Michelangelo Antonioni. Another influence is Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation (1974).

Like the paranoia thriller, The Parallax View (1974), Blow Out also features an assassination of a presidential candidate, which forms the focal point of the narrative.

Blow Out's protagonist is a sound effects technician named Jack Terry (John Travolta), who works in sleazy B-movies.

Terry gets an assignment from his director. He must find a realistic 'scream' sound to be used in a horror movie.

Terry sets out into the night recording various sounds near a bridge. On a sudden, a car careen off the road and drown into the creek. Terry could only save the female passenger Sally (Nancy Allen) and the male driver gets killed.

He later learns that the male driver was the Governor and presidential hopeful and the lady was his escort. The police wants him to keep mum about the incident as it could create a great scandal.

Terry, on examining his audio tape, discovers that there was the sound of a gunshot before the tire blew out. He starts investigating further and realize that it wasn't an accident but an assassination.

Travolta and Nancy Allen

Terry soon drifts into a dangerous path as he falls in love with the escort. A professional killer, sent to kill the escort, also complicates his life, which ends in sheer tragedy.

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The characterization of Terry and Travolta's interpretation of the character are terrific. Midway through the film, we get to know that Terry is haunted by guilt.

Terry used to work with the police assisting them in 'wiring' informants to record conversation with gangsters. On one occasion the mob discovers that the informant is wired and kills him. Feeling responsible for the death Terry quits that profession and start working in B movies. However, he eventually becomes responsible for his lover's death. Thus Terry's chance for redemption is lost.

Blow Out was a box office bomb during its theatrical release despite favorable reviews from critics like Roger Ebert and Pauline Kael. Kael elevated De Palma to the heights of Robert Altman and Francis Ford Coppola.

Blow Out's status among audience improved afterwards. It is now considered a cult classic. Quentin Tarantino was a great fan of the movie. He fought with the studios to cast Travolta in Pulp Fiction due  to the latter's performance in Blow Out.

Blow Out is my favorite De Palma, after Body Double of course. Its numerous references to other films is a feast for movie lovers. The movie opens with a shower scene that reminds us of Psycho.

The reference to shower scene in Hitchcock's Psycho

However, it's just a parody. It's the clip from a B Movie that Terry is currently working on. And the weird scream the actress put on the 'film within the film' makes us erupt in laugh.

Blow Out has the right amount of violence, suspense and humor. Three random girls auditioning for the 'scream' is another hilarious scene.

The pursuit to find the perfect scream

Blow Out also features every significant De Palma trademarks. The movie has De Palma's trademarks like split diopter technique, split screens etc.

A great example for De Palma's use of Split Diopter focus

And other thematic trademarks like voyeurism and guilt are present in the movie.

Blow Out is another movie that proves why De Palma is considered by many, including me, a master of the medium. The movie has aged well. In my opinion, it can be enjoyed for another 20-30 years or more.