Blow Out

When a special effects artist accidentally captures the audio of a political assassination, he’s thrust into the wrong side of a conspiracy cover up. Blow Out is a true film lover’s thriller. Brian De Palma’s Hitchcock homage is one part neo-noir with its moody jazz score and neon soaked streets, one part political thriller, and one part horror. It's a masterful balance. An almost formless display of shifting vibes. 

From the opening shot of the B movie slasher that John Travolta’s character is working on in post production, it not only gives a nice visual nod to Psycho (1960) but sets the unique tone of this movie. A blend of eerie tension and post-Watergate political commentary creates suspense in a flavor I never knew I needed. He plays with suspense beautifully and in so many different ways. It's well known the influence that Alfred Hitchcock had on De Palma, and the ghost of his fingerprints are all over this with dramatic irony and the innocent regular joe caught in the winds of a murderous conspiracy. 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Blow Out is analog heaven. Seeing the intricacies of tape recording as the forefront of the plot is a treat for audio and cinephiles alike. It’s also nice to see foley artists get some attention. The American symbolism is poignant with Philadelphia celebrating the bicentennial of the Liberty Bell as the film’s backdrop, and the American flag garishly draped across the screen during the bloody climax. 

You also get that Post-Watergate paranoia and government distrust. Like Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, phone taps and bugs were now in the public consciousness. The microphone had a new clandestine aura about it. In a time of Epsteins and Kirks where people have grown more cynical of assassinations and government cover ups, Blowout is the perfect blend of human fear and political commentary. 

For the record, I have yet to see Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow Up that inspired De Palma’s reimagining of the movie. I’ll catch you when I do. 

-Source