While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.
"Murder has a sound all of its own."
Top Billed Cast
John Travolta
Jack Terry
Nancy Allen
Sally Badina
John Lithgow
Burke
Dennis Franz
Manny Karp
Peter Boyden
Sam
John Aquino
Det. Mackey
John McMartin
Lawrence Henry
Deborah Everton
Hooker
Detailed Critic & Audience Reviews
J John ChardVerified TMDB Critic
2015-01-04
Superior entry on De Palma's CV.
Brian De Palma has always gotten a bad rap for his penchant for essaying his heroes and favourite thrillers, what often gets forgotten is just how great he could be in crafting said thrillers.
Blow Out has John Travolta as a sound engineer for low budget horror movies, who while out recording sounds one night witnesses a car crash and dives into the river to rescue the call girl trapped in the back seat (Nancy Allen). Upon listening back to the footage of the crash, he hears two noises which point to a gun shot being fired at the car. So with the dead man...
W WuchakVerified TMDB Critic
2021-06-14
_**Colorful De Palma crime mystery with Travolta and Lithgow**_
A sound effects man in Philadelphia (John Travolta) obtains evidence that a fatal accident involving the governor wasn’t really an accident, which thrusts him into danger with shady characters. John Lithgow, Dennis Franz and Nancy Allen are all somehow involved in the nefarious conspiracy.
Written & directed by Brian De Palma, "Blow Out” (1981) is a crime drama/thriller whose colors, artistic style, cast and Philadelphia locations make it worthwhile. It’s similar to Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation” (1974...
J JPV852Verified TMDB Critic
2022-09-08
This is one I've watched a few times over the years and it's still great with each viewing. John Travolta and Nancy Allen give great performances and although it's not one of these thrill-a-minute films, it still maintains the suspense throughout. It's one of the gems for Brian De Palma. **4.5/5**...
