Overlooked and underrated: Brian DePalma’s ‘Blow Out’

Editor’s Note: This is the first of three posts on films of Brian DePalma. 

By TERRY R.CASSREINO

BLOW OUT (1981

Brian DePalma built his reputation and successful career by directing, and sometimes also writing, suspenseful and memorable character-driven horror thrillers.

He modeled his early work on Alfred Hitchcock. Some critics derided DePalma as nothing more than a Hitchcock hack, directing films that echoed and mimicked the themes and settings of many Hitchcock classics.

“Obsession” (1976), set in New Orleans, was nothing more than a retread of “Vertigo” – replete with a haunting score by Hitchcock regular Bernard Hermann. “Sisters” (1973) and, especially, “Dressed to Kill” (1980) had an awful lot in common with “Psycho.” In fact, “Dressed to Kill” is practically a shot-for-shot remake.

When DePalma tried to re-invent himself, his efforts proved just as troubling. “The Untouchables” (1987) was a slick, uninteresting retread of a popular 1950s television crime drama and “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (1990) was a flat-out, unmitigated, uninteresting disaster.

But buried in DePalma’s uneven career are several gems, and three of them stand head above the rest. This post covers my first pick.

JOHN TRAVOLTA

BLOW OUT

“Blow Out,” a little-seen 1981 suspense thriller starring John Travolta, is a masterpiece – a beautifully shot film about a motion picture sound technician who may have caught on tape the sound of a political assassination of a presidential hopeful.

Travolta is excellent in the lead, the film’s hero who is determined to unravel the mystery regardless of the consequences. DePalma’s then-wife, Nancy Allen, gives an equally compelling performance as a young call girl Travolta rescues and then romances.

Despite referencing such works as Antonioni’s “Blowup” and Coppola’s “The Conversation,” DePalma, who wrote the script, manages to helm a wholly original film. The movie bristles with suspense and believable characters.

DePalma touches on familiar themes in “Blow Out,” including his fascination with making motion pictures. Despite the artistic success of the film, it fared poorly at the box office and quickly disappeared. Only now, some 30 years later, is the film receiving the attention it deserves.

In fact, the Criterion Collection, a DVD collection of important contemporary and classic films, recently released a pristine version of “Blow Out” on both regular DVD and high-definition Blu-ray disc. You can buy your own copy of the film through the Criterion Collection or rent it through Netflix. The film is rated R for violence and profanity.

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