Blow Out (1981) movie review - Sneak Previews with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel
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- čas přidán 5. 09. 2024
- This is the original review of Blow Out by Siskel & Ebert on "Sneak Previews" in 1981. All of the segments pertaining to the movie have been included.
One Travolta's most underrated performances. As Gene Siskel pointed out, he's not playing the teenager ffrom Saturday Night Fever and Grease, he's playing an adult character that stumbles upon a conspiracy. most of the movie was filmed in my hometown of Philadelphia, also where De Palma grew up.
BLOW OUT is wonderful!
Blow Out is the only Travolta film I really love, and he's very good in it. Shame on Siskel and Ebert for not mentioning the wonderful Philadelphia locations. Really adds something. I'm glad they loved it though.
Yeah, the Philly locations are great. I live here as well. The whole sequence at 30th Street station is unbelievable
@@christianhafer9819
PULP FICTION is still awesome.
But I admit that BLOW OUT is still my favorite.
@Jeckxdeel I enjoy Pulp Fiction immensely.
wow almost 40 yrs ago. I miss these guys and the movies that were made back then.
Boy does time fly. :(
Yeah, time has moved on. These were when films were done differently, without all the CGI. But every year there are good films. We just have to find their asses.
Travolta deserved an Oscar for "Blow Out."
I never realized just how great this movie was. I was only a kid when this came out, but I do remember it being on HBO around a year later. I never watched it because I felt like John Travolta wasn't a good actor back then. Boy, how wrong I was! Travolta was a great actor, and this movie was brilliant. A very overlooked masterpiece of cinema if you ask me. Almost never mentioned at all when talking about great films from the 80s.
De Palma too!
No.
Amen
@@hernerwerzog1278 Only from 1977 to 1980.
Thanks for posting this. One of my favorite movies, and I think De Palma's best.
How do you like "Dressed to Kill"?
@@jacktorrance2633 I've got the uncut Criterion Blu-ray. I like it, but I think Blow Out is De Palma's best film. They would be great for a double feature.
@@johnfitzpatrick3094 I had it in my hand last week when I was in Barnes and Noble but I put it back down and got Days of Heaven, Lost in America,and Gimmie Shelter instead. I think I'll get it on my next trip. I do own Blow Out on Criterion DVD, I found it in a second-hand store for 5 dollars so I figured that deal beat getting the Blu-ray. I think I prefer Blow out because I like Travolta,But both are very good.
@@jacktorrance2633 I don't have Lost in America, but I've got the other titles.
It's such a shame that Blow Out never got it's dues at the box office. It's a superb thriller. One of De Palma's top 5 best films. The 4 others I would say are Carlito's Way (De Palma's masterpiece), Carrie, Scarface and Dressed to Kill.
My personal De Palma's top 3 is BLOW OUT, DRESSED TO KILL and BODY DOUBLE.
I found it rather boring.
@@CelestialWoodway You think what you want. It's BLOW-UP which is super boring in my opinion!
Anyway, it's hard to find more boring than BLOW-UP!
A pompous, pretentious, very long, very slow moving, really soporific and boring piece of shit!
Carlito's Way is fine film but De Palma's masterpiece ? Nah, not even close. In my opinion, his top five is the following:
1. Femme Fatale
2. Blow Out
3. Body Double
4. Carrie
5. Passion
Glad you mentioned Carlito's Way. One of my favourite films.
The clips, their explanations and analysis give away WAY too much. This movie is DePalma's best.
John Travolta and Nancy Allen really shared great chemistry, in both this movie, and Carrie, both directed by Brian De Palma.
I really like the sequence of Travolta putting together the sound and film of the assination
Hugely underrated classic. I never hear Travolta speak of it, or Lithgow, and neither of them were featured on the Criterion DVD that I have. Overlooked masterpiece.
BLOW OUT is one of my favorites!
favorite ending in film history
A wonderful ending indeed!
Travolta’s performance in this isn’t celebrated nearly enough.
I agree with you on that point
You're absolutely right!
Well Tarantino resurrected Travolta’s career in the 90s based on this performance. In a roundabout way he sort of got his due. Deserved an nomination for this though.
DAMN Eric you're like a childhood friend that i haven't seen in 40 years THANKS for jarring my memory on stuff that i forgot all about.
A great De Palma film. Along with “Dressed to Kill,” I also believe this is his best film. So well done with great performances. A great thriller with a sad but memorable ending.
Yeah, that ending where he finally gets the perfect scream for his film. That was really something.
The ending is why the movie didn't become a hit.
@@citygirl5705 and the irony that by killing Burke, the connection to the governor's opponents is gone
@@dnasty312
One thing I didn't understand is why Travolta had to wire her at the end when she went to meet the reporter. Why wouldn't he have just gone with her?
@@citygirl5705 Lithgow would have gotten spooked by him.
Shrinking Blow-Out to that little square screen is a cinematic crime.
There are many reasons to love this picture but I especially do because of its gritty grimy Philly milieu.
I don't buy many Criterion releases if the movie is available cheaper but I splurged for this Blu-ray.
Career highlights for De Palma, Travolta, Lithgow, Nancy Allen, Dennis Franz, Pino Donaggio....SEPTA, 30th Street Station, Cobbs Creek, Market Street, City Hall.
I don't think Travolta cares for it, unfortunately. I think it's marvelous.
Eric, I'm impressed that you came up with all these SP uploads! I guess you saw the demand and came up with the supply. :)
Apparently the imdb has the whole episodes. He mentioned this in the clip for Superman.
Yeah, for years it was so hard to find a lot of Siskel and Ebert reviews from the 70s to even early 80s. Glad they have finally surfaced and actually really good quality.
I'm really grateful that this has been uploaded to youtube
The sound in this clip where Travolta is running is nearly the same as the staircase shootout in the Untouchables. .
Blow out is still my favorite Travolta film.
Excellent choice!
I totally agree!
Yes he's so good in this movie
Man what a great film.
Totally agree!
Hell yes!
After the chase scene it goes from sunny daytime to total nighttime in a span of a few minutes. I didn't understand how the EMS workers left Travolta's character passed out inside the ambulance alone for that length of time after he crashed his jeep. It took that long also for the train with the killer and girl to reach the next stop.
They could have opened with so many better clips than that chase through the Philly parade.
Funny how Siskel mentions Travolta and Lithgow by name but keeps referring to Nancy Allen, the co-star, as “the young woman.”
She definitely deserves more credit. She was so amazing --- and her performance and sweetness wins your heart and John Travolta's character and breaks your heart it at the end.
One of Brain De Palma's best films
Absolutely!
BLOW OUT is one of the best thrillers and also one of the best movies all times combined!
Good old Brain.....
@@Jeckxdeel No!
@@chicovoylez3216 You think what you want but I don't care about contrary opinions than mine anyway!
Incredible film.
You're right indeed!
The ending of this movie still makes my jaw drop.
When Lithgow puts gloves on, I think of Simpson.
De Palma's *masterpiece* 👍👍 and no, DEFINITELY *Travolta's best performance*
Sorry bro but Pulp Fiction was better
@@layicorn PULP FICTION is great. But BLOW OUT is a wonderful hitchcockian thriller!
Agreed on both counts
agree
And also best Travolta's movie!
I liked this movie. its very tense and suspenseful. it does get a little preposterous at the end given it is very tight from the beginning. I liked the ending which is kind of sad. Travolta was good but the best performance came from the lead. The climax did not quite fit with the tone of the movie and its set up but its pretty good thriller.
Man Travolta had a streak of solid movies for a few years in a row there...
Yeah, Five great movies out of Six years. Not a bad run.
Tarantino loved this movie also.
Just watched this flick. S & E nailed it
I'd love to see a remastered edition of this movie
DePalma's best movie and Travolta's best performance.
Much like The Conversation!
BLOW OUT is way far better than THE CONVERSATION!
@@Jeckxdeel Nah.
@@ricardocantoral7672 THE CONVERSATION is one of the most slow moving and boring movies ever made!
A real piece of shit!
Blow Out is a film that has heart.
Great movie!
Absolutely! A wonderful and fantastic movie! De Palma is magic!
Boring.
That’s an interesting response... Would you mind giving an example of a few films that you would describe as ‘exciting’?
@@CelestialWoodway It's not boring at all!
BLOW OUT is an exciting, captivating and fascinating movie!
@@williamhicks7736 FIRST BLOOD, ROAD WARRIOR, NIGHT HAWKS, THE TERMINATOR, ALIEN do I need to go on?
"Senator Kennedy's accident at Chappaquiddick"
Sure Gene...
The good old days of Sneak Previews, where they had a lot more time to discuss the films. Once they went commercial, they were much more time constrained.
My second favorite De Palma film. The best is Femme Fatale in my book.
Early 80’s films where IMO the best there was.
😊
They showed the whole movie!
I liked this better then Grease
BLOW OUT is way far better than GREASE. GREASE was a very big box office success but not a very good film at all!
@@Jeckxdeel Agreed, John and Nancy had better chemistry also! When this movie came out Allen and Travolta were on Tons of covers and being called " The Ultimate Dream Team"
Great movie I just watched again but why wouldn’t he have gone with her? They think she’s meeting a reporter he’s met before.
I'm shocked they didn't mention one line about Blow Up.
Roger Ebert likes BLOW-UP!
You should be happy!
1 of mine and QT's favorite films!
And somehow this DIDN'T make either of their Top Ten lists.
Great film. Worthy of Hirchcock.
Love this movie so much too 5
Jeeze, Sickle and Ebert, spoilers much? You're giving away the climax!!
Tragically under appreciated
To the general public but not film buffs.
It’s an effective film mostly because it has a sense of comedy to it and Travolta is convincing as the unlikely hero fighting against political corruption.
Great movie
Just went and watched the ending of Blow Out and these two zombies were pretty damn spot on.
Good scream 😉
Good movie 😊
I would actually pay to watch this movie on youtube. But there is no recommendation.
They marketed this all wrong. Even to hear them describe really doesn't do the movie justice. The political thriller is box office poison for movies like these, and while it may have political elements in it, it surely is more about the story of two people finding themselves the wrong place at the wrong time, and getting in over their heads.
The film is about entertainment born from the horror of reality which, in the case, is political corruption. That's why Travolta uses that scream in the picture he was working on.
comepletely agree i hate most of brian de palmas movie
this is his best movie
De Palma directed several wonderful movies!
@@Jeckxdeel yes me personally not a fan
@@attackofthecopyrightbots agree the untouchables was way more horrible than I remembered, its superficial, with god awful dialogue, obsession too the protagonist was horrible, most of his films are Hitchcock ripoff
Scarface was good because the negative sides of depalma were positive for the story , the bad guy fightfighting for his life
Blow out was good but it could be better without some cheesy music in some scenes or some bad lines of dialogue that seems unnecessary,
At the end of the day he is good but not my taste
Some review, they mostly just show clips 🙄
great movie but hated the ending....I wonder if hadn`t ended so dark would it have been popular...
The ending is wonderful!
agonizing!!!
Ummmmmm, that's one of the best endings in movie history. It was perfect.
An ending doesn't have to be upbeat to be great.
I agree....but the editing makes the last 30 minutes so tortuous to watch..it`s hard for me to watch again
@@citygirl5705 Totally agree!
I think that this is de palms second best film. Only second to scarface. I think that this film is good but the pacing is a bet too slow.
The pacing is ideal.
Not too slow and not too fast.
Scarface was a flop! Just has a cult following for whatever reason
@@timothytouhey8682 SCARFACE still did better financially than BLOW OUT.
That's because are dumbshit society idolizes drug dealers!
The pacing of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (that also belongs to the thriller/crime movie genre) is way far slower than BLOW OUT's!
Blow Out is awesome. Yes, yes, yes on all the points everyone has made - HOWEVER - I think this is one of Pino Donaggio's worst scores. From the opening bridge scene (shown here) to Travolta's Jeep chase at the end it's just terrible.
Not agree at all!
The music is wonderful!
Agreed. The score is overwrought and tacky.
Wow...one of my favorite scores
@@Johnnyiswhere Totally agree!
And I even own the BLOW OUT cd soundtrack!
blow up 1966.
But BLOW OUT is way far better than BLOW-UP.
BLOW-UP is just a pretentious, slow moving and boring film!
@@Jeckxdeel Bullshit! Blow up is way better than this boring shit.
I find Blow Up mesmerizing.
@@michaelnemo7629 You have the right to like BLOW-UP.
But I hate this pompous, pretentious, slow moving and boring arthouse movie!
BLOW-UP is a real piece of shit!
@@Jeckxdeel Thanks for stating the obvious.
Seems more like a propaganda film
Wow they ruin all the movie for you!
Great movie...sad ending doomed it st the box office....could've been just as good I think if she lived
You just ruined it for me.
God this was a bad film. Travolta plays a sound engineer who thinks he's going to crack open a vast shadowy conspiracy with audio recordings, instead of, you know, notifying the FBI that political assassinations are occurring and turning his audio recordings over to them as evidence. The ending was considered "masterful" by many, but I considered it to be goofy and cartoonish.
The fact that Siskel and Ebert thought this was an intelligent film is incomprehensible to me.
Oh, and all of the women who are murdered in the film (including the female lead, Sally), are treated as helpless victims waiting to be murdered, graphically and sadistically. Instead of "Blow Out", this film should have been called "Murder of the Blow Up Dolls".
Great premise/start, like videodrome, and like vd, loses it 1/3 in .
VIDEODROME is also a wonderful movie!
Wrong.
Hated this movie. And the ending is so outrageously bad.
It's one of the best endings of the whole movies creation!
You need to see this movie again .Its one of the underrated gems of the 1980s. A sad fact about this movie not may people know this movie existed, but movie buffs or John's fans. Another fact is the sad ending is a downer
A masterpiece
@@errolbourgeois8230 Totally agree!
A serious candidate for the title of "number one thriller" all times combined!
And one of the best movies of the whole creation!
It was good ,but the pacing of it was a bit fast ,it should've took more time, or it should've been way shorter and without music
@@o.l4890 The pacing is just ideal.