Brian De Palma peels back the curtain on movie making in this meticulous conspiracy thriller about a sound engineer who inadvertently records a crime being committed. His expertly crafted 1981 thriller ‘Blow Out’ has been given a stunning UHD release by Criterion, and it is one of the most beautifully rendered 4K upgrades I’ve ever seen. There’s a stunning clarity and vibrancy to the image, whilst still maintaining the authentic filmic elements of grain and texture. The enhanced audio is equally impressive, as you would expect in a film where sound is integral to the plot.
In one of his finest performances, John Travolta plays Jack Terry, a sound technician who works on cheap exploitation slasher movies. Whilst out in a park one night recording ambient sounds, he inadvertently captures audio evidence of a car crash that may in fact be a politically motivated murder. When reviewing his audio of the tire blow out that led to the crash, he discovers another sound on the tape: a gun shot. Jack teams up with Sally (Nancy Allen), a call girl who was in the car, and the only survivor of the crash. They start to piece together the events leading up to the crash in an effort to uncover the truth. But the closer they get, the more danger they find themselves in, as Jack’s obsession with proving this was an assassination, plunges them into a complex web of political corruption and sleazy cover-ups.
In a career of highly stylised films, ‘Blow Out’ finds De Palma at the peak of his craft, putting on a virtuoso display of directorial technique. But it isn’t just style for the sake of it. The film is as much about the mechanics of filmmaking as it is a conspiracy thriller, which makes it such a fascinating piece of work. Jack uses his skills in sound recording and editing to methodically analyse evidence that plays a crucial role in unravelling the mystery at the heart of the story. Technical aspects of filmmaking therefore become a key plot device, but are actually being used to underscore De Palma’s thematic exploration of perception and reality.
De Palma takes the meta-textual elements a step further with the visual and audio techniques he employs to tell the story. Split screens. Split diopters. 360-degree pans. Use of slow motion. Elaborate tracking shots. Reflections. Framing. The mise-en-scene. The atmospheric lighting courtesy of Vilmos Zsigmond, and of course the stunning sound design. All of these technical components which he uses to tell the story, emphasise how films can shape our understanding of events. To find the truth about the car crash, Jack creates his own movie by obsessively attempting to sync the sound of the accident he recorded with images of the crime scene. Just as De Palma shapes the reality of his film, Jack creates his own narrative, blurring the lines between reality and illusion.
As if being treated to a filmmaking masterclass isn’t enough, ‘Blow Out’ features a trio of exceptional performances. Travolta and Allen bring an emotional depth and vulnerability to the film, which helps to keep things grounded amid all the flashy visuals and technical wizardry. Then there’s John Lithgow, as the menacing thug hired to keep the conspiracy under wraps. As you would expect from one of cinema’s great villainous performers, his is a turn of chilling precision and nastiness, lending a tinge of horror to the film, that calls back to Jack’s day job, and then pays off in the phenomenal climax.
‘Blow Out’ is a stunning film, and has been afforded an equally stunning release from Criterion. The supplementary features are a cinephiles delight. Key among them is an in depth interview with De Palma, conducted by Noah Baumbach. He delves into the film’s production, influences, and its reception over the years, offering a rare glimpse into his creative process. There are also interviews with Nancy Allen, and cameraman Garrett Brown. Also included is De Palma’s rare 1967 debut feature ‘Murder a la Mod’. The booklet comes with an essay by critic Michael Sragow, and Pauline Kael’s original New Yorker review.
Cast: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz Director: Brian De Palma Writer: Brian De Palma Released By: Spirit Entertainment Certificate: 15 Duration: 108 mins Release Date: 22 July 2024
