BLOW OUT is a tale of murder, conspiracy, and moviemaking. These three subjects are so overused in films, and yet in this one, it seems fresh and appropriate. The film opens with a campy and shady horror movie set-up: there's talk of a possible stranger outside, and then as a shrouded figure enters the house in the spectral way that all killers in horror films do, he floats to the showers, pulls up a knife, pulls back the shower curtain and a ridiculous and feeble scream comes out of his victim. The film is cut back, and we see a group of filmmakers working on their film and worrying about the feeble scream. The filmmakers send the hero (played by John Travolta) to find a new and better scream because they got the girl in the movie "for her tits not her voice". Travolta is a soundman, and as he's out recording leaves rustling for the film, he witness a car's tire blow out, and then crash into the water. He saves one of the passengers (the other is already dead) and begins to discover that the blow out might not have been so by looking at the recording he got of the accident. As conspiracy plots pile up, director Brian De Palma utilizes textile backgrounds, sarcasm, and minimalism to make for a conspiracy thriller that transcends the genre. As the characters become so immersed within the conspiracy, it becomes clear that that is not so important, and perhaps it is the motivations of the characters that is. As something becomes so important within their lives, the most primal emotions come through. BLOW OUT is a masterpiece.
Blow Out: ★★★★
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