Rent Blow Out (1981)

Interesting 80s Thriller - Blow Out review by GI

Brian De Palma's 80s neo noir psychological thriller has gained a bit of a cult following in more recent times, maybe because Quentin Tarantino is on record as a fan, but it was a box office failure on release and reputedly damaged it's star's future. Actually John Travolta is the best thing about this thriller which is clearly influenced by the style of Alfred Hitchcock, in some places a little too obviously which gives the film a bit of a dated feel and the soundtrack is at times too domineering. But the narrative follows a well worn path in mystery stories of this kind and De Palma adds the sleazy aspects of the world of prostitution and exploitative horror movies to add some spice for an 80s audience. Travolta plays Jack, a movie sound engineer, who is out one night recording various bits and pieces when he inadvertently records a car crash that kills a presidential candidate. He rescues a young girl from the car (Nancy Allen) but later discovers he recorded a gunshot and becomes convinced he witnessed a murder. He then finds that he and the girl are targets. There's a bit of an exaggerated climax that needed a bit more subtlety but overall this is a solid 80s thriller with an added serial killer vibe.