My husband Frank has recently taken up the hobby of collecting 4K DVDs. Through this I’ve learned the importance of technical aspects like sound and screen resolution when it comes to movie watching. For me, movies have always been more about their stories-- I’m a writer after all-- and their effect on my feelings. I’m always thinking about how the characters grow and evolve, how the plot unfolds, how the language works. In the past I unfairly put the technical and craft aspects of filmmaking in the background. In fact, when Frank met me, I was watching my movies on a 13” screen that I was reluctant to give up. (I’m not just a writer but also very stubborn.)
But I’ve come around. And as the theater-going experience deteriorates and streaming releases become more common, it is important to create a decent home theater experience. This is all to say, this week’s movie Blow Out (1981, 108 minutes) is our newest member of the 4K collection and it is one that is very worthy of every extra pixel.
Blow Out stars a post-Grease, post-Urban-Cowboy John Travolta as Jack, a B Movie sound tech, who not only witnesses a terrible car accident one night, but becomes involved as he jumps into a river to save Sally (Nancy Allen) from the wreckage. As the night progresses, Jack learns he has most likely witnessed the murder of the car’s driver (a governor and presidential hopeful) and he sets out to uncover the truth. His desire to solve a case the police have already ruled an accident, however, puts him and Sally into a dangerous position with Burke (John Lithgow), a cold and calculating and psychotic fixer hired by the governor's opposition.
Written and directed by Brian De Palma (Carrie, Scarface, Mission:Impossible) Blow Out was poorly received upon release, but has become a cinephile favorite as the years have marched on. Quentin Tarantino, for example, consistently lists it as one of his favorite movies of all time and in doing so, he introduced the film to a new generation of fans. Like most of us (I assume) I’m not as familiar with De Palma as I am with his contemporaries - Spielberg, Scorsese, Coppola - and that is perhaps because so many of his films were not highly regarded until well after they were in theaters. Scarface, once derided for its violence, is now regarded as one of the best crime films ever made. (And a personal favorite of mine.)
What’s so striking about Blow Out is that while the movie is not just a neo-noir thriller about guilt and truth, it is also a movie about making movies. It is just as obsessed with craft as its lead, Jack, is obsessed with proving that he witnessed a murder. De Palma incorporates split screens and plays with depth, different vantage points, and tracking shots. (All of which he is now famously known for.) He layers scenes like a collage. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about blocking and how character movement in exposition scenes helps hold an audience's attention while important information is divulged. De Palma utilizes these “tricks” of the camera in a similar fashion. Thanks to a split screen, we’re able to watch Jack work on sound editing, while simultaneously watching the news about the governor (and future murder victim).
Jack himself works for a B Movie company that turns out co-ed slasher flicks. The entire plot of the Blow Out is sandwiched between one simple fact-- Jack needs to find a good scream for the shower scene in his latest film project. We begin and end on the scream (and without spoiling the end) it is with bone chilling finality that Jack finds it. His job is also consistently in opposition to his desire to uncover the truth and expose corruption. As we see in the opening ten minutes, films are delicately layered works that when combined give the illusion of reality. A horror movie can make our heart race thanks to editing, music scores, sound and visual effects.
Movies are not unlike the elaborate scheme Burke devises to conceal the murder of the governor. He goes to the police garage to swap out the blown-out tire so no bullet holes are found and completely erases not just the evidential tape Jack has of the accident but all of Jack’s tapes (causing Jack to become even more paranoid and making him appear unhinged with authorities). Most disturbing, Burke brutally murders multiple women who all look like Sally to create a fictional serial killer in an attempt to mask Sally’s murder as just another slaying.
I had no question as to why Jack was so obsessed with wanting to prove that what he heard and saw was real. Travolta, in perhaps one of his best performances, plays Jack as a world weary guy who wants to believe in resolutions and truth. I was on board already so at first the flashback to his previous career as a sound tech for the police-- wiring informants to catch criminals-- I thought we were wasting time, taking away from the quick pace of the actual plot. But upon reflection, I’ve come to appreciate the richer context we have for Jack’s motivation. He’s not just a “good guy” but a guy who has been fucked (his words, not mine) too many times before. He’s witnessed countless criminals and harmful people who get away with anything they want to because of greed and power hungry politicians. (Did I mention the movie is heavily influenced by American conspiracy theories and moments of political corruption, as pointed out by Ebert in his original review?)
I absolutely love how Blow Out can reference a number of other movies, filmmakers, and historical moments and still feel original. There are a lot of people who would love to argue the opposite of that with me, and I welcome them to do so in the comments, but in reality, all films are referential. The ending gutted me but was not surprising. It is often referred to as a “shock” ending, but for me there was no other way for it to end. Jack’s obsession with the truth is his blind spot which causes him to disregard the safety and wellbeing of those around him. He repeatedly makes the same mistake, just as he repeatedly makes the same movies. He is Sisyphus, just trying to do the right thing.
References:
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blow-out
https://cinephiliabeyond.org/brian-de-palmas-blow-out/
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/blow-out-and-why-movies-need-shock-endings/
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/24/movies/brian-de-palma-blow-out-carlitos-way.html
Always loved this film…Great review as always! I’m due for a re-watch. 😊
Blow Out is a stone-cold classic. I was knocked out by that movie.