Review of Blow Out (1981) by Renzo V — 22 Mar 2014

"THE SOUND OF MURDER".

- 'Blow Out' is a 1981 thriller written and directed by Brian De Palma (Carrie, Scarface). It's storyline is an intriguing quest of a sound technician who witnessed a freaky car accident that turns out to be a political assassination. Although it's not De Palma's best work, I certainly enjoyed the surrounding urban mystery feeling he was able to reflect. There's even a certain touch of humor. With John Travolta (Grease, Pulp Fiction), Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill, Robocop Trilogy) and John Lithgow (Cliffhanger, 3rd Rock from the Sun).

Sound technician Jack Terry (Travolta) needs to record better wind effects to use in a cheap horror film he helps to develop. One night he is standing on a bridge with his recording equipment and witnesses how a speeding car gets of the road and plunges into the creek. Jack dives in the water to help the people trapped in the car. The man is already dead, but Jack is able to save the young woman. At the hospital the sound technician learns that the dead man was a governor with hopes in becoming the next president. The girl introduces herself as Sally (Allen), who is an escort. To avoid a political scandal, Sally will not be mentioned in the official statement. When listening back to his recordings, Jack hears a gunshot before the car hits the water. In the mean time, a serial killer called 'The Liberty Bell Strangler' (Lithgow) is murdering women who resemble Sally. Coincidence or part of the political cover-up?