Brian De Palma

Blow Out

Blow Out

In the enthralling Blow Out, brilliantly crafted by Brian De Palma, John Travolta gives one of his greatest performances, as a film sound-effects man who believes he has accidentally recorded a political assassination. To uncover the truth, he enlists the help of a possible eyewitness to the crime (Nancy Allen), who may be in danger herself. With its jolting stylistic flourishes, intricate plot, profoundly felt characterizations, and gritty evocation of early-1980s Philadelphia, Blow Out is an American paranoia thriller unlike any other, as well as a devilish reflection on moviemaking.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1981
  • 108 minutes
  • Color
  • 2.40:1
  • English
  • Spine #562

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • Interview with director Brian De Palma, conducted by filmmaker Noah Baumbach
  • Interview with actor Nancy Allen
  • Murder à la Mod, a 1967 feature by De Palma
  • Interview with cameraman Garrett Brown on the Steadicam shots featured in the film within Blow Out
  • On-set photographs by Louis Goldman
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Michael Sragow and Pauline Kael’s original New Yorker review of the film

    New cover by Eric Skillman

Purchase Options

DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 4K digital restoration, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
  • Interview with director Brian De Palma, conducted by filmmaker Noah Baumbach
  • Interview with actor Nancy Allen
  • Murder à la Mod, a 1967 feature by De Palma
  • Interview with cameraman Garrett Brown on the Steadicam shots featured in the film within Blow Out
  • On-set photographs by Louis Goldman
  • Trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Michael Sragow and Pauline Kael’s original New Yorker review of the film

    New cover by Eric Skillman
Blow Out
Cast
John Travolta
Jack Terri
Nancy Allen
Sally
John Lithgow
Burke
Dennis Franz
Manny Karp
John Aquino
Detective Mackey
Peter Boyden
Sam
Curt May
Frank Donahue
Credits
Director
Brian De Palma
Written by
Brian De Palma
Produced by
George Litto
Executive producer
Fred Caruso
Director of photography
Vilmos Zsigmond
Production designer
Paul Sylbert
Edited by
Paul Hirsch
Music
Pino Donaggio
Conducted by
Natale Massara

Current

Sisters: Psycho-Thriller, Qu’est-ce Que C’est?
Sisters: Psycho-Thriller, Qu’est-ce Que C’est?

Brian De Palma found his home in the psychological thriller with this chilling tale of murder, which twists genre conventions to investigate the perils of looking and the pitfalls of subjectivity.

By Carrie Rickey

Blow Out: American Scream
Blow Out: American Scream
Brian De Palma brought hip, freewheeling funkiness to the American film renaissance of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Wised-up, cinema-savvy audiences across the country knew to seek out his movies for their scruffy wit, showmanship, and aestheti…

By Michael Sragow

Ty Segall’s Top 10
Ty Segall’s Top 10

The Los Angeles–based musician’s list of favorite films celebrates the kooky, the trippy, and the dystopian.

The Same Old Song: A Guide to Neonoir
The Same Old Song: A Guide to Neonoir

Since its classic-Hollywood heyday, noir has remained a vibrant mode in both studio and independent filmmaking, taking on nostalgic resonances in the highly referential work of Robert Altman, Arthur Penn, Brian De Palma, and the Coen brothers.

By Adam Nayman

Cinema in the Surveillance Zone
Cinema in the Surveillance Zone

A new series on the Criterion Channel dives into the wages of espionage and paranoia through a mix of Hollywood thrillers and art-house dramas.

Carlos Reygadas’s Top 10
Carlos Reygadas’s Top 10

The director of Japón talks about his love for “filmmakers who struggle,” what he values in comedy, and movies that show us what it’s like to live with intensity.