Blow Out (1981)

It's one of Tarantino's top 5 favorite films. That's the only reason i want to see Blow Out. 

Not De Palma, who i respect if i don't always like and not Travolta, who in my opinion is wildly hit-and.miss. I just want to see what could possibly be so great that it's held in such high esteem by one of the world's most famous cineastes.

You probably shouldn't start your writing with a metaphor but here it goes-  Blow Out is a reimagining of Antonioni's Blow Up, which was about a photographer who witnesses a murder. Blow Out is about a movie sound recordist who witnesses a murder (a car tire is 'blown out' leading to the murder). Now when you see what De Palma has done there, you think 'hmmm clever, very wry' which is a bit like the film it's self. It's very well made, it's a good idea, it's not predicable but there's no soul to it. You feel very disconnected while watching it. In the 'conspiracy thriller' genre, it's still a fresh idea/story 30years later and John Travolta has probably never been better but it's just 'robotic'- it looks good but it's not engaging. The way he directs certain scenes is almost lyrical, particularly a shot where Travolta is searching his office rabid for missing material:-

(FFWD to between 4min.40s-7min.30s)                         

The mise en scene is plain and direct. I guess this is what Tarantino appreciates about Blow Out. That and it's commentary on low-budget schlock cinema- Travolta is a sound recordist for teen-slasher movies and that gives De Palma, the opportunity to mock his own rep as an American 'giallo' filmmaker.

But then again, I'm thinking the problem might be with Nancy Allen, playing Alice. She's a character so dumb and feckless, i couldn't bring myself to care about her. She's the woman-in-danger and female interest. I say female interest because she may supposed to be the love interest but she and Travolta have zero chemistry. (Maybe because her husband was on set. Brian De Palma.) Her energy towards him seems purely sisterly.
That is to say, i didn't want anything bad to happen to her but I'm struggling to believe Travolta is trying to save the love of his life.
I have to call out Dennis 'Sipowicz' Franz for special praise- his lascivious lecherous sleazeball is really great. You could almost taste in desperation. Bleh...salty.
John Lithgow plays an unhinged psycho, but to be fair, this was probably the first time in a long list of his sociopaths.
I think De Palma will be fondly remembered in the annals of cinema as a great director, more than a technician or cameraman but he isn't an auteur. He can't write as well as he photographs and i think that's what lets Blow Out down.
In rap-music terms (!?), De Palma is like Dr Dre or The RZA. They made groundbreaking music but in rap-music, they're no one's favourite rapper.
People talk about De Palma's interest in voyeurism but isn't voyeurism supposed to feel exciting and engaging?

I watched Blow Out (1981), on DVD via LoveFilm.
My 2011 in Movies will return with The Night Porter (1974).