Posted on: May 2, 2011 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Blow Out is a 1981 film that stars John Travolta as an unwitting witness to an assassination; set in Philadelphia, this film is full of intrigue and will have listeners on the edges of their seats throughout. The use of color and darkness in Blow Out is perhaps the strongest side of the title, and is something that simply looks fantastic in this Criterion release. This is because the company has issued a full digital transfer of the title and have transferred it on over to the Blu-Ray format (an additional DVD version is available).

The special edition of Blow Out contains pretty much anything that individuals may want from the title. Key of these additions has to be the hour-long interview that was conducted with director Brian De Palma (Scarface), but the physical material seems to possess a similarly-close quality. This is due to the fact that the original New Yorker review of the title (written by Pauline Kael) is present, along with an illuminating essay by Michael Sragow. The presence of De Palma’s 1967 film Murder a la Mod, a previously thought lost title, adds further value to this release.

Blow Out is a title that has not been given quite the amount of ink as other Brian De Palma films, and has been lost to many in much the same way as eir Murder a la Mod was. However, the Criterion edition of Blow Out will introduce an entirely new population to the title, and the company has provided a proper context for anyone that was either too young to be living in the period in which the film takes place or had missed it the first time around. Pick this Blu-Ray up at your local, well-stocked independent film store and set aside a day or two for full Blow Out immersion.

Rating: 9.2/10

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