Home / Blow Out

Blow Out

Year:

1981

Duration:

107 min

Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

IMDB rate:

7.4

Director:

Brian De Palma

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Details

Country: USA

Release Date: 1981-07-24

Filming Locations: Penn Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Earnings

Budget: $18,000,000

Gross: $13,747,234 (USA) (28 August 1981)

Cast

Actor

Character

Missy Cleveland

Blow Out

John Travolta

Jack Terry

Nancy Allen

Sally

John Lithgow

Burke

Dennis Franz

Manny Karp

Peter Boyden

Sam

Curt May

Donahue

John Aquino

Detective Mackey

John McMartin

Lawrence Henry

Deborah Everton

Hooker

J. Patrick McNamara

Detective at Hospital

Roger Wilson

Coed Lover

Lori-Nan Engler

Sue

Cindy Manion

Dancing Coed

Missy Crutchfield

Dancing Coed (as Missy O'Shea)

Marcy Bigelman

Ecstatic Coed

Ann Kelly

Studious Coed

Dean Bennett

Campus Guard

John Coppolino Jr.

Maniac

Archie Lang

Mixer

Dave Roberts

Anchorman

Claire Carter

Anchorwoman

Maurice Copeland

Jack Manners

John Hoffmeister

Governor McRyan

David De Felice

Boy Lover

Barbara Sigel

Girl Lover

Thomas J. McCarthy

Policeman at Hospital (as Tom McCarthy)

Reginald M. Wallace

Policeman at Hospital

Robert L. Penrose

Hospital Administrator

Larry Woody

Doctor

Dick McGarvin

TV Newscaster

Michael Borghese

Newsdealer

Rossana Fichera

Receptionist

James Jeter

Film Lab Man

Luddy Tramontana

Freddie Corso

Sid Doherty

Cop in Car

Milt Fields

Mobster

Bud Seese

Corrupt Captain

Maureen Sullivan

First Murder Victim

Brian Corrigan

Cop at Karp's Office

Elaine Filoon

Screamer

Robin Sherwood

Betty

Tim Choate

Sailor

B.J. Cyrus

Sailor's Friend

Dave DeAngelis

Sailor's Friend (as Dave De Angelis)

Thomas Finn

Sailor's Friend

Tony Devon

Sailor's Friend

Henry Cohen

Ambulance Attendant

Bernie Rachelle

Ambulance Attendant

William Tarman

Security Guard

Michael Tearson

Hawker

Roberto Lombardi

Train Passenger (uncredited)

Ernest McClure

Jim (uncredited)

Susan Wool-Rush

Witness (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

The idea of a man discovering a crime by listening to a recording is a reinterpretation of Michelangelo Antonioni's film Blow-Up (1966), but using sound instead of photographs.

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The underwater components of the car crash on the bridge set piece were shot in a huge tank in California. Nancy Allen suffers from claustrophobia and hence had a hard time with being trapped in the car in the underwater scenes.

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In the French version, John Travolta's voice was dubbed by Gérard Depardieu.

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Goofs

As the Burke character (John Lithgow) speaks to his contact from the "secure" public phone in downtown Philadelphia, the same maroon MGB convertible is seen directly across in the same metered space throughout the conversations that take place on different days.

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The sound mixer for the slasher movie mutes all of the sounds except the scream of the girl in the shower, in order to prove that it's really her voice. In fact, what he proves is that she's been dubbed: if it were really sound from the location he would not have been able to eliminate the shower or its curtain being pulled aside, as the microphone would have picked them up too.

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In the pre-credit "slasher movie" sequence, the shadowed reflections of both the "slasher" (intended or, at least, credible) and the camera operator and his Steadicam (unintended) can be seen in the tile wall to the right of the showering girl. Perhaps the reason the girl was hired, as explained to John T's character in the projection room by the film's producer, was thought to be a sufficient distraction so as to preclude a retake.

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Quotes

Sally: Are yuh leavin'?

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Jack Terry: No one wants to know about conspiracy any more!

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Jack Terry: I'm trying to save our asses!

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