Blow Out was always a tiresome watch for me for some reason. I’ve had the movie lying around for quite some time and even started watching it a couple of times but always quit the movie early on to switch to something a bit more entertaining.

Admittedly the synopsis here is very interesting: A guy working as a sound technician for the movies records a tire blow out – hence the title – leading to a car crash that kills a politician, and gives him a chance to prove the deed was an assassination instead of a random act of misfortune. It’s the execution here that leaves a lot to be desired. There’s something to the story that could’ve made a decent 50’s Hitchcock movie, but an early 80s movie could’ve really used a more fresh approach.

Considering all the subpar movies John Travolta was involved during the time, his performance here is very admirable and he makes a very decent male lead. Blow Out along with Urban Cowboy released year earlier remain his strongest roles of the era.

The ending has been praised of its nihilistic, the sign of the times approach, but to me it felt like a cheapish payout for a gag set up earlier in the movie. Again, this is something Hitchcock might’ve been able to pull off during the 50s, but here it feels awkwardly out of place.

80s-o-meter: 60%

Total: 58%