Blow Out

Blow Out is a 1981 American neo-noir mystery thriller film written and directed by Brian De Palma. It stars John Travolta as a sound technician from Philadelphia who, while recording sounds for a low-budget slasher film, unintentionally captures audio evidence of an assassination. Nancy Allen stars as Sally Bedina, a young woman involved in the crime. The supporting cast includes John Lithgow and Dennis Franz. Inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni's 1966 film Blowup, Blow Out replaces the medium of photography with audio recording. The concept of Blow Out came to De Palma while he was working on the thriller Dressed to Kill (1980). Independently produced and distributed by Filmways Pictures, the film was shot in late 1980 in various Philadelphia locations on a budget of $18 million. Blow Out opened to little audience interest but mostly positive reviews. The performances of Travolta and Allen, the direction and the visual style were cited as the strongest points. Critics also recognized the stylistic and narrative connection to the work of Alfred Hitchcock, whom De Palma admires, and giallo films. It has developed status as a cult film.