

Blow Out
Murder has a sound all of its own.
While recording sound effects for a slasher flick, Jack Terry stumbles upon a real-life horror: a car careening off a bridge and into a river. Jack jumps into the water and fishes out Sally from the car, but the other passenger is already dead — a governor intending to run for president. As Jack does some investigating of his tapes, and starts a perilous romance with Sally, he enters a tangled web of conspiracy that might leave him dead.
TMDB
7.3/10
1,788 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $18M
- Box office
- $12M
- Language
- English
- philadelphia, pennsylvania
- hitman
- presidential election
- politics
- audio tape
- paranoia
- faithlessness
- yell
- conspiracy
- tape recorder
- whodunit
- car accident
Top billed cast












Behind the camera
Director
Writers
Music
Produced in
United States of America
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
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Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- PremiereRNew York City, New York7 Jul 1981
- TheatricalR24 Jul 1981
AustraliaAU
- TheatricalM4 Feb 1982
CanadaCA
- Physical18ADVD28 Aug 2001
BrazilBR
- Theatrical1822 Oct 1981
- Physical18Fox Home mj.gov.br24 Dec 2003
ColombiaCO
- Theatrical22 Sept 1982
DenmarkDK
- Theatrical1526 Dec 1981
FinlandFI
- TheatricalK-1619 Mar 1982
FranceFR
- Theatrical1217 Feb 1982
- TheatricalRe-release7 Jun 2000
- Digital / OTTFrance•tv5 Dec 2025
- TVFrance•55 Dec 2025
GermanyDE
- Theatrical16West Germany 7 May 1982
GreeceGR
- PhysicalDVD21 May 2007
Hong KongHK
- TheatricalII11 Feb 1982
ItalyIT
- PremiereVenice Film Festival3 Sept 1981
- TheatricalVM1414 Apr 1982
Frequently asked questions
Blow Out was released on 24 July 1981.
Audience reviews
3- J8.5/10
John Chard
1/4/2015
Superior entry on De Palma's CV. Brian De Palma has always gotten a bad rap for his penchant for essaying his heroes and favourite thrillers, what often gets forgotten is just how great he could be in crafting said thrillers. Blow Out has John Travolta as a sound engineer for low budget horror movies, who while out recording sounds one night witnesses a car crash and dives into the river to rescue the call girl…
- W6/10
Wuchak
6/14/2021
_**Colorful De Palma crime mystery with Travolta and Lithgow**_ A sound effects man in Philadelphia (John Travolta) obtains evidence that a fatal accident involving the governor wasn’t really an accident, which thrusts him into danger with shady characters. John Lithgow, Dennis Franz and Nancy Allen are all somehow involved in the nefarious conspiracy. Written & directed by Brian De Palma, "Blow Out” (1981) is …
- J9/10
JPV852
9/8/2022
This is one I've watched a few times over the years and it's still great with each viewing. John Travolta and Nancy Allen give great performances and although it's not one of these thrill-a-minute films, it still maintains the suspense throughout. It's one of the gems for Brian De Palma. **4.5/5**
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