1981 Thriller Tarantino Called “One of the Greatest Movies Ever Made” Now Streaming 100% Free

Filmmaker Quentin Tarantino is arguably one of the most acclaimed filmmakers of his time, and there’s no argument that he’s also one of the most opinionated. In recent weeks, Tarantino’s criticisms of actor Paul Dano have seen countless peers defend the talents of the actor, though the filmmaker has often offered his support of projects. A cinephile himself, one of the titles he has shared passionate support of is Brian De Palma’s 1981 movie Blow Out, which can currently be streamed completely free.

Currently streaming on Tubi and The Roku Channel, Blow Out is one of many thrillers delivered by De Palma. Back in 1994, when Tarantino was on the promotional circuit for Pulp Fiction, the filmmaker visited a video store and, upon spotting Blow Out, expressed:

“Brian De Palma’s Blow Out, I think, is one of the greatest movies ever made. It’s Brian De Palma’s finest film, which means it’s one of the finest movies ever made, because we all know Brian De Palma is the greatest director of his generation. John Travolta, by the way, gives one of the best performances of all time in this.”

What Happens in ‘Blow Out’?

Inspired by the 1966 movie Blow-Up, De Palma’s film stars John Travolta as a sound engineer who works on low-budget slashers. One night, while attempting to capture recordings that might be used for his movies, Travolta’s Jack Terry hears a car’s tire blow out, causing it to careen into a nearby creek. Jack attempts to rescue the driver, and fails, but manages to save Nancy Allen’s Sally Bedina. As authorities investigate the incident, Jack learns that the driver was a presidential hopeful and that Sally was a sex worker.

While reviewing the audio recordings he was making, Jack realizes he can hear a gunshot before the tire blew out, making him suspicious that this wasn’t an accident, but an intentional attack on the presidential hopeful. These suspicions prove correct, as a hitman, played by John Lithgow, begins to stalk Jack and Sally to cover up the incident as they get closer to the truth.

An Underrated Thriller

Blow Out 1981 John Travolta stands in front of an American flagFilmways Pictures

At the time of release, the movie didn’t necessarily perform all that well with general audiences, largely due to the depressing finale of the mystery. Luckily, critical reactions to the movie were much more positive, with Roger Ebert giving the film four stars in his review, explaining:

“De Palma is more successful than ever before at populating his plot with three-dimensional characters. We believe in the reality of the people played by John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, and Dennis Franz. They have all the little tics and eccentricities of life. And although they’re caught in the mesh of a labyrinthine conspiracy, they behave as people probably would behave in such circumstances—they’re not pawns of the plot.”

With De Palma having delivered more straightforward horror movies and campier experiences with projects like Carrie, Phantom of the Paradise, Sisters, The Fury, and Dressed to Kill, Blow Out felt like the most nuanced and sophisticated movie of his career. Its exploration of the lengths political rivals will go to in order to win, government cover-ups, and exploitation of victims also felt eerily prescient.

Blow Out

Release Date

July 24, 1981

Runtime

108 Minutes

Director

Brian De Palma

Writers

Brian De Palma, Bill Mesce Jr.