Movie #180 Blow Out *1981*

John Travolta - Jack Terry
Nancy Allen - Sally
John Lithgow - Burke
Dennis Franz - Manny Karp
Brian De Palma (Director)

I have always been on the fence about Brian De Palma.  I loved The Untouchables when I was younger, before I knew about directors better yet De Plama.  I love elements of Scarface, but as a whole I think it is too over the top and self aware.  I don't like Snake Eyes or The Black Daliha at all.  I watched Sisters as part of my Year of Film (Movie #92) and was less than enthused.  But I keep hearing that he is a master so I keep on giving him the benefit of the doubt.

So Thursday I watched the new Criterion Release of Blow Out.  I had just finished playing basketball and was physically beat.  I put it in the Blu Ray player kind of expecting to fall asleep to it.  Instead I couldn't take my eyes off it.  The film opens right into a slasher flick.  Soon we find out that this is a film that is being viewed by Travolta and that movie's director.  Travolta is a sound guy and they are trying to find the perfect scream. 

Blow out ends up being about Travolta (a sound guy for B movies) recording a car crash and saving one of the passengers, the female while the male dies.  The man in the car was Governor and presidential hopeful.  The woman was a call girl of sorts.  Once the cops begin trying to cover the whole thing up Travolta thinks there is something going on and plans to use his audio recording to prove it.  The film evolves into a gut wrenching thriller with a psychopathic killer, a slime ball photographer, extreme political ambition and a hooker with a heart of gold story lines all interweaving.  The film ends with a crazy chase that leads into a Liberty Day celebration of fireworks that perfectly lights the penultimate scene. 

Q. Tarantino is all over this film.  I have read that he thinks it is one of the 5 greatest movies ever made.  He blantly stole the lead actor (Travolta) for Pulp Fiction, the titles for several films, the phone booth scene (also for Pulp) and the music for Death Proof.  This music is used in a scene that while I was watching it I knew that it must be referencing something else, I just didn't know what.

I can't wait to see this film again and it will be joining my collection when Barnes and Noble have their 50% off Criterion sale in July.  I give Blow Out ★★★★1/2.  Check out the Trailer Park to see for yourself.

Movie #46 Day of the Jackal

One of my favorite parts about being a cinephile is catching references or homages to films that other people might not.  Have you ever seen an episode of The Simpsons where there is a line of dialogue or a particular frame that is totally lifted off a different film?  You know the rush you get of explaining that to you buddy of significant other?  That brief moment where you get gloat that you know something that they don't that fleeting thought that you are smarter than they are.  I love that feeling.

I had that feeling about 1,000 times during my viewing of The Day of the Jackal.  Released in 1973 and directed by Fred Zinnerman (who also directed From Here to Eternity, High Noon and A Man for All Seasons) "Jackal" is the story of a French group of terrorist or self proclaimed patroits who disprove of giving Algeria their independence.  There plan is to assisinate the French president.  Better yet have a foreigner do it since all of their attempts have been foiled so far.  The man they hire has the code name "Jackal". 

At this point we are taken on a two hour long procedural of the up's and downs of the life of a professional assassin.  This film takes it time, but in a beautiful way.  There are long stretches of  time where there is no speaking on screen.  It develops characters through action and reaction.  It spends time on segments that today's Hollywood films would either skip over or try to summarize in a montage.  This is the type of film that the Hayes Code would have never allowed because you kind of get an idea of how to kill the president.  Or at least you think you do.

Another reason this film works is because the law chasing the Jackal is just as sufficient and intelligent as the Jackal himself.  I have long said that the reason so many comic book movies don't work is because the villians are just characterizations.  There is no way that "The Sandman" is going to beat Spiderman.  The penguin didn't stand a chance against batman.  Now contrast that to The Joker in The Dark Knight.  I really thought that the Joker could defeat Batman in that movie.  In The Day of the Jackal that assassin has a several day lead on the law.  They have to play catch up and they do.  They then start putting the heat on him.  He then becomes a rat in a trap.  He is no longer thriving.  At this point he is less James Bond and more Jason Borune. 

The Jackal is played by Edward Fox.  A talent that I was unaware of before this film.  If this had been set in America I can easily see this role being offered to Steve McQueen.  I want to point out the detective who has been tracking the Jackal.  Michael Lonsdale is the actor.  I was really amazed with his performance.  Most of the other character have smaller parts and are only there to move the plot forward.  There are a few female roles in this film and they are all filled with beautiful actresses.

This is a 70's movie in every since, and I mean that as a compliment.  This year I saw a film called The American.  It did it's damnest to emulate this film as best it could.  However it couldn't generate the mood and feeling Jackal does.   There were a surge of these films in the early 70's.  A product of Watergate and other government conspiracies I guess.  While there is a lot of company for films like this, I think this one stands above all the others.  I instantly added this to my DVD to Purchase list.

I could go on singing the praises of this film, but as usual I am way behind on my reviews.  I usually tell you what I though of a film and leave it to my readers to see if they want to check it out.  This is the rare exception where I am urging you to see this if you haven't and if you have see it again.  And a third option is buy it for me for christmas on DVD and come over and I'll have a Day of the Jackal party.  We can have some pop corn and a couple of cold ones and try to figure out how we would kill the president.  Just kidding internet police.  I give Day of the Jackal a 5/5 star rating and place it high up amoung the films of the 70's.  Check out the link below for the trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6xMnTPEzPo