A film that showed some early promise, but really fizzled with a ridiculous last half hour. It's a pretty simple plot that mashes up Antonioni's Blowup, the Zapruder film, and Chappaquiddick, but didn't create something interesting out of it - and De Palma's references are too transparent for my taste. Perhaps because of the weakness of the story and an overall lack of real tension (Hitchcock he is not), the additional plot element of the "Liberty Bell Strangler" is introduced, which just seemed silly to me. The acting is also below average at best, except maybe John Lithgow, who is suitably menacing. Nancy Allen's character and her performance, on the other hand, are putrid. The film has some amount of entertainment value, but just seemed kind of weak and bland as it played out.
Review of Blow Out
