Blow Out
“Murder has a sound all of its own.”
Synopsis
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.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
BLOW OUT (1981) TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2011-01-27
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
John Travolta
Jack Terry
Nancy Allen
Sally Badina
John Lithgow
Burke
Dennis Franz
Manny Karp
Peter Boyden
Sam
John Aquino
Det. Mackey
John McMartin
Lawrence Henry
Deborah Everton
Hooker
J. Patrick McNamara
Detective at Hospital
Roger Wilson
Coed Lover
Missy Cleveland
Coed Lover
Curt May
Donahue
Lori-Nan Engler
Sue
Barbara Sigel
Girl Lover
David De Felice
Boy Lover
Roberto Lombardi
Train Passenger
Missy Crutchfield
Dancing Coed
Cindy Manion
Dancing Coed
Release History & Theatrical Window
Sitges Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
July 24, 1981
Wide Cinema Exhibition
December 24, 2003
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$18M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$12M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
0.67x
-$6M deficit
Theatrical Status
Budget Return
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Brian De Palma
- Screenplay & Story
- Brian De Palma, Bill Mesce Jr.
- Original Score
- Pino Donaggio
- Original Title
- Blow Out
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 48m
- Production Budget
- $18M
- Worldwide Gross
- $12M
- Production Studios
- Cinema 77, Geria Productions, George Litto Productions, Viscount Associates
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma, Bill Mesce Jr.
Pino Donaggio
Vilmos Zsigmond
Paul Hirsch
Fred C. Caruso, George Litto
Department Leadership Roster
Brian De Palma
Director
Pino Donaggio
Original Music Composer
George Litto
Producer
Vilmos Zsigmond
Director of Photography
Paul Hirsch
Editor
Brian De Palma
Writer
Carey Loftin
Stunt Coordinator
Vicki Sánchez
Costume Design
Paul Sylbert
Production Design
Bill Mesce Jr.
Writer
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
R: Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
International Certification Matrix
Mature — Recommended for viewers 15 and older.
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Interdit aux moins de 12 ans — 12+ only.
Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Blow Out.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Blow Out.
TSPDT - 1000 Greatest Films
They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? (TSPDT) - The 1,000 Greatest Films. A definitive meta-list aggregating thousands of critics' polls, historical rankings, and director top 10s to represent the ultimate critical consensus in cinema history. TSPDT 影史最伟大的1000部电影： 全球最权威的电影元榜单，由该网站汇总世界各大电影刊物历史评选结果及数千名影评人、学者的个人十佳榜单，通过算法加权计算得出的终极共识。 *片单说明：* 本片单只收录纯电影，以下剧集或迷你剧不予收录： • [#335] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#514] Twin Peaks: The Return (2017) • [#614] Edvard Munch (1974) • [#703] The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) • [#890] Elephant (1989) • [#925] Heimat (1984) • [#968] Doomed Love (1978) 以下作品在 TMDB 被拆分为多个独立电影条目；本片单按作品/章节顺序连续收录，且每个分拆条目均沿用同一 TSPDT 名次： • [#171] Dekalog (1989) — 展开为 10 部电影 • [#988] Olympia (1938) — 展开为 2 部电影 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:33:14 UTC+8)*
Wait, You Haven't Seen...?
List of movies discussed on my Podcast, Wait, You Haven't Seen...? https://www.tvstravis.com/podcast/wyhs
Movie Collection
Criterion Collection
The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
Filmsack Movie List
Filmsack Movie List of Films that the Filmsack Podcast has already covered. || http://filmsack.com || https://quicksack.li || https://quicksack.li/stats/
Marcelo's International movies list
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Frequently Asked Questions About Blow Out
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Blow Out about?
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.
Who directed Blow Out?
Blow Out was directed by Brian De Palma.
Who stars in Blow Out?
The principal cast of Blow Out includes John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow, Dennis Franz, Peter Boyden.
When was Blow Out released and how long is it?
Blow Out was released in 1981 with a total runtime of 1h 48m.
What was the box office and production budget of Blow Out?
Blow Out had a reported production budget of $18M and grossed $12M at the worldwide box office (0.67 return on budget, classified as a underperformed).
Who composed the musical score for Blow Out?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Blow Out was composed by Pino Donaggio.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Blow Out?
Blow Out holds official age classifications: AU: M (Mature — Recommended for viewers 15 and older.); CA: 18A; DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); FR: 12 (Interdit aux moins de 12 ans — 12+ only.); US: R (Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.).