BBBB
(out of 5)
John Travolta is excellent as a movie sound mixer who is randomly taping wild sound when he witnesses a car drive off a bridge and into the river. After saving the female passenger (Nancy Allen) from drowning, Travolta listens to the tape he made of the accident and believes wholeheartedly that he can hear a gunshot taking out one of the car’s tires. When it turns out that the now-dead driver of the car was a prominent politician, it sows the seeds of a conspiracy theory that sees both Travolta and Allen looking to prove a murder and avoid getting killed by those who would rather let the mystery remain undiscovered. Great cinematography, fantastic editing and sound and two brilliant performances in the leads make for a very satisfying thriller with some really fun, highly tense moments. The fact that it’s de Palma blatantly ripping off Blowup does nothing to take away from the sheen of what is such a wonderful film.
Cinema 77, Geria Productions, Filmways Pictures, Viscount Associates
USA, 1981
Directed by Brian De Palma
Screenplay by Brian De Palma
Cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond
Produced by George Litto
Music by Pino Donaggio
Production Design by Paul Sylbert
Costume Design by Vicki Sanchez
Film Editing by Paul Hirsch
