Blown Away (1994)

Boston's bomb squad expert Jimmy Dove (Jeff Bridges) is now at his most troubling work in his career. Jimmy is a skilled at his work and he always dis-harm every bomb until now. A Terrorist (Oscar-Winner:Tommy Lee Jones) escaped from his prison cell in Ireland and this terrorist turns out to be a former mentor of Jimmy. This Terrorist decides to stalk the family and friends of Jimmy. Jimmy is forced to drawn into the action, not only that he has to face his former mentor/enemy but his troubled past.

Directed by Stephen Hopkins (A Nightmare on Elm Street 5:The Dream Child, Predator 2, The Ghost and the Darkness) made an fine if slow-moving action thriller. Jones gives an terrific performance as the villain. The film also stars the late Lloyd Bridges, Froest Whitaker and Suzy Amis. This film was a box office disappointment in the summer of 1994. Hopkins' visual style keeps the film going and ends up with some memorable moments.

DVD has an sharp anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1) transfer (Also in Pan & Scan) with an strong-Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD only features are the original theatrical trailer and a collector's booklet. The film plays better on video that it did in theaters but it is a must-see in Widescreen for the well-staged action sequences. Good music score by Alan Silvestri (Back to the Future Trilogy, Cat's Eye, Forrest Gump). Oscar-Winner:Cuba Gooding, Jr. appears unbilled. Super 35. (*** ½/*****).

Fmovies: Nothing more than a formula action picture, a studio product, but well-done and fairly enjoyable. Stephen Hopkins proves (again, after "Predator 2") to be adept at filming frenetic action scenes and he shows confidence in the way he uses the camera, especially in the "long shots". Tommy Lee Jones is kind of one-note as the villain, and not very satisfying, but Jeff Bridges gives depth and credibility to his role, and the supporting cast is above-average. Oh, and there ARE some spectacular explosions. (**1/2)

Most IRA movies made in Hollywood are always criticised for the actors not sounding like real Irishmen. I have never once found this to be true and certainly not for Blown Away. Tommy Lee Jones is quite convincing as a deranged bomber who goes after Jeff Bridges in revenge for betraying him 25 years earlier.

Stephen Hopkins uses his fave cinematographer and composer Peter Levy and Alan Silvestri to bring some visual style and a powerful musical score to accompany the action and explosion scenes. The final encounter between Jones and Bridges is WAY cool. Trust me. It's one of the best showdowns in history.

A cool use of widescreen photography captures a pleasant and eye-pleasing view of Boston. I only ever saw this city in Cheers previously and now it makes wanna visit. This film was overlooked in the summer of 1994 because the audience was too busy with the other BOMB movie Speed. By that I mean movies with bombs. Not movies that are bombs. Speed was about a bomber wanting money. But Blown Away is a more personal, character-driven film and definitely the superior of the two.

Blown Away fmovies. Tommy Lee Jones wants Jeff Bridges and anybody he knows "Blown Away" in this 1994 film, also starring Suzy Amis, Forest Whitaker and Lloyd Bridges. Bridges, caught up in the Irish trying to get the English out of Ireland, worked with Jones in Ireland, but when one of the bombings goes bad, he splits, and Jones gets arrested. Jones escapes from an Irish prison and traces Bridges to Boston, where he plans on getting revenge on Bridges, his family, and the entire Boston Police Bomb Squad.

This movie really needed to be seen on the big screen because of all of the special effects - huge, frequent explosions.

The accents are all over the place, but the performances are good, with Lloyd Bridges on hand as a bearded character actor. It was a little too stereotypical for this viewer.

The script is by the numbers and derivative, but the actors and the tension engendered from defusing bombs attached to people helps hold interest.

Okay, but see it on a large flat-screen TV.

Mad bomber formerly associated the IRA escapes from prison and appears in Boston to exact revenge to the man who put him there in the first place - bomb expert Jimmy Dove, a loving family man, with a dark past...

If this plot seems easy to predict, it is. but it is defended by the superb action sequences filmed, the excellent explosions and also by the great acting by Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones. The standout goes to Jones, who gives an on-his-own performance as a deranged bomber at war with Jimmy Dove. And although the storyline has a few plot holes, it still manages to carry on as if nothing happened. Director Hopkins, who helmed the gory 1990 sequel to the 1987 action hit Predator, shows his potential for making action sequences as realistic as possible. One example is the abandoned ship explosion. That has what I think the biggest live action film explosion ever! On the MGM DVD the picture is a clear anamorphic 2.35:1 widescreen with super good Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, thus packing a punch for you home theater system.

Overall, solid entertainment, you're not looking for anything like To Kill A Mockingbird, now are you? A treat for action fans and a must have for home theater enthusiasts.

7.65/10 for entertainment, 6.7/10 overall.

Delton

I may never hear the end it from people on why I love this movie so much, but it is one of my favorite Hero/Villain movies ever! It was received very poorly both critically and commercially, but I love it! It goes from Ireland to Boston. There's Guinness drinking, explosions, and at least two songs from U2's Joshua Tree Album, used in parts of the film that fit perfectly. You also have father/son Jeff Bridges/Lloyd Bridges starring together as former IRA members. I don't know what draws me so close to this film. Perhaps my fascination with Ireland, curiosity over the years of conflict there, having done my internship there or what? Maybe that I've just always liked Tommy lee Jones and Jeff Bridges. The pair worked well together in Blown Away. I don't care what the critics said, or how well it did at the box office. Reviewed by AN/NR 11-14-11