10 80s Movie Hidden Gems You Can Watch On Netflix
3. Blow Out
Self-styled heir to the Hitchcock throne Brian De Palma's most well known movie, Scarface, is also one of the most popular movies streaming on Netflix. But fans of his style would do well to dig a little deeper into the service to discover his earlier political thriller, Blow Out.
Starring John Travolta as a sound engineer working on a cheap slasher movie who accidentally records evidence of a political assassination, Blow Out reworks the classic Michelangelo Antonioni film Blowup without diminishing its effectiveness as a sharp, gripping thriller, and features Nancy Allen on fine form in a supporting role.
De Palma's thrillers don't always make complete sense (see Dressed To Kill) but they are always produced and acted with a polish which makes them thoroughly engaging. Blow Out is no exception, layering aspects of the movie-making process itself into the structure of the film with compelling results.
Blow Out wasn't a success at the box office and remains a cult classic to this day (interest was only recently revitalised thanks to new editions on home media), so it's great to see such a gem appearing on Netflix.