Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones face off in Blown Away. Kino Lorber has upgraded the action thriller to 4K UHD with a new 4K Scan and explosive extras!
The Film
In 1994 the cop vs mad bomber film came in two flavors;
Keanu Reeves vs Dennis Hopper
Or
Jeff Bridges vs Tommy Lee Jones
The box office says that Speed was the clear winner. That is no indication of the quality of Blown Away. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The Stephen Hopkins-directed dramatic thriller is every bit the cop vs mad bomber film that Speed is just in a very different way. Speed is a visceral thrill ride. A 90s-era rollercoaster. Blown Away is more of a psychological thriller. More of a 70s-era slow burn.
That slow burn helps Blown Away be something very different. There’s a way that the tensions build because rather than Ryan Gaerity (Jones) targeting Lt Jimmy Dove (Bridges), he takes aim at everyone around him. The cost of living and the success of getting his intended targets make Blown Away a much more effective thriller and more akin to a slasher film. There isn’t a target that Gaerity doesn’t successfully kill – which makes the film all the more harrowing. Blown Away understands that having a much more capable and highly skilled villain creates the best tension and drama.
The way that Jones and Bridges each respectively play their roles makes each one better. Yes, this is the Tommy Lee Jones era of over-the-top villainy post-Oscar Win (see Batman Forever for further evidence) but the actor is so damn good at it, even the arched tone doesn’t seem as arched as others during the era. The biggest surprise is Bridges who manages to make sweaty anxiety-driven fear art in Blown Away. Bridges like Jones never takes the film as anything less than a serious acting performance. His performance grounded in a past trauma and anger that he’s essentially helpless elevates Jones even though they only share a few minutes of screentime together.
The action manages to be stylish without being outrageous though the boat explosion that caps the major third-act confrontation is on par with something out of a Simpson and Bruckheimer joint. That aside Blown Away consistently manages to be a taunt and drama-action thriller that’s more focused on character than one might imagine.
The Transfer
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – from a 4K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is a beautiful upgrade. The image is a healthy sharp affair throughout. There isn’t a scratch or blemish present throughout the runtime. The transfer is gorgeously luminous showcasing the wonderful widescreen anamorphic photography filmed on location in Boston. The film has an ample amount of macrophotography showcasing each of the bomb’s inner workings. In 4K these moments are utterly transfixing with the level of detail is reference quality. The Dolby Vision gives the image a luster and filmic quality, retaining all the beautiful black and contrast levels without a hint of artifacting or crushing of the blacks making the 35mm shot film look beautifully representative of its origins.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
- Audio Commentary by Director Stephen Hopkins
- Audio Commentary by Action Film Historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
DISC 2 (Blu-ray):
- Audio Commentary by Director Stephen Hopkins
- Audio Commentary by Action Film Historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema
- The Making of Blown Away: A Day in the Life of a Bomb Squad
- Take Me Home: Music Video
- Theatrical Trailer
- 5 TV Spots (4 US & 1 Australian)
NOTE: The commentary track is the only special feature that appears on the 4K UHD disc the rest appear on the Blu-ray.
The archival Audio Commentary by Director Stephen Hopkins begins with the fact that the opening shot was the last shot and that the prison was a huge scale model – all done in Malibu California. Some of the details include the most of the film was done on studio sets but had a location shoot in Boston; the problem with accents with the production sound – and the number of times they had to redub everything because of test screening; their research and materials used to create the bombs; working with Tommy Lee Jones – a larger discussion through out of his process; the fact that Speed as a production sped up their post-production period to beat them to release and how that affected their success; working in Boston and the difficulty with the different areas of the city; the casting of Susie Amis – and how she was cast after he saw her in The Ballad of Little Jo; the mention of Cuba Gooding Jr who was initially cast in the role that Forrest Whitaker played – a few great anecdotes about Gooding cameoing and then also a prank that went awry; the fact that Bridges house burnt down during the ’93 fires in Los Angeles during filming; working with Composer Alan Silvestri; the variously differences with what you can do in a city during this production and post-9/11; discussing the fact that for release prints they “flashed the negative” – a larger discussion of the result and what it consists of; the photographs that Jeff Bridges shoots on all his films; a larger discussion through out how they accomplished the set pieces – how much was and wasn’t CGI and what was real; and much more. Hopkins delivers a relaxed but informative commentary track on the making of the film.
The second Audio Commentary by Action Film Historians Mike Leeder and Arne Venema opens with the fact that it was a minor success but in the wake of Speed’s success it was overshadowed. Some of the other details include other IRA movies that Hollywood made – including the realities as Leeder grew up in the UK; a discussion of the Gilford Six – including the fact that Paul Hill was an advisor on this film; a discussion about Tommy Lee Jones and Jeff Bridges accents – including some great Irish accents; a discussion of the career and films of Stephen Hopkins; a great side discussion about Nightmare on Elm St series – which Hopkins directed one of; a side discussion about Predator 2which Hopkins directed – including a star that was offered the role but turned it down; the effective use of practical effects in the film; a discussion of various Hopkins directed films like Ghost and the Darkness, Lost in Space, a short film called Horny, Under Suspicion, and TV work on 24, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, and much more; a great discussion of the career of Jeff Bridges – including his work in Sea Hunt, The Last Picture Show, The Last American Hero, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, King Kong (1976), Heaven’s Gate, Tron, and more; a great discussion about the Unibomber who was in the news in the US at the time; how 9/11 effected films and how they were made in the US; a discussion about Forrest Whitaker’s work here and other films – including the fact that Leeder has been involved in two films that Whitaker starred in; a great larger discussion of the clichés that come out of the 90s action both here and elsewhere; a discussion of Tommy Lee Jones work here and in other films – including a great discussion about Love Story and him almost being cast in Escape from New York; a larger discussion of the various bombs/action scenes and dissection of them – including some great production anecdotes; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; and much more. The dynamic duo of Leeder and Venema bring their patented brand of deeply researched information about the production and critical viewpoint on the film itself with a huge dollop of humor. Required viewing for anyone who loves the film or knows of Leeder and Venema’s work.
The Making of Blown Away: A Day in the Life of a Bomb Squad (20:48) – this archival making-of made at the time of release is both about the film itself and the Bomb Squad departments themselves and what they face day to day. Narrated and hosted by Llyod Bridges this is definitely from a Cable Station before release. Featuring comments by Bridges, Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, director Stephen Hopkins, and others.
Take Me Home: Music Video (4:25) – The Joe Cocker single is your standard music video of the era with clips intercut into the song.
5 TV Spots (2:35) – which consists of 4 US & 1 Australian
Rounding out the special features are trailers for Blown Away (1:35); Face/Off (2:07); Hard Target (2:05); Ronin (2:29); Turbulence (2:00); Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (2:10); Winter Kills (3:20); Black Moon Rising (1:30); The Package (2:15); The Usual Suspects (2:28)
The Final Thought
Blown Away is a stunning 4K UHD upgrade to Kino’s previous edition. Highest Possible Recommendation!!!