Blown Away

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

"Blown Away" obviously suffered in comparison to "Speed" since both films were released the same year during the same summer. I never really considered this a pure action film more than a suspense thriller. Things aren't blowing up every 10 minutes and the characters are more deep and interesting here than in a lot of your mindless action romps. I found Jeff Bridges desire to resume a normal life in Boston after his questionable "IRA-like" activities back home in Ireland appealing and his lovely fiancee played by Suzy Amis very likeable. Tommy Lee Jones has a great Irish accent and the lunatic he plays is great fun to watch. Lloyd Bridges as Jeff's uncle and Boston cop Forest Whittaker are equally appealing. My home-town newspaper, "The Dayton Daily News" gave the film 3 stars. I'd say that's about right.

No sequels please!

This movie was made during the period (early '90s) in which Hollywood was absolutely in love with blowing things up. The more explosions, the better, seemed to be the prevailing attitude.

At least they weren't overdone in this film, as they were in so many others. However, the accents might have been overdone as none of the stars - Jeff Bridges,Tommy Lee Jones, Forest Whitaker, Suzy Amis and Lloyd Bridges - sounded like a true Bostonian.

It's especially odd to hear Jones attempt his Irish-Boston accent, although he's more adept at it than the younger Bridges. Jones plays an Irish terrorist in this revenge movie, wreaking his havoc in Boston. The film's best asset is the suspense it builds for the two hours and the fact it keeps you interested the entire way, right from the opening scene.

The negatives are too much profanity and a contrived story in spots, particularly at the end when the fight between Bridges and Jones goes on forever as does the scene with Jones trying to save his wife. It's just too much. A lot of modern-day action films just don't know when to quit, and this is a prime example. Yet, it's definitely worth at least one look.

An Irish bomber , Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones) , getaways from prison and targets a member of the Boston bomb squad , Jimmy Dove (Jeff Bridges) . The latter starts investigating and finds out that his worst nightmare has gone back from his past . While Irish radical and compatriot Ryan Gaerity's taken his bombing expertise onto Jimmy's new turf . And Dove significantly concerned that he didn't get his purports . Haunted by grisly flashbacks, Dove soon figures out the identity of the mad bomber . Along the way , Jimmy wants to keep his unsavory past from unsuspecting wife (Suzy Amis) .The fuse has been lit...! Boom baby !. Sweet dreams.5. 4. 3. 2. 1......Time's Up.

This bone-chilling film packs thrills , intrigue , grisly events , quick cut edition and tension enough . A nice and suspenseful thriller that moves on predictable path toward explosive climax . Special effects create the suspense , as everyday objects become lethal in Gaerity's knowledgeable hands . The final blow up was more than even the special effects coordinator desired , that's why the windows were unintentionally blown out in nearly buildings. Interpretations are uniformly good , including four Academy Award winners: Tommy Lee Jones , Jeff Bridges, Cuba Gooding Jr and Forest Whitaker. Stars James Bridges playing Jimmy Dove who works for the bomb squad in Boston and he is always the one who is on the tough jobs . While Tommy Lee Jones equally gives fine performance -though overacting at times- as Gaerity who seems adequately obsessed with making things go boom . They're well accompanied by a good secondary cast , such as : Suzy Amis , Forest Whitaker , Cuba Gooding Jr , John Finn , Ruben Santiago-Hudson and special mention for Lloyd Bridges ; though they are really father and son, Lloyd Bridges and Jeff Bridges are cast as uncle and nephew in the film. The movie is dedicated to the memory of officer Jeremiah Hurley of the Boston Squad , and to more than three thousand certified bomb technicians throughout the world who risk their lives for our safety every day.

It displays a thrilling and intrusive musical score by Alan Silvestri , including a lot of songs of the band U2 and singer Bono. The motion picture was compellingly filmed by director Stephen Hopkins (Lost in space , Predator 2 , Under suspicion , Night on El Street 5 : The Dream Child , The Ghost and the Darkness , Blown away, Judgment Night , Race) , he uses to work with his longtime collaborator Peter Levy to be the film's cinematographer, who carries out a splendid and colorful phototography. Rating : 6.5/10 . Above average . Well worth watching .

I was really surprised to read a few other comments on this film praising Tommy Lee Jones' Irish accent - you have got to be kidding !! The whole film stinks and is as bad if not worse than Patriot Games. What is this obsession with deranged IRA killers?? It may come as a shock to some people but all IRA killers are deranged. As are the Boston Police department for allowing one to work for them without checking - maybe they have a few mass murderers in their ranks too. The Bridges family are useless in this film, I think Lloyd was asleep in his scenes, and Jeff has simply made another bad filming decision !! Jones is ok (apart from the accent) and Forrest Whitaker loses his way.

Stuff and nonsense.