Blown Away

"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!

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.

From reading the other comments on this site, I was surprised at all the negativity surrounding this film. Sure, the accents are probably bad, but everyone knows that Hollywood can't do accents and aging.

This is not a movie to be picked apart, but one to be enjoyed. Sure, the characters aren't completely fleshed out, but there is enough depth for you to feel for them. The action is good, and despite many contrary opinions, I think the pacing is good too.

One of the high points of this film was the sequence where the wife and daughter are in the house and the audience is left suspecting there may be a bomb plant. The camera shots that frame the stove turning on, the light bulb, the phone jack, etc. were done very well, and suspensefully, though I suspect this well done sequence is what is making many people call this film "slow."

Finally, the use of "The Joshua Tree" by U2 was a really nice touch.

Overall, this film is not outstanding, but if you want a movie that is relatively light, but has some comedy, drama, suspense and action all mixed in, then check it out.

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.

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.