| Blown Away | | Cast : | Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones | | Director : | Stephen Hopkins | | Studio : | Mgm/Ua Studios | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | July 01, 1994 | | DVD Released Date : | May 01, 2001 | | Language : | Spanish (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | June 02, 2005 | | Summary | Not up to Hopkins' usual standards. | Content
 | Blown Away (Stephen Hopkins, 1994)
Blown Away is a rare thing, a moment in Stephen Hopkins' career where he dips below the standard he has set for himself throughout his career. Blown Away is surrounded by better films in the director's oeuvre, coming just between the underrated Judgment Night and the mediocre, but fun, The Ghost and the Darkness.
Jeff Bridges stars as Jimmy Dove, a member of Boston's bomb disposal unit who has a shady past. That shady past, in the guise of Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones), catches up with him after Gaerity escapes from prison in Northern Ireland and tracks Dove down, starting to play a deadly game of one-upsmanship with him while the Boston bomb squad tries to bring Gaerity down.
It'd be your typical fun, mindless thriller were it not for some really, really badly overlooked details, like Jeff Bridges' accent. It's about the worst it could be for a person trying to imitate half-Irish half-Boston. Tommy Lee Jones' brogue isn't all that much better, but Jones is playing such a stereotype that one's not really noticeable. (A mad Irish bomber who's obsessed with U2? Oh, please.)
Not a bad way to kill two hours if you want to turn your brain off, but you'll have to turn it farther off than normal for this one. ** |
| Rating | | | Date | April 16, 2005 | | Summary | "I'm not a destroyer, I'm a creator." | Content
| Liam McGivney (Jeff Bridges) learned how to be an expert in bombs as a member of the IRA in Belfast, North Ireland. But when his best friend (an IRA bomb maker) Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones) went out of control, tragedy resulted and Ryan was arrested and sent to Castle Gleigh prison in Northern Ireland. Liam, who then changed his name to Jimmy Dove, fled to the United States where he became a respected member of Boston's bomb removal squad. He also married a beautiful woman (Suzy Amis) and started a family.
But now Ryan Gaerity's escaped from prison and has come to Boston looking for "Jimmy", and revenge. Refusing to forget the past, Ryan starts killing Jimmy's closest friends with bombs, and it doesn't take Jimmy long to figure out that these killings aren't the work of an amateur, but of his former friend, now an out-of-control killer and psychopath. Ryan gives Jimmy a chilling phone message after killing one of his best friends:"I've come here to create a new country for you called chaos, and a new government called anarchy...all for you." Jimmy then tries desperately to find and stop Ryan before anyone else is murdered. The ending is one of the best showdowns ever!
Although slammed by critics and ignored by many viewers, I found this explosive thriller very entertaining, keeping me on the edge-of-the-seat right up till the end. Tommy Lee Jones gave an extraordinary and chillingly realistic performance and really stole the show from Jeff Bridges, who wasn't very believable as an Irishman but was nevertheless cool. Also, the music, special effects, and cinematography were very impressive. Highly recommended. |
| Rating | | | Date | January 31, 2005 | | Summary | It was ok | Content
| The movie was not as what people reviewed it to be. The scenes were stuff gets blown up is cool but there is not many scenes like that, it had to much dialouge. It did have a few gripping moments but other then that, it was an averge movie with nothing memorable. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 02, 2004 | | Summary | Overrated Movie | Content
| The film, contains two main characters, the bomb man staring Tommy Lee Jones and his old time friend who tries to stop him staring Jeff Bridges. Both are Irish. The problem with this movie is that in that small little paragraph I just wrote above, it tells you practically the whole plot of the movie. The movie is overrated. The film is so similar to other bomb films, making it too predictable and is like a copy of other films but with change of this and that. There are few actions that can actually be called action. It doesn't surprise me much, the action isn't very "thrilling", the character, pointing towards Jeff Bridges, is very weak in acting. He doesn't create the atmosphere or charm to bring the audience in and make the movie successful. His voice alone isn't right for the act. He has this "BIG BOLD BORING CLUMSY GUY" kinda voice. No further comments, there are many other problems but I dont want to blabber on so good day everyone. I just hope if you disagree with me its not because you think the guy is hot or something because thats usually the reason. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 27, 2004 | | Summary | EXPLOSIVE | Content
| The highlight of this pyrotechnically superb thriller is midway in the film when the audience and hero Jeff Bridges thinks a bomb has been placed in his home, to kill his new wife and daughter. The camera pans in on several normal things, with such intensity and ferocity, you're sure the house is gonna blow: a gas stove has never seemed so menacing.
While BLOWN AWAY doesn't have the most original of plots, it has a sincerity and intensity that buoy the movie along, with several expertly filmed sequences. Bridges rushing to save his two friends from an exploding truck; Bridges watching as his uncle (played by Lloyd Bridges) is wired to blow; the climactic explosion on the Dolphin--these are outstanding set pieces, expertly helmed by Stephen Hopkins.
Jeff Bridges is marvelous in his role, ably supported by his aformentioned father; Suzy Amis, Forest Whitaker and the devilishly profane Tommy Lee Jones.
Hold on to your seats and ignore the critics on this one---it delivers explosively! |
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