Blow Out

The recipe for this is two parts Antonioni's Blow-Up to one part Coppola's The Conversation: mix well and garnish with stars Travolta and Allen. Sound man Travolta witnesses what may or may not be murder. Can he prove the US Presidential aspirant's car crash was no accident? Will happy hooker Allen stay alive long enough to help him? Where Antonioni's images made you think, De Palma's merely make you blink, and the baroque plot confuses as often as it frightens. Still, plenty of style, a modicum of thrills, and a suitably s(l)ick ending. Collectors of character performances will enjoy Lithgow's right-wing nut.