User reviews

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 .

The 90's was a great time for the Action Thriller genre & here the Awesome yet underrated Director, Stephen Hopkins, had his go at a sweaty, thrilling actioner & cast Jeff Bridges as his main Cop lead & he's pretty damn good in the role & makes for an ordinary type guy in an extremely dangerous situation. Bridges plays a good guy Bomb Specialist Cop with a dark past & he's Irish American & the film is set in Boston during a sweaty hot summertime with an extremely deadly terrorist that escaped from prison, is blowing things up & targeting Bridges squad/Bomb unit becomes of their dark past.

The psycho bomber is played manically by the Awesome TOMMY LEE JONES (The Fugitive, Men In Black Trilogy, U. S Marshalls, Volcano) & here Jones is off his nut & reminded me of his crazy & cartoony performance as Two-Face in Batman Forever, he's fun & mental but his Irish accent is pretty bad but he does give it his all as a memorable villain.

Jeff Bridges starts the film dressed & looking exactly like Ace Ventura which made me laugh but he does give a very tense & exhausting performance as he panicks & tries to outwit his arch enemy accross the city. Now I've never been a fan of Bridges simply because he's never done anything I've really liked but here he is great on screen & gives a fine performance for an action Thriller & works well against Tommy's wacky terrorist.

I didn't like the silly music/songs throughout the film & i didn't like the stupid "Irish" themed dreary music at the opening of the film, should've been an exciting & beefed up score for it's opening especially as the score is done by the Legendary Alan Silvestri (Predator, Predator 2, Judgment Night) but his score when the action kicks-in is fine later on in the film.

Cinematography is great & really captures the gritty look of Boston during the summertime.

Stephen Hopkins is such a great Director who made two of my all time favourite films with his PREDATOR 2 (1990) & JUDGMENT NIGHT (1993) & this "Blown Away" came after "Night" in 1994 & it's another classy film from Hopkins.

Another great performance in this suspenseful Thriller is that of the excellent, Forrest Whitaker as the new cocky member of the Bomb Squad.

With plenty of thrilling set-pieces & intense moments with memorable performances i think Blown Away is a very good 90's Action-packed Thriller & little known underrated film too.

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.

How did "Speed" ever get better reviews than this? Whilst De Bont's runaway bus is certainly good, "Blown Away" is by far the better bomb movie as it relies on suspense driven thrills rather than big budget stunts to deliver the kicks. Admittedly the film starts slowly but the pace steadily keeps increasing until the final half-hour where things (literally) explode in one of the best fight scenes ever put on celluloid. Stephen Hopkins plays every scene for as much tension as he can (I defy you to watch the kitchen scene without cringing at every slomo) and displays a De Palma like understanding of virtuoso camerawork. Jones menaces away as his usual psychotic prankster (think Two-Face with an Irish accent) and J Bridges is good but never truly called on to do anything special. Amis, Whitaker and the rest of the support are perhaps a little under-used but the film is never about them. This is about Jones and Bridges in a deadly, vengeful face-off and the final showdown is everything you could ever want from an action thriller. Watch it and enjoy.

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

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.

There are just those movies you have a hard time remembering five minutes after you leave the theater. This is one such movie. Not that it was entirely bad, in fact it was an OK movie...it just wasn't very memorable at all. Jones plays a mad bomber and Bridges is a bomb squad member. Jones and Bridges though know each other from their Irish days. Some good scenes here and there, though for a movie called Blown Away there aren't as many explosions as one would think. At times this one gets quite boring in places too. Jones and Bridges are pretty good though and so is the elder Bridges as well. Some areas of this film are weak though like the scene where Bridge's wife walks through her house flipping switches and the screen flashes to these scenes where it shows what happens when you turn something on making you think there is a bomb somewhere. It is an OK movie, but nothing that will make you think long afterward.

But imagine this movie with real irish actors, gabriel byrne as gaerity and liam neeson as dove. that would have been authentic and powerful.

Nothing more than a formula action picture, a studio product, but well-done and fairly enjoyable. Stephen Hopkins proves (again, after "Predator 2") to be adept at filming frenetic action scenes and he shows confidence in the way he uses the camera, especially in the "long shots". Tommy Lee Jones is kind of one-note as the villain, and not very satisfying, but Jeff Bridges gives depth and credibility to his role, and the supporting cast is above-average. Oh, and there ARE some spectacular explosions. (**1/2)

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.

On the paper "Blown Away" sounds like the action thriller that would live up to its title. Everything's there: the bomb squad expert keeping his cool even when the place is three seconds away from turning into a Jackson-Pollock-like representation, the family man with a painful secret, the mad bomber and former nemesis back with a vengeance, and so many elaborate devices creating bombs out of the most mundane objects. The film toys with many elements of plausibility but I had no problem believing that men like Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones) existed who could create bombs out of chocolate powder, vinegar, a vacuum hose and a toothpick.

Add to that Boston as the backdrop, several references to Irish culture and a terrific cast that includes (besides Jones) Jeff Bridges as Lieutenant Jimmy Dove (or so everyone thought), his uncle O'Bannon played by his father Lloyd Bridges, Suzy Amis as the future wife and Forest Whitaker who can steal the show with one drop of his sweat. Granted the film wouldn't have been a masterpiece of originality and couldn't do without common tropes of the bomb films, it's quite sad that director Stephen Hopkins left such a high-potential story at the mercy of so many tired clichés: the climactic car race, the melee fight, the dramatic "Nooo!", the past resurrecting when the cop is about to retire (a nod to "High Noon" that starred Daddy Bridges?) and the most misused one: the psychopathic villain.

To tell you what's wrong, let me share an early memory. As I mentioned in many reviews, I used to watch action films with my Dad when they aired on Sunday nights. We were an easy audience, for as long as good action sequences and interesting characters were displayed, we didn't feel like playing critics; we saw "Blown Away" in 1996 and couldn't care less whether the film was better or worse than "Speed". And then came the part where Ryan, having snuck into Jimmy's house, starts jumping on the daughter's bed, manically laughing at the idea that the universe started by an explosion. My father who seemed to be receptive all along said "now, he's trying to play the maniac, it doesn't work". That commentary hit a chord and made me stop looking at the film seriously, not the villain anyway. Watching it again, I've got to say: Dad was right.

Tommy Lee Jones is a terrific actor but with a slight tendency to ham it up. While it worked for his character in "Under Siege", a film that had elements of pop corn comedy à la "Die Hard" and that was calling for an over-the-top villain, channelling the same personality in "Blown Away" creates a stark contrast with the serious burden he carries, and that should justify his grudge against Jimmy. It's a film about Ireland, about past memories, terrorism and so that comedic angle from Jones is both misguided and counter-productive.

The film was often compared with "Speed" but I found a stronger kinship with "Patriot Games", especially the way they insisted on Ryan being too crazy for IRA. Now, I'm not a big fan of the whole madness/vengeance angle to being with, as it makes the adversity so straightforward and gratuitous no room is left for any sympathy toward the bad guy (at least in "Patriot Games", we see Sean Bean's brother dying). "Blown Away" doesn't make the slightest effort whatsoever to make us feel a little for Ryan, except maybe during one specific scene where he shares a pint of Guinness with Lloyd Bridges, for some reason that little Irish bond has an air of authenticity... not that it lasted though.

The rest of the film is an alternate source of enjoyment and frustration. Jimmy's establishing moment consists of defusing a bomb placed in a computer and forcing a female student to keep typing and typing, which is good. Jimmy cuts the right cable one remaining byte away from the explosion, which is laughably cliché. Another scene where he tries to desperately prevent a huge explosion should have been a dramatic highlight, alas it did struck me as a rip-off of John McClane trying to prevent the Windsor plane to crash in "Die Hard 2". Other moments work perfectly, when Franklin (Whitaker) has a bomb placed in his headphone, and a squad member freaks out when he remembers his horoscope. By the way, the chemistry between Bridges and Whitaker almost equals Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in "Lethal Weapon 2".

The 'private life' part is effective, too. Suzy Amis as Kate Dove has some good moments with Stephi Lineburg as the daughter although the film once again exploits the family element by using tropes from other movies. Just like in "Patriotic Games", you get some strong "Fatal Attraction" vibes and you know you've got to worry for the pet animal when there's a psycho stalking a good family. These clichés do interfere with the film's attempts at seriousness. A shame because I loved the premise of a former terrorist trying to atone for his sins until a former nemesis unburies the past... with a vengeance. But there's a limit to which I could accept Ryan's creativity and it lost me with the whole Rube Goldberg device during the obligatory climactic fight (basically, two clichés at once).

It pains me to give a bad review to the film because there were some standout elements besides the two Bridges and Whitaker's acting. I especially loved that scene where Kate and Lizzie were alone at home and kept using familiar objects, each one of them likely to trigger a bomb device placed by Ryan. This sequence intersected with a race around the clock (one that worked at least), was of pure Hitchcockian delight... and one of the truly original moments from "Blown Away", one that was not borrowed from a previous 90s action picture. The rest is pretty generic.

This is one of the most dull action films yet. The IRA is at it again with their bombs. Hasn't this horse been beaten long enough? Jimmy Cagney was doing this act back during the depression. Enough, already. And what was with all these brogues? Tommy Lee is a great actor, but that irish lilt of his went over like a led balloon. What a stupid movie. Oh well, top 'o the mornin' to ya'!

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.

It could have/should have been better. The accents are horrible. Stop trying to imitate the Boston accent.

In the movie, James Dove is a bomb squad LT. who has a heavy conscious of blowing up civilians when he was with the IRA or whatever fanatical organization he was with. There is no way he would be a police officer with that kind of background, I don't care how great a bomb person he is....police backgrounds are so thorough a TRAFFIC TICKET doesn't get by without notice, and whatever isn't revealed through word of mouth ...the polygraph reveals...and it WORKS..believe me...I tried several times to get on with my city police department, and to no avail...and I have a squeaky clean record, (never did pot) if you can believe it!! and this terrorist becomes a LT in the Boston PD...come on.

Eric

This movie starts out nice, you don't know what the connection is between the two. But the connection is soon to be told and was unlikely. Unlikely for Mr. Dove. Unlikely for the Irish guy(i forgot his name) to do what he does. Unliky that Mrs. Dove married him without ever knowing his real name. Who is the old guy who chooses to be blown up. What is his deal in this? Just a few of the many questions that came up in my mind. This movie stars nice,(could have been pretty good but) then quickly takes the obvious turn to oblivion where it will lie forever with a lot of other movies.

I gave it a 7 out 10, because some bits where entertaining

A reviewer wrote 'how did Speed get better reviews than this'?

Well in my opinion Speed is simply a more entertaining movie and that's inherently what movies are about. And, aside from featuring bombs they don't have anything really in common.

Blown Away is a solid drama full of well built tension that engages the viewer. It is a slow burn but that does allow nicely for character development which is very important to the success of this story.

Bridges is very good in his role, TML is a little more cliched with his delivery but still contributes nicely.

Its a mature film targeting a considered audience and does it well :)

How on earth did this crap ever get made? IRA terrorists ups sticks and moves to USA and joins Boston police? Glorifies the IRA and period of time known as the troubles here in the UK by referring to "the cause"! Classic Hollywood depiction of de oirish, which makes patriot games look like a master class in character study by comparison Endless playing of u2 - cos theyre oirish you know! God awful oirish accents all round!

I may never hear the end it from people on why I love this movie so much, but it is one of my favorite Hero/Villain movies ever! It was received very poorly both critically and commercially, but I love it! It goes from Ireland to Boston. There's Guinness drinking, explosions, and at least two songs from U2's Joshua Tree Album, used in parts of the film that fit perfectly. You also have father/son Jeff Bridges/Lloyd Bridges starring together as former IRA members. I don't know what draws me so close to this film. Perhaps my fascination with Ireland, curiosity over the years of conflict there, having done my internship there or what? Maybe that I've just always liked Tommy lee Jones and Jeff Bridges. The pair worked well together in Blown Away. I don't care what the critics said, or how well it did at the box office. Reviewed by AN/NR 11-14-11

A pretty mindless thriller for all intents and purposes. A film that lacks solid plot structure but is saved by an exquisite Tommy Lee Jones bad guy role, he steals the show. It also focused on great practical explosive effects with a pretty nostalgic soundtrack. Jeff Bridges is serviceable yet you could have placed several other actors there that may have fared better. Some of the cinematography gets good in the final act. The back and forth between Bridges and Jones is pretty fun to watch but the end may not leave you blown away.

Blown Away takes the time to flesh out its characters , but fails miserably. Jimmy Dove (Jeff Bridges) is a member of the Boston PD bomb squad with a new wife, Kate (Suzy Amis). His fellow bomb-defusers start dying one by one, and it's soon apparent that there's a lunatic bomber loose in Boston. Tommy Lee Jones plays Ryan Gaerity, a nut job with a short fuse, who hails from Ireland. For reasons awkwardly explained in the tortured exposition, Ryan seems to have it in for Jimmy and is gleefully planting bombs in hopes one of them will blow Jimmy from Cambridge to Roxbury. Too bad Blown Away fritters away the talents of its actors with far-fetched attempts at suspense and stilted dialogue. The big finale is a blast, but by the time it arrives, you may be in a mood to launch a few aerial mines of your own in the direction of the screen. Jeff Bridges has a perpetual furrow in his brow, as if trying to figure out what he is doing here, while Oscar-winning Jones is stuck with an Irish accent that could best be described as horrible. Jeff's father, Lloyd Bridges, plays a crusty oldster whom you'll recognize as a walking bomb target from the moment he comes on screen. Same goes for the lovable family pet. Forrest Whitaker acts up a storm, to little avail, while poor Ms. Amis, cursed with one of those thankless dutiful-wife parts, looks to be in need of a good meal.