Blow Out (1981 film)

 “Blow Out” suggests a filmmaker who cares more about the conveyance of a story than what that story is, which is music to these ears. The reincorporation of audio cues, the consistent split-screen tableaus (dulled somewhat by the added fidelity afforded in the modern age), and every character besides Lithgow’s turn as a sadistic hitman coming across as a person beside the plot happening around them make for an unpredictable adventure whose twists feel earned. I don’t think this tops the best of Hitchcock, which this is transparently cribbing from, but it’s definitely better than most thrillers of its time.

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