Blown Away (1994)

Before he made the man-eating lion thriller The Ghost and the Darkness and the special- effects-laden Lost in Space, director Stephen Hopkins helmed this ludicrous and critically panned thriller pitting a cop on the Boston Police bomb squad (Jeff Bridges) against a mad Irish bomber (Tommy Lee Jones) who's still holding a grudge from their early years in the Irish Republican Army. A showcase for the explosive skills of demolitions experts, Blown Away has got some impressive action sequences, although the story is somewhat convoluted and mean-spirited. Suzy Amis (Titanic) costars as Bridges's endangered girlfriend, who becomes a target of Jones's destructive scheme. --Jeff Shannon Amazon.com

If you like explosions and don't think too hard about the ease of the bombings, then you will enjoy it

While this movie is intense, it suffers from the serious flaw that a known mad bomber is able to move easily throughout Boston. Tommy Lee Jones plays an IRA (Irish Republican Army) bomber that has just managed to break out of prison. Jeff Bridges plays a former fellow IRA bomber who broke with the IRA and is now part of the bomb disposal squad in the Boston police department. He has taken the new name of Jimmy Dove and has not informed his wife or employer that he is a former member of the IRA. Lloyd Bridges as a relative of Jimmy's and Forest Whitaker as a fellow member of the Boston bomb squad fill supporting roles.
The action is intense at times as the Jones character is truly a mad bomber and he can build a bomb out of almost anything. A tension meter is clicking louder as Jimmy's wife moves through their house after Jones has been in it, opening things, firing up the gas stove, turning on lights, doing all of the things that one does. Since each could be the trigger for the bomb, you edge closer to the edge of your seat as she completes one action after another.
All of this goes over the top at the end when the Jones character uses an elaborate Rube Goldberg device to execute a self-destruct mechanism in his place of residence. It seems to serve no useful purpose other than to provide enough time for the struggle between Jimmy and the Jones character to run its' lengthy course.
If you like things exploding all the time and are willing to suspend a bit of disbelief over the ease with which the Jones character manages to put bombs in any place he chooses, then you will enjoy this movie. Absent that, you will probably engage in too much disbelief to take it completely seriously.
November 3, 2008

Underrated action thriller

Liam McGivney (Bridges) never intended to bomb civilian targets when he joined the IRA. When his friend, Ryan Gaerity (Jones) goes out of control, McGivney escapes to America and changes his name to Jimmy Dove. He's married now and has a family. After a long career defusing bombs, he's retiring and planning to teach.

Unfortunately, Gaerity has other plans. He's bent on revenge against his old protege and he's going to kill everything that McGivney loves.

This is one of both Bridges' and Jones' most powerful roles. The effects, music, and acting are all stunning. I don't know how I missed this film, being a Tommy Lee Jones fan from way back, but this is one of the best I have seen. If you enjoy fast-paced, character based action films, you might just be blown away by this film.

Rebecca Kyle, September 2008
September 29, 2008

C'mon, was this really that thrilling?

When I first saw this film in the theaters, my girlfriend had to "shush" me for criticizing it out loud.
An example of the total ineptness of this movie is the telegraphing of the final destruction of the rusted out ship's hull by showing it at length in the opening sequence.
BIG SURPRISE!
September 28, 2008

Very Deep.

My philosophy in life is a little boom doesn't hurt anyone! as long as we stay clear...! December 24, 2007

DVD movie: BLOWN AWAY

The DVD movie: Blown Away, starring Jeff Bridges & Tommy Lee Jones arrived @ my shipping address in good condition. The DVD movie is in great shape. January 15, 2007

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