Blown Away (1994)

An Irish bomber escapes from prison and targets a member of the Boston bomb squad.

Director:

Stephen Hopkins

Writers:

John Rice (story), Joe Batteer (story)

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, Suzy Amis

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Bridges	...	Dove
Tommy Lee Jones	...	Gaerity
Suzy Amis	...	Kate
Lloyd Bridges	...	Max
Forest Whitaker	...	Franklin
Stephi Lineburg	...	Lizzy
John Finn	...	Captain Roarke
Caitlin Clarke	...	Rita
Christofer de Oni	...	Cortez (as Chris de Oni)
Loyd Catlett	...	Bama
Ruben Santiago-Hudson	...	Blanket
Lucinda Weist	...	Nancy
Brendan Burns	...	Kevin
Tricia Heine	...	Connie (as Patricia A. Heine)
Josh McLaglen	...	Prison Guard

Storyline

Jimmy Dove works for the bomb squad in Boston and he is always the one who is on the tough jobs. One day he decides to quit the force and to become a teacher for the rookies of the squad. A few days later his former partner is killed by a bomb and Jimmy becomes suspicious that maybe this bomb could have been built by a former friend of himself. He begins to investigate and finds out that his worst nightmare has returned from his past.

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Plot Keywords:

bomb | irish | prison | ireland | mit | 

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Taglines:

Boom baby. Sweet dreams.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and some language

Details

Official Sites:

MGM [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Irish

Release Date:

1 July 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Explosiv

Filming Locations:

Chelsea, Massachusetts, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,424,873, 3 July 1994, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$30,155,037

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),Trilogy Entertainment Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby SR DTS-Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones have appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bridges appeared in Iron Man (2008) and Jones appeared in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). Captain America also had music composed by Alan Silvestri, as well as this film.

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Goofs

When Max gets blown away, we see Ryan in the abandoned building and the blast knocks out all the glass of the window but when the smoke clears the glass remains.

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Quotes

James 'Jimmy' Dove: [On the phone after the lethal explosion] God damn you, Gaerity! Look what you've done!
Ryan Gaerity: You've got me all wrong. I'm not a destroyer... I'm a creator.
James 'Jimmy' Dove: You're not a creator! You're a sick freak - it's what you are!

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Crazy Credits

This film is dedicated to the memory of Officer Jeremiah J. Hurley of the Boston Bomb Squad, and to the more than Three Thousand Certified Bomb Technicians throughout the world who risk their lives for our safety every day.

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Alternate Versions

In addition to your normal dialogue and language cuts, the TV version also edits the computer sequence so that the display does not cycle text on part of the monitor, whereas in the original version, there is text in that section, including a b-word used in a context that network TV likely would not have tolerated. Some parts of this sequence are also cropped so that just the typing is visible.

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Connections

Referenced in Siskel & Ebert: Love Affair/Wes Craven's New Nightmare/Exit to Eden/Hoop Dreams/The Specialist/Little Giants (1994)

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Soundtracks

A Nation Once Again
Performed by The Wolfe Tones
Courtesy of Shanachie Entertainment

User Reviews

Catch you at a bad time?

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