Disliked at the time but a cult movie since - was it ever going to be a hit though with that genre defying ending.
It's got split screens, a fake out opening scene which deconstructs voyeurism but is also very pervy, Nancy Allen as a good time girl, John Lithgow as a killer, Dennis Franz as a scuz, cinematic references up the wa-zoo, lefty boomer politics (it's a conspiracy).
Travolta and Allen are very sweet. Travolta is excellent. Maybe a harsher actor wouldn't have made the ending such a downer. Ditto Allen. They are both so young and naive. Mind you it does work for the story which requires Travolta's character to be incompetent at key times.
I've got to say - I don't like this movie. It's got a black heart. De Palma's dad was a surgeon and I think at times his son developed a matter of fact treatment about humans - cut this out, press this button, push that button.
It's beautifully directed. But John Lithgow runs around strangling women to cover up his tracks and then also kills Allen after we've been sitting through a big chase. And also she's in terriro the last ten minutes or so of her life. Look, I get it. I get all of it. I just didn't like it.
I think also pace wise it felt odd to have Lithgow go off with Allen, then Travolta chase, crash car, get knocked out, recover, race... and Lithgow and Allen are still alive. Why do this? To have the finale at night I ugess but you could have the opening bit at night too yes? Maybe he wouldn't have the car chase but you could've lost the car chase.
De Palma did have more balls that his fellow gang members like Lucas and Spielberg (though maybe not Schrader). I think he also didn't like the human race as much.
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