Blown Away (1994 film)

Blown Away
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStephen Hopkins
Written byJohn Rice
Joe Batteer
M. Jay Roach
Story byJohn Rice
Joe Batteer
Produced byPen Densham
Richard Barton Lewis
John Watson
Starring
CinematographyPeter Levy
Edited byTim Wellburn
Music byAlan Silvestri
Production
companies
Distributed byMGM/UA Distribution Co.
Release date
  • July 1, 1994 (1994-07-01)
Running time
121 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[1]
Box office$53 million[2]

Blown Away is a 1994 American action thriller film directed by Stephen Hopkins and starring Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, Forest Whitaker, Suzy Amis, and Lloyd Bridges, and follows a Boston bomb squad member pursuing an Irish bomber, who recently escaped from prison and is targeting the other bomb squad members. The film was distributed and financed by MGM, a studio which was in financial difficulty at the time. The head of the studio was former Paramount executive Frank Mancuso Sr.[3]

It was the first action film starring Jeff Bridges, who was by then a 45-year old leading man.[4] Bridges said he was always interested in the genre, particularly as his father, Lloyd Bridges (who co-stars in the film) appeared in High Noon fighting Gary Cooper.[5] Hopkins said that Bridges was his first choice to play the lead. "I was very lucky that MGM backed me up, because he doesn't seem to be the obvious choice for this kind of genre film."[6]

  1. ^ Rayner, Richard (13 November 1993). "The Fabulous Bridges Boys". Independent Magazine.
  2. ^ "Worldwide rentals beat domestic take". Variety. 13 February 1995. p. 28.
  3. ^ Citron, Alan (21 June 1994). "Company Town A Giant Clash Over Record Company". Los Angeles Times (Home ed.). p. 4.
  4. ^ Maslin, Janet (17 October 1993). "Arnold. Sly. Kevin. Jeff?: THE RELUCTANT STAR". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  5. ^ Archerd, Army (14 November 1993). "'Blown Away' adds explosive fight scene". Variety. Los Angeles. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference stephen was invoked but never defined (see the help page).