Movies Like Blow Out (1981)

Blow Out is a 1981 crime, drama, mystery, thriller film from Brian De Palma with a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Accountant² and Arlington Road.

Crime Drama Mystery Thriller

The Accountant²

2025

When an old acquaintance is murdered, Wolff is compelled to solve the case. Realizing more extreme measures are necessary, Wolff recruits his estranged and highly lethal brother, Brax, to help. In partnership with Marybeth Medina, they uncover a deadly conspiracy, becoming targets of a ruthless network of killers who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.

7.1

MagicScore

Arlington Road

1999

Bedraggled college professor Michael Faraday has been vexed — and increasingly paranoid — since his wife's accidental death in a botched FBI operation. When a seemingly all-American couple set up house next door, Michael begin to suspect there’s more to them than meets the eye.

7.0

MagicScore

The Conversation

1974

A paranoid, secretive surveillance expert has a crisis of conscience when he suspects that the couple he is spying on will be murdered.

7.5

MagicScore

Klute

1971

A high-priced call girl is forced to depend on a reluctant private eye when she is stalked by a psychopath.

6.7

MagicScore

Wag the Dog

1997

During the final weeks of a presidential race, the President is accused of sexual misconduct. To distract the public until the election, the President's adviser hires a Hollywood producer to help him stage a fake war.

6.9

MagicScore

Chinatown

1974

Private eye Jake Gittes lives off of the murky moral climate of sunbaked, pre-World War II Southern California. Hired by a beautiful socialite to investigate her husband's extra-marital affair, Gittes is swept into a maelstrom of double dealings and deadly deceits, uncovering a web of personal and political scandals that come crashing together.

7.9

MagicScore

Wander

2020

After getting hired to probe a suspicious death in the small town of Wander, a mentally unstable private investigator becomes convinced the case is linked to the same 'conspiracy cover up' that caused the death of his daughter.

5.3

MagicScore

This Gun for Hire

1942

Sadistic killer-for-hire Philip Raven becomes enraged when his latest job is paid off in marked bills. Vowing to track down his double-crossing boss, nightclub executive Gates, Raven sits beside Gates' lovely new employee, Ellen, on a train out of town. Although Ellen is engaged to marry the police lieutenant who's hunting down Raven, she decides to try and set the misguided hit man straight as he hides from the cops and plots his revenge.

6.9

MagicScore

The Man Who Knew Too Much

1956

An American doctor and his wife, a former singing star, witness a murder while vacationing in Morocco, and are drawn into a twisting plot of international intrigue when their young son is kidnapped.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

Conspiracy Theory

1997

A man obsessed with conspiracy theories becomes a target after one of his theories turns out to be true. Unfortunately, in order to save himself, he has to figure out which theory it is.

6.6

MagicScore

#11

Mulholland Drive

2001

Blonde Betty Elms has only just arrived in Hollywood to become a movie star when she meets an enigmatic brunette with amnesia. Meanwhile, as the two set off to solve the second woman's identity, filmmaker Adam Kesher runs into ominous trouble while casting his latest project.

7.8

MagicScore

#12

The Nice Guys

2016

A private eye investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.

7.1

MagicScore

#13

Inside Men

2015

A disgruntled henchman teams up with an ambitious prosecutor to bring down a leading presidential candidate and the news editor behind him who is truly pulling the strings.

6.9

MagicScore

#14

Bad Times at the El Royale

2018

Lake Tahoe, 1969. Seven strangers, each one with a secret to bury, meet at El Royale, a decadent motel with a dark past. In the course of a fateful night, everyone will have one last shot at redemption.

6.8

MagicScore

#15

The American Friend

1977

Tom Ripley, an American who deals in forged art, is slighted at an auction in Hamburg by picture framer Jonathan Zimmerman. When Ripley is asked by gangster Raoul Minot to kill a rival, he suggests Zimmerman, and the two, exploiting Zimmerman's terminal illness, coerce him into being a hitman.

7.1

MagicScore

#16

Colosio

2012

It's 1994 in Mexico, the nation was witnessing a turbulent year since its beginnings. An indigenous rebellion shakes the country. Three months later, the ruling party's presidential candidate is brutally murdered during a rally in Tijuana. The country is concerned. Nobody knows who's behind this event, it all points to a conspiracy. Andrés Vázquez, an intelligence expert, is commissioned to lead a secret investigation parallel to the official government issued one. But another expert agent, el Seco, has received orders to wipe out all witnesses and get rid of the evidence surrounding the candidate's murder. As Andrés begins putting the pieces of this intricate puzzle together and comes closer to the truth, he realizes he's also putting his life and that of his loved ones in peril.

7.0

MagicScore

#17

Twelve Monkeys

1995

In the year 2035, convict James Cole reluctantly volunteers to be sent back in time to discover the origin of a deadly virus that wiped out nearly all of the earth's population and forced the survivors into underground communities. But when Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990 instead of 1996, he's arrested and locked up in a mental hospital. There he meets psychiatrist Dr. Kathryn Railly and the son of a famous virus expert who may hold the key to the Army of the 12 Monkeys; thought to be responsible for unleashing the killer disease.

7.6

MagicScore

#18

Shooter

2007

A top Marine sniper, Bob Lee Swagger, leaves the military after a mission goes horribly awry and disappears, living in seclusion. He is coaxed back into service after a high-profile government official convinces him to help thwart a plot to kill the President of the United States. Ultimately double-crossed and framed for the attempt, Swagger becomes the target of a nationwide manhunt. He goes on the run to track the real killer and find out who exactly set him up, and why, eventually seeking revenge against some of the most powerful and corrupt leaders in the free world.

7.1

MagicScore

#19

The Irishman

2019

Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.

7.6

MagicScore

#20

Mikey and Nicky

1976

Nick is desperate, holed up in a cheap hotel, suffering from an ulcer and convinced that a local mob boss wants him killed. Desperate and terrified, he calls Mikey, his friend since childhood and a fellow gangster. So begins a long night…

6.8

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Blow Out?

The top films similar to Blow Out by MovieMagicScore are The Accountant² (7.1), Arlington Road (7.0), The Conversation (7.5). Each shares crime/drama/mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Blow Out worth watching?

Blow Out holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.4/10 from 1,586 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Blow Out?

Blow Out (1981) is a crime, drama, mystery, thriller film directed by Brian De Palma, starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow.

Where can I find more recommendations like Blow Out?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Accountant² Movies like Arlington Road Movies like The Conversation Movies like Klute Movies like Wag the Dog Movies like Chinatown

About movies like Blow Out

This ranked list pairs Blow Out (1981), a crime and drama and mystery and thriller film from Brian De Palma, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of John Travolta take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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