Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Blown Away tells the story of Jimmy Dove, who works for the Boston bomb squad. Shortly after Dove leaves the force, his partner is killed by a bomb that Dove thinks might have been made by someone he knows.
Blown Away is a mid-90s action thriller with a fairly formulaic revenge-driven bomb squad plot that doesn't offer much narrative surprise. Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones deliver watchable if not remarkable performances — Jones chews scenery with relish as the Irish anarchist villain, which is entertainingly unhinged but inconsistent. The Boston setting and Fourth of July fireworks climax provide some visual flair, and the practical bomb effects work is competent. However, the film largely retreads Die Hard-era action thriller conventions without adding much new, and the ending feels rushed and underwhelming given the buildup. The Irish backstory flashbacks add modest texture but the screenplay's logic is shaky throughout.