80's Brian De Palma movies

[Socko]

I was born in the 70s and I was too young to watch Brian's earlier work and basicly as a kid I was more interested in sci-fi, fantasy movies or comedies.

Seeing review the Criterion 4k release of Blow Out made me think that I should start to watch his work from the 80s

I've seen Casualties of War recently. I've not seen Scarface in over 10 years I think and my recent visit was The Untouchables, which is my favorite De Palma movie of that era. That said, maybe his other work might outshine The Untouchables.

Which of the remaining four should be recommended... and why?
I'm in love with his continuous steadycam shots and Blow Out seems to be his first.

1986 Wise Guys
1984 Body Double
1981 Blow Out
1980 Dressed to Kill

As for his 90s stuff.
I own Carlito's Way and I love it.
I've yet to watch Snake Eyes again. I own it, but I've not seen it for over 20 years so I can't comment on it.
Mission Impossible is a great movie as well. I've to grab that UHD.

Let me hear your thoughts

[captainron_howdy]

De Palma rules! Body Double and Dressed to Kill have been longtime personal favorites of mine. The score for Body Double is absolutely iconic and essential for the 80s, and I can't recommend that movie enough, esp. if you're into his Hitchcock homages. Blow Out is certainly great also, and has probably John Travolta's best performance. It's been a while since I've seen Wise Guys, but I remember it being fun for what it is.

[Winslow Leach]

BLOW OUT is my second favorite De Palma film. It's a masterpiece. Travolta has never been better. Next to PULP FICTION, it's his best performance.

DRESSED TO KILL is a nightmarish film, with great set pieces. It's another classic, and I can't wait to check out the 4K!

BODY DOUBLE is great, with a wonderful performance by a young Melanie Griffith.

WISE GUYS is a fun comedy with Danny DeVito and Joe Piscopo.

I think De Palma's 80s output is as strong as the stuff he made in the 70s.

[Jorvic]

I'd recommend Dressed to Kill first and foremost – and then Blow Out and Body Double.

Dressed to Kill contains a number of unforgettable scenes and is very rewatchable. Like Carlito's Way, it also has an excellent chase sequence. While the film is, among other things, a serious take on the idea of identity, there are touches of humour too. Plus a great cast.

[BudBaxter]

Blow Out is his masterpiece IMHO. So many great moments & De Palma motifs throughout. Plus, Travolta & Lithgow at the top of their game.

Dressed to Kill is kinda iconic these days, but even if you know how it turns out, it's still top-shelf De Palma.

Ashamed to say I bought the Indicator blu of Body Double when it was first released & still haven't got round to watching it all these years later (never seen the film!). Really must rectify that soon...


& if you haven't seen it, I'd also recommend seeking out Noah Baumbach & Jake Paltrow's documentary, De Palma, which is basically the director sitting & talking about his career, film by film, for two hours. No talking heads, no fanboys, just De Palma & some film clips. It's fascinating (& surprisingly funny).

[Gacivory]

All of them

[dkelly26666]

I love everything he did pretty much up through the mid-90s or so.

I think all of his 70s, 80s, and early 90s films are well worth seeing.

One that doesn't get much attention is "Wise Guys", which is less tense and suspenseful than his other films from that era, as it's a light hearted comedy. But it is very enjoyable and funny and likable. It is also the only time he ever worked with the great Harvey Keitel, one of my personal all-time favorite actors.

"Dressed to Kill" is spectacular. I loved it in 1980 when it was first released, and at that time it was very controversial and people panned it a lot. Time has been good to it, even though it'd never get made today. When I put it on my annual Top Ten back in 1980, alongside things like "Raging Bull" and "The Elephant Man", people thought I was nuts. But I always thought it was so well done. I would make the obvious comparison, but just in case someone doesn't know about it, I don't want to spoiler it.

"Blow Out" is very well done, and may well feature Travolta's best performance.

"Body Double" is a lot of fun. Again, De Palma paying homage to Hitchcock in a very 80s, erotic way.

"Scarface" and "The Untouchables" are likely De Palma's 80s Titan films.

And I always found the great, "Casualties of War" very underrated. It's very well done, but got buried because of two reasons: A) It came out during a slew of Vietnam themed films in the late 80s, and B) The studio unwisely released it during the summer blockbuster movie season, where it was completely overlooked. It may have performed better commercially in the Fall months that year.

[Hindustani]

done know why, but I want to desperately revisit 2 De Palma flicks from 2000 decade in UHD and HDR.

FEMME FATALE and THE BLACK DAHLIA

I saw both in cinema but for some reason, I did not remember enjoying them.

These are the films one could enjoy as they get little older.

[moreorless]

Originally Posted by BudBaxter

Ashamed to say I bought the Indicator blu of Body Double when it was first released & still haven't got round to watching it all these years later (never seen the film!). Really must rectify that soon...

I would get around to that as soon as possible as this is definitely one of those "why the hell didnt I see this sooner?" moments for me in recent years. If you want De Palma's style turned to the max then really I think this is it even moreso than Scarface, Hitchcock crossed with stylish Giallo sleaze.