GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

ThedevilChoose When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

MisterWhiplash Abel Ferrara sometimes befuddles me with his work. The Blackout especially seems like it's something out of a drug-induced dream. Perhaps this isn't always something to shy away from, especially in the name of 'art' or whatever. But in this case he's treading some ground he's already gone through, with some variations. Just a few years before he also made a tale of excess and a lonely emotional cripple (Bad Lieutenant) and a tale of the medium of film used to disparaging effect (Dangerous Game). This time a sort of weird fusion of the two happens, with a little more melodrama, about a Hollywood actor played by Matthew Modine who is an drunk and does his share and other shares of drugs, and is in love with a woman named Annie (Beatrice Dalle, oddly beautiful). But due to excess between the two, and a failed pregnancy, she splits, leaving Matty to his own devices, which is to do more drugs, more booze, wallow in depression with "video-film maker" Mickey Wayne (Hopper, perfect at the eccentric roles that define description). The difference between a film like Blackout and Bad Lieutenant is in how he treats catharsis. There's something intensely moving about what the Lieutenant goes through, how far he goes that he can somehow even try for redemption. In Blackout, Matty sobers up, gets a new girlfriend, and a year or so later keeps getting dreams of murder with his former love, and it drives him back to Miami and into the same alcohol-fueled despair. For some reason I wasn't as taken in with the character's struggle this time, despite the intense quality of Matthew Modine's performance. Most times he's very good, and only a few times he felt like he was play-acting at the role of a man running off the tracks of himself. I wanted his character to get resolution and to face his conflicts, but Ferrara's style gets in the way. Not so much that it's unwatchable, and it's never exactly boring. It's just... missing something a lot of the time.The Blackout has its moments. There's a real-raw quality to Dalle when she is on camera with Modine that is very effective. Hopper, again, takes a small role and amps up the perversity to a fever pitch, which makes a big climactic revelation with his Mickey to Matty all the more amazing and staggering to watch (complicit in his actions, sure, but not below him). But its own fever-nightmare quality, sometimes impressive and awesome in a Lynch-style, other times bogs the narrative in itself. It's not even so much pretentious as it is Ferrara indulging so much in this character's loss that we eventually lose sympathy for him. His goal for catharsis is admirable, though the depths of hell that he and the director sink to don't make it any easier.Is it under-appreciated? To an extent. I would say I was a fan of the film, up to a point. But there is a reason it feels like a minor work in Ferrara's cannon; he's done work like this before, better, stronger, with more of a visual focus. Then again, it may also be a film I'll want to return to in years time, to get in to the darker corridors of the character's downward spiral into himself. As a punishing character study, the effort's appreciated. 6.5/10

acid_grinder I really think that this film is underrated, since I enjoyed it quiet a lot.The unique Ferraras atmosphere is present in it, and i didn't find it any confusing. Grait acting especially from Denis Hopper is pleasant to watch, and a good soundtrack makes this film even better thrill.I would advise it to people who like David Lynch, not for surrealism, which is not present here, but for the created mood and atmosphere. Not a regular Hollywood stuff. Althou the plot is quiet easy to follow,Ferarra's ability of doing things his way makes it a great experience for the audience... Good film, but maybe not for everyonemy rating: 9/10

jrgirones What is real stimulating about an Abel Ferrara movie is that, whether you like it or not, it'll never leave you indifferent. In my point of view, "The Blackout" is not among the better ones, I'd even call it a failure, but has some great moments and several points of interest. After all, it comes from Ferrara, one of the most personal looks in cinema today, and what comes from a great director, even if it's not that good, at least it's worth trying. Be aware: it's difficult to come into "The Blackout" because it's basically confusing (too much I have to say). But even if it's not well handled, this style is coherent with the argument as far as Ferrara wants to bring to images the point of view of an alcoholic during a monumental hangover. If you are capable of going through the first thirty minutes, you'll be rewarded with an stimulating reflection about addiction and the limits between fiction and reality: the key of the main character's enigmatic hangover seems to be found in the filming of an experimental movie... another excuse to reflect on the dark side of movie making and the status of the director. Try it. Maybe you'll like it or maybe you'll end leaving it in the middle, but at least, this film will make you react in some way, which is not very usual in cinema today.

gmaland I thought this was an interesting, psychological movie. I agree that some of the scenes were not necessary or especially redeeming, but Matthew Modine's portrait of a confused substance-abusing actor was brilliant - the best thing I've seen him do. There's a scene where he takes a drink of vodka after a year of sobriety that is just incredibly convincing. If you liked (appreciated) Leaving Las Vegas, you should check this one out.