© 2014-
Offshore Radio on Film and TV
Blown Away
Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones), an Irish terrorist, escapes from his cell in prison in Northern Ireland, killing a guard and his cellmate in the process, after turning a toilet into a bomb.
In Boston, Lt. Jimmy Dove (Jeff Bridges) is a veteran member of the police's bomb squad, on the verge of retirement and helping to train newer recruits. He hides the secret that he is really Liam McGivney, a former member of a Northern Ireland terrorist cell. He had been friends with Gaerity, but when Gaerity tried to trigger a bomb that would have included many civilian casualties, McGivney interceded, ending up in the death of his girlfriend and Gaerity's sister and leading to Gaerity's imprisonment. Devastated, McGivney moved to Boston and took on the Dove identity, hoping to find atonement in defusing bombs and save others.
Gaerity makes his way to Boston, taking residence in an abandoned casino boat, and tracks down Dove. He takes on the position of a janitor in the police department to learn more about Dove's present life and those of his co-
In analysing the debris of another bomb attack, Dove finds a roulette ball that points to the abandoned ship, and tracks Gaerity there. Gaerity reveals that he has set up another bomb in Kate's car and activates its arming mechanism before engaging with Dove in a large fight throughout the booby-
They race back to the city, hoping to stop Kate before she starts the car. Dove jumps into her car, finds the complex bomb and manages to defuse it in time. As they recover, Franklin tells Dove he knows his past identity but will keep it a secret if he can take credit for taking down Gaerity; Dove agrees and gives Franklin his badge before leaving with Kate and his daughter.
Cast
Jeff Bridges -
Tommy Lee Jones -
Suzy Amis -
Lloyd Bridges -
Forest Whitaker -
Stephi Lineburg -
John Finn -
Caitlin Clarke -
Christofer de Oni -
Loyd Catlett -
Ruben Santiago-
Cuba Gooding, Jr. -
Ed O'Keefe -
Mike Starr -
Director -
Writers -
Jay Roach(story) Joe Batteer(screenplay),
John Rice(screenplay)
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Set Decoration -
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Makeup -
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Second Unit Director or Assistant Director -
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Promotional trailer for Blown Away
Click to enlarge
Offshore Radio Connection
Although the storyline of this film has nothing to do with offshore radio, the ship used is the MV Sarah, former home to Radio New York International (RNYI).
Al Weiner, who operated RNYI sold the Sarah to MGM studios in 1993 and she was converted for her role in the film -
The explosion was carried out by members of the Boston Police Explosive Ordnance Unit.
Two stuntmen leapt from the deck just before the explosion, which sent a 300’ fireball into the air. Hundreds of windows in buildings were blown out by the explosion and the film company was inundated with claims for damage. Fortunately significant insurance had been taken out to cover these claims.
The charred hull of the Sarah was later towed to a pier in Charlestown Naval Base where a salvage company began operations to scrap the vessel.
© MGM
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Amateur video recording of the ship explosion scene from Blown Away
The ship explosion scene from Blown Away
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