BY: PROVOKR Staff

Brian De Palma has a strange and wondrous career of picking offbeat thrillers and some big mainstream films like The Untouchables. He has made masterpieces out of his casting, storytelling, music and art direction. His new film is Domino starring Nicolaj Coster-Waldeau as a guilt ridden Copenhagen police officer out for revenge and opens this week. Let’s start with one of our five favorites from his past work. With DePalma you must remember what is happening in the film might not be what you see.

BLOW OUT

Blow Out starring John Travolta, Nancy Allen and John Lithgow is one of the best thrillers ever made. Shot in Philadelphia against a 4th of July background, De Palma cast a young Travolta to play the leading role of an obsessed movie sound man. Nancy Allen, always somehow a prostitute, as his bait to catch a killer. The film brings together John Travolta and Nancy Allen from Carrie and was released in 1981.

THE UNTOUCHABLES

The Untouchables is perfection. Kevin Costner is cast as a young Elliot Ness pitted against the monster Robert De Niro manifests as Al Capone. The surprise performance of the film is from Sean Connery as a pure and loyal Irish cop. The entire film has a darkness, a foreboding and it’s magnificently orchestrated violence is second to none. One entire scene is breathtakingly slowed down in super slow motion. The art direction and costumes are superb. The film manages to be heart wrenching at the same time. The Untouchables was released in 1987.

DRESSED TO KILL

Dressed to Kill is the story of a murderous villainess and those out to trap her. It is a twisty, tense thriller with Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson and poor Nancy Allen once again serving as the bait. It’s a hold-onto-your-seats, forget-to-eat-your-popcorn kind of film. Dressed to Kill was released in 1980. Nancy Allen, so magical in his films did not go unnoticed. Though she dies three times in his films Brian De Palma did marry Nancy in real life.

CARRIE

Carrie is, no doubt, one of the best horror movies ever made and with the most sympathetic nightmare of a character you will ever see. You actually root for the murder and mayhem. Carrie is played by a young Sissy Spacek and her mother is played by Piper Laurie. Among the cast is John Travolta, Nancy Allen and Betty Buckley. Carrie was released in 1976.

FEMME FATALE

Femme Fatale perfectly finishes up our Brian De Palma film festival for you to stream. De Palma cast Rebecca Romijn as the lead and part of a notorious gang of high class thieves who she double crosses and flees with the jewels. Antonio Banderas plays her love interest. There are so many twists and turns it makes you dizzy. The notorious ladies room scene of the jewel switch by Rebecca Romijn has become a sexy lesbian legend. Femme Fatale was released in 2002.