We lost one of the greats last week in Rutger Hauer. And while HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN may be a more obvious movie for this column, I'd rather celebrate the glory that is…
Director: Phillip Noyce
Stars: Rutger Hauer, Brandon Call, Terry O'Quinn
A blind Vietnam vet-turned-samurai must rescue an old friend and his son from Reno, Nevada’s most ruthless crime lord.
Growing up, my dad worked two jobs and my mom didn't know/care much about movies, meaning I got away with renting a lot of things I shouldn't have. I only tell you this because I have a very vivid memory of being six years old and walking out of Phar-Mor Video with a VHS copy of an R-rated Rutger Hauer samurai film that would become a seminal movie of my childhood.
Before we get to the cries of “But BLIND FURY isn’t a bad movie!”—yes, I wholeheartedly agree it's not awfully good in the traditional sense. But I will take any opportunity to extol the virtues of Rutger Hauer and publicly profess my love for this film. This is B-movie that should've been a lot worse given the premise, but somehow manages to have an almost irresistible charm, mostly thanks to its late star.
To know Rutger Hauer is to love him. Whether you want to or not.
A loose spin on the famed Japanese blind swordsman series ZATOICHI, BLIND FURY follows Nick Parker, a soldier who's wounded during combat in Vietnam and loses his sight. He's rescued by some local villagers, who, for what seems like no other reason than just shits and giggles, decide to train him to be a samurai. Much to their surprise, Nick quickly gains what can only be described as Daredevil-like abilities as a fighter. Despite his impaired vision, he can pretty much "see" anything that's happening around him with his heightened senses, from oncoming attacks to someone giving him the finger from across the room. (Except for one confounding instance where he mistakes an alligator for a dog.)
With his newfound powers, Nick returns home and travels the United States with his cane/katana not looking for trouble, but finding it nonetheless.
Only one man had the balls to tell John Locke what he can't do.
One day, he decides to visit his former Army buddy Frank (LOST’s Terry O'Quinn), who, unbeknownst to Nick, has disappeared and gotten involved with a Reno drug kingpin. Literal moments after he arrives, a group of ruthless thugs also show up, kill Frank’s wife and attempt to kidnap his son, Billy. Nick uses his…ahem, blind fury…to hack and slash all the bad guys and save the boy. Before she dies, the mom makes Nick promise that he'll protect her son, take him to Reno, rescue his dad, and then reunite the two of them. Keep in mind, she just met this guy a few minutes ago!
The rest of the film follows Nick and Billy’s adventures as they hit the road and take on the worst that Reno has to offer. Along the way they encounter a couple of hapless hillbilly henchmen, a real ninja, and of course…their feelings. Oh, and did I mention the son is played by Brandon Call, who starred as J.T. on 90s TGIF staple STEP BY STEP?
Hauer made no secret of his love of Family Matters over Step by Step.
While it’s a remarkably fun movie on its own, BLIND FURY also represents one of Rutger Hauer's final attempts to make it in Hollywood as a bankable big-budget action star. Sadly, that never happened for the talented actor, but not for lack of trying. Hauer is so great in this movie, perfectly balancing the tricky tone the film requires. He’s funny when the material calls for it, serious and dramatic when needed, and completely believable as both a blind person and someone who could kick your ass. He handles all the action and swordplay well, giving an impressively physical performance, whether he's fumbling around and beating up people "by accident" or slicing the eyebrows off a guy’s face with the utmost precision. And perhaps most impressive, he has solid chemistry with his young co-star and turns what would otherwise be an annoying child performance into something more.
"Bruce, it's Marvin. Your cousin, Marvin Lee! You know that new style of fighting you're looking for…"
Director Phillip Noyce (PATRIOT GAMES, SALT) plays things straight but is definitely aware of the somewhat goofy nature of the material and the level of suspension of disbelief required. If by the first 10 minutes you haven't made peace with the fact that any of the many henchmen armed with automatic weapons couldn't immediately end this movie by shooting a blind person, then this might not be the film for you.
But should you be able to get past that (and if you're an Awfully Good reader, I'm willing to bet you can), then you will be greatly rewarded by some Grade A entertainment. The script is full of great lines ("That butter knife ain't gonna stop no bullet!") and memorable characters, including bad guys played by Randall Tex Cobb (RAISING ARIZONA) and ENTER THE NINJA's Sho Kosugi, who also choreographed the swordfights.
Um, you're going to need a different kind of permit for that hand gun.
The action is solid throughout with a number of memorable set pieces, from a car chase featuring a blind driver to a bloody brawl in the dark to a final showdown between Hauer and Kosugi that doesn't disappoint. And if you're expecting some blood and guts from your samurai movie, BLIND FURY has that too. At one point a bad guy points a gun at Hauer, who slices it and his hand clean off. (Not only does it humorously fire post-severing, but if you look at the immediate shot afterwards, you can see the guy clearly still has his hand.) And there's also a death that so eerily mimic's Darth Maul's halved demise in THE PHANTOM MENACE that someone should sue George Lucas.
The Rutger Hauer fanclub knows no borders. RIP Nick Parker.
If there was any justice in the world, BLIND FURY would've been a big hit and spawned sequels and bigger roles for Rutger Hauer. (The ending even perfectly sets it up for future stories.) As it is though, we'll just have to be thankful for what we have and take this as yet another underrated entry in the late actor's storied filmography.
Nope.
Need a walking advertisement for hiring the handicapped? Buy this movie here!
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