Blind Fury
Encyclopedia
Blind Fury is a 1989 samurai
/action film
directed by Phillip Noyce
. It is a loosely based, modernized version of Zatoichi Challenged, the 17th film in the Japanese Zatoichi
film series. The film stars Rutger Hauer as Nick Parker, a blind, sword-wielding Vietnam War veteran
, who returns to the United States
and befriends the son of an old friend. Parker decides to help the boy find his father, who has been kidnapped by a major crime syndicate.
. Parker is blinded
by a mortar
explosion, but is soon after rescued by local villagers, who help him recover his health (though he remains blind). As part of his recovery, he is taught to be an expert swordsman by the local master.
Years later, having returned to the United States, he visits old army-buddy Frank Deveraux (Terry O'Quinn
), only to find that Deveraux is missing. Parker then rescues Frank's son Billy (Brandon Call
) from an attack in which Billy's mother (Meg Foster
) is shot and killed by the henchmen of Frank's evil boss, MaCready (Noble Willingham
). These men apparently want to kidnap Billy in order to use him as leverage over Frank.
Parker and Billy, chased by MaCready's men and lead villain (Randall "Tex" Cobb), make their way to Reno, Nevada
, where Deveraux is being forced to make designer drugs, which MaCready plans to sell at his casino. Along the way, the two grow fond of each other after a rough start, and numerous attacks by the bad guys are foiled by Nick and his skills.
Impressed by Parker's martial-arts skill, MaCready hires a Master Ninja
(Sho Kosugi
) to defeat Parker once and for all. This leads to an epic sword-fight between the two in MaCready's penthouse, in which Nick eventually wins by submerging the room into darkness so that he has the advantage. With MaCready and his men dead, Billy is reunited with his father and a tearful Frank confesses to Nick that he has long blamed himself for the accident that took Nick's eyes back in Vietnam. At peace with his blindness, Nick gives Frank the ability to forgive himself, and from now on will be "Uncle Nick" to the young Billy.
. Matheson produced the film having been a fan of the Zatoichi
film series. Matheson and co-producer Daniel Grodnik
, spent seven years trying to find a distributor for the film. In 1986, the producers landed a deal with film distributor Tri-Star Pictures. According to Grodnik, various writers and directors were attached to the project before Phillip Noyce were hired as the film's director. Filming took place around the Midwestern United States
, where the cast and crew underwent humid weather conditions. Of the intense weather conditions, Matheson stated, "We shot in the Midwest and West, and it was incredibly hot. Everything was burning up. We ended up buying a three-foot pool for the cast and crew to wade through to cope with the heat." After principal photography
was completed, a sequel to the film was planned, but never materialized.
reports that Blind Fury currently holds an 67% "Fresh" rating, with a rating average of 5.1 out of 10. On their syndicated television program Siskel and Ebert and the Movies, film critics Roger Ebert
and Gene Siskel
gave the film "Two thumbs up".
Samurai cinema
While earlier samurai period pieces were more dramatic rather than action-based, samurai movies post World War II have become more action-based, with darker and more violent characters. Post-war samurai epics tended to portray psychologically or physically scarred warriors. Akira Kurosawa stylized...
/action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
directed by Phillip Noyce
Phillip Noyce
Phillip Noyce is an Australian film director.-Life and career:Noyce was born in Griffith, New South Wales, attended Barker College, Sydney, and began making short films at the age of 18, starting with Better to Reign in Hell, using his friends as the cast...
. It is a loosely based, modernized version of Zatoichi Challenged, the 17th film in the Japanese Zatoichi
Zatoichi
is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist . This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios and actor...
film series. The film stars Rutger Hauer as Nick Parker, a blind, sword-wielding Vietnam War veteran
Vietnam veteran
Vietnam veteran is a phrase used to describe someone who served in the armed forces of participating countries during the Vietnam War.The term has been used to describe veterans who were in the armed forces of South Vietnam, the United States armed forces, and countries allied to them, whether or...
, who returns to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and befriends the son of an old friend. Parker decides to help the boy find his father, who has been kidnapped by a major crime syndicate.
Plot
Rutger Hauer plays Nick Parker, an American soldier who is blinded while serving in the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Parker is blinded
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
by a mortar
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
explosion, but is soon after rescued by local villagers, who help him recover his health (though he remains blind). As part of his recovery, he is taught to be an expert swordsman by the local master.
Years later, having returned to the United States, he visits old army-buddy Frank Deveraux (Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn
Terry O'Quinn is an American actor, most famous for playing John Locke on the TV series Lost. He made his debut in a 1980 television movie called F.D.R.: The Last Year. Since then, O'Quinn has had minor supporting roles in films and TV movies such as Young Guns, All the Right Moves, Silver Bullet,...
), only to find that Deveraux is missing. Parker then rescues Frank's son Billy (Brandon Call
Brandon Call
Brandon Spencer Lee Call is an American television and film actor.-Early life and career:Born in Torrance, California, Call began his career as a child actor in 1984 appearing in guest roles on Simon & Simon and Hotel. In 1985, he landed a recurring role on the NBC daytime drama, Santa Barbara...
) from an attack in which Billy's mother (Meg Foster
Meg Foster
Megan "Meg" Foster is an American actress best known for her roles in the TV miniseries version of The Scarlet Letter, Ticket to Heaven, The Osterman Weekend, and They Live .-Life and career:...
) is shot and killed by the henchmen of Frank's evil boss, MaCready (Noble Willingham
Noble Willingham
Noble Henry Willingham, Jr. was an American television and film actor.-Career:Willingham had appeared in more than thirty feature films, including Harry's War , Up Close and Personal , City Slickers , The Last Boy Scout , City Slickers II , Ace Ventura: Pet Detective , Chinatown...
). These men apparently want to kidnap Billy in order to use him as leverage over Frank.
Parker and Billy, chased by MaCready's men and lead villain (Randall "Tex" Cobb), make their way to Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, where Deveraux is being forced to make designer drugs, which MaCready plans to sell at his casino. Along the way, the two grow fond of each other after a rough start, and numerous attacks by the bad guys are foiled by Nick and his skills.
Impressed by Parker's martial-arts skill, MaCready hires a Master Ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
(Sho Kosugi
Sho Kosugi
Sho Kosugi is a Japanese martial artist with training in shindō jinen-ryū karate who gained popularity as an actor during the 1980s, usually playing a ninja. He is the father of Kane Kosugi and Shane Kosugi. After taking a hiatus from film, he started a taiko group in California...
) to defeat Parker once and for all. This leads to an epic sword-fight between the two in MaCready's penthouse, in which Nick eventually wins by submerging the room into darkness so that he has the advantage. With MaCready and his men dead, Billy is reunited with his father and a tearful Frank confesses to Nick that he has long blamed himself for the accident that took Nick's eyes back in Vietnam. At peace with his blindness, Nick gives Frank the ability to forgive himself, and from now on will be "Uncle Nick" to the young Billy.
Production
Blind Fury marked the producing debut of actor Tim MathesonTim Matheson
Tim Matheson is an American actor, director and producer. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of the smooth-talking Eric 'Otter' Stratton in the 1978 comedy National Lampoon's Animal House and has had a variety of other well-known roles, including providing the voice of the lead character...
. Matheson produced the film having been a fan of the Zatoichi
Zatoichi
is a fictional character featured in one of Japan's longest running series of films and a television series set in the Edo period. The character, a blind masseur and swordmaster, was created by novelist . This originally minor character was developed for the screen by Daiei Studios and actor...
film series. Matheson and co-producer Daniel Grodnik
Daniel Grodnik
Daniel Grodnik is an American film producer and screenwriter in Los Angeles, California. He is the founder and CEO of Mass Hysteria Entertainment.-Filmography:* Overnight * Safe Harbor...
, spent seven years trying to find a distributor for the film. In 1986, the producers landed a deal with film distributor Tri-Star Pictures. According to Grodnik, various writers and directors were attached to the project before Phillip Noyce were hired as the film's director. Filming took place around the Midwestern United States
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
, where the cast and crew underwent humid weather conditions. Of the intense weather conditions, Matheson stated, "We shot in the Midwest and West, and it was incredibly hot. Everything was burning up. We ended up buying a three-foot pool for the cast and crew to wade through to cope with the heat." After principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
was completed, a sequel to the film was planned, but never materialized.
Reception
Based on only nine reviews, review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reports that Blind Fury currently holds an 67% "Fresh" rating, with a rating average of 5.1 out of 10. On their syndicated television program Siskel and Ebert and the Movies, film critics Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
and Gene Siskel
Gene Siskel
Eugene Kal "Gene" Siskel was an American film critic and journalist for the Chicago Tribune. Along with colleague Roger Ebert, he hosted the popular review show Siskel & Ebert At the Movies from 1975 until his death....
gave the film "Two thumbs up".