1/5/2024 0 Comments Blind fury![]() I think BLIND FURY is my best action movie. He’s like the Daniel Day-Lewis of the action genre, although to be sure, none of his action movies really took advantage of his talents, save THE HITCHER and this one, BLIND FURY. ![]() I’d argue he was also too intense for eighties-action junkies more interested in straightforward heroes, although I think his movies hold up better than a lot of his contemporaries due to the crazy method-like commitment he brought to each part. The studios clearly tried to mold him in the Arnold Schwarzenegger-style persona, but Hauer was always too unconventional to accept pigeonholing. WHY IT’S GREAT: I’ve always been a huge Rutger Hauer fan, but in some ways I can see why eighties audiences may not have warmed to him as an action star. Nevertheless, this turned out to be the only big screen adventure for blind swordsman Nick Parker. It eventually became a cult item on home video and cable, and Hauer – while never reaching A-list leading man status – went on to have a long career in DTV thrillers and actioners. In the end, the reviews were solid (two thumbs up from Siskel & Ebert), but TriStar, for whatever reason, only gave it a middling 353 screen release, meaning it tapped-out at the box office as just under $3 million. That was an additional shoot for a week or so. Then SHO KUSUGI was brought in for the swordplay. Then I trained every morning at 4:30 before shooting for those seven weeks. First thing he said was,”I don’t get confused about what I see…”. Trained a month with a blind man who taught me his handicap. ‘Blind Fury’ was one of the most difficult jobs for me because of the combination with the swordplay. To that end, they were able to sign red-hot director Philip Noyce (post DEAD CALM, pre-PATRIOT GAMES) who’d soon leap onto the A-list. ![]() An American remake/homage to the ZATOICHI series, BLIND FURY was actually produced by eighties leading man Tim Matheson (ANIMAL HOUSE), and the studio clearly had high hopes for spinning it off into a long running series. For some reason, it never quite took, despite his clear charisma and above-average vehicles. THE HISTORY: BLIND FURY was one of the last studio attempts to mold Rutger Hauer into a mainstream action hero. THE PLAYERS: Starring: Rutger Hauer, Terry O’Quinn, Randall “Tex” Cobb, Brandon Call and Sho Kosugi. When the buddy’s ex-wife is murdered and his son put in jeopardy, Nick springs into action, revealing his skill as a deadly master swordsman, to whom blindness is a mere inconvenience, and possibly an asset. THE STORY: Blinded during a wartime accident, a Vietnam veteran, Nick Parker ( Rutger Hauer), tracks down an old war buddy only to realize he’s being held prisoner by a crime syndicate that’s coercing him into making designer drugs. This week we’ll be looking at BLIND FURY! Welcome to The Best Movie You NEVER Saw, a column dedicated to examining films that have flown under the radar or gained traction throughout the years, earning them a place as a cult classic or underrated gem that was either before it’s time and/or has aged like a fine wine.
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