The Salute of the Jugger

Don't buy the hype. This Mad Max-esque film is one of the bleakest films I have seen in a long time. All characters are unhappy souls, surviving in a grim world, unable to improve their lot, prone to an almost genetically determined urge to mess things up. They have egos and the big guns aren't used to working with other people or playing by the rules. The cinematography is stark and bare, with only the soundtrack adding some effect. It's an amazing work and everything I had hoped for. From an artistic standpoint, there were some plot elements and character developments I didn't think were totally needed. They do however drive the story, which seemed to be their purpose, so I can accept them. Verdict: 7/10.

On the surface, `The Blood of Heroes' comes across as a poor man's `Road Warrior' -- somewhere in the far-flung future, survivors of a nuclear apocalypse are doing their best to survive and thrive. In `Blood of Heroes', though, these survivors at least have some form of entertainment -- a sport calling `Jugging', which can best be described as a cross between football, lacrosse, and a gladiator death match, serves as popular entertainment. One of the teams of `Juggers' that travels from city to city is lead by Sallow (Rutger Hauer) a former world-class champion looking for one last shot at glory.

Essentially, `The Blood of Heroes' is a cross between a sports film and `The Road Warrior', but that's okay, since it manages to lift the best elements from its source and blends them into something fun, if not necessarily original. Rutger Hauer puts in a cool performance as Sallow, a man who acts like he doesn't care about anything -- even though he desperately wants to taste greatness again, even if it's only for a brief moment.

The `Jugger' matches are great, mainly because they're quick, bloody and brutal. Characters limp after matches, wounds get infected and take forever to heal . . . ironically enough, while the film is cartoonish in many ways, there's a certain gritty realism at its heart. Nothing comes for free, and anything that Sallow and his ragtag team of `Juggers' want, well, there's always a price.

`The Blood of Heroes' is full of action and full of fun, even if some of the dialogue is slightly cheesy and some of the scenes are bad, tired cliches. If you're a sci-fi/action fan, you'll definitely like it -- and if you're a Rutger Hauer aficionado, you'll probably love it.

Grade: B

I certainly didn't have high expectations as I rented this movie. I hadn't heard of it before so I figured it would be some B-version of Mad Max. The reason it caught my eye was that it featured Rutger Hauer in the leading role. His acting skills is limited but his charisma gives his characters a weight that many better actors can't provide.

David Webb Peoples have done more writing than directing. He is behind movies such as "Blade Runner" , "Twelve Monkeys" and "Soldier", all of them similar to "Salute of the Jugger".

It's easy to tell that this movie have a low budget. Most of it takes place out in an apocalyptic desert kind of landscape. The rest in an underground colosseum. No panoramic shots. There are no special effects whatsoever, and that enforces the sense of gritty, futuristic realism that sets this movie apart from many others in the same genre.

You never get to know any of the characters well, but they all have a certain depth thanks to the good acting performances. Luckily this movie has no humoristic sidekick character. That's a relief. Most of these movies have one or several of those.

This movie is no masterpiece, but it's a well-played movie that kept me entertained for the time it lasted. I wouldn't mind seeing it again. With some character development and a bigger budget it could have been a true classic, and it deserves more recognition.

If you haven't seen this movie already I suggest you do it.

I am surprised and delighted by the sheer depth of this movie every time I re-watch it. Not only is the jugger sport convincing, well-designed and very enthusiastically played by the excellent cast of actors, but the post-civilised (as opposed to post-apocalyptic) world it takes place in is both subtly drawn and entirely believable. Nowhere in the pithy script is there the usual heavy-handed sci-fi references to the nuclear war (or whatever) that reduced human-kind back to feudal barbarism. We are presented with the world of the juggers as-is, without a single "as you know, our society collapsed after the great firestorm in the sky" speech or a hint that the heroes of the title can improve mankind's sad situation as anything other than gladiatorial entertainers. A masterpiece that should be on DVD, converted into a computer game and, if they can get the original cast and production team together, sequelled.

What a hidden gem of a cinematic effort! I cannot believe that this film didn't receive the notoriety it deserved back in '88! The backdrop is the standard post-apocalyptic mess that humanity has left itself in after "who knows what." The juggers travel town-to-town in search of food and entertainment, in return for providing matches against the local teams.

The script is well executed and one is led to believe this sport would have a wide following in the aftermath, almost like a team sport of UFC of the future. The characters are superb and Hauer and Chen really give them life. Rutger needs to go back to this flick and see what he has lost! I really cared about this band of juggers and it seemed like everyone in the ensemble was on the same page. The Blood Of Heroes is a tremendous miss in the anals of great sci-fi films. Please go rent it.