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Rutger Hauer in a comedy action classic! Hauer plays a Vietnam vet blinded in combat, who is nursed back to health by natives and trained as a master swordsman as an added bonus! Sounds ridiculous and it is, but somehow they manage to make it work. This is Rutger before he became paunchy, so he looks fine and he is able to bring a bit of his 'Roy Batty' quirkiness to the role. Even so he's is no martial arts expert, so the skill is in the editing and the action is mainly played for laughs, with a nice line-up of fruity stereotypical villains ripe for an ass wupping! As with "Wedlock" the set up is broad brush and a little shaky, but once they get rolling the story quickly picks up momentum, and there's even a neat little thread about forgiveness and redemption running though it, which gives it a sliver of emotional depth not often found in productions like this. Recommended!!!

BLIND FURY is one of those guilty pleasure films. The late Chicago film critic Gene Siskel cited it as such during a broadcast of the show he co-hosted with Roger Ebert several years ago. It is not a great film, but has real moments of warmth and humor that are hard to ignore. It's difficult to explain, but what could have been just another vapid action film, is fleshed out by good performances, a self effacing sense of humor, and solid direction.

During the opening credits, we meet Nick Parker (Rutger Hauer). Having been blinded during a firefight in Viet Nam, he is taken in by a local hamlet and nursed back to health. The villagers also teach Nick the art of the sword, we get several scenes of his progress in which he becomes a master. Jump ahead twenty years, as Nick wanders down a country road, walking stick in hand. He is on his way to visit an old friend from the war. After a silly scene involving switched hot sauce, Nick arrives to find that his friend, Frank Devereaux (Terry O'Quinn) does not live there anymore, having left for Reno. Well, Nick meets Frank's wife and son Billy (Brandon Call). Enter Slag (the Randall 'Tex' Cobb), who has come to kidnap Frank's son, to force Frank into making designer drugs, so that an evil Reno casino owner can pay off his debts. Anyway, after a especially violent debacle, Nick is sworn to protect Billy, and off they go to Reno to rescue Frank.

Admittedly, BLIND FURY is plot heavy, and a lesser film would have sunk under the weight. But the film never gets overly involved with the story, never really takes it to seriously. This is director Phillip Noyce's follow up to DEAD CALM, a tense thriller that put him on the map (he would go on to helm PATRIOT GAMES, SLIVER, THE SAINT). It is a campy ode to samurai pictures and westerns, war movies and ninja chop-em-ups. Noyce sets the right tone and keeps the action moving. Observe the scene, near the end of the film: there is a tense moment when Billy throws a sword to Nick. The sword sails in the air, in slow motion, the music builds and the sword slips right through Nick's hands. It is a wonderfully funny moment.

Another important aspect is the character of Nick Parker. As played by Rutger Hauer, Nick is a simple man, not a super hero. He reacts through instinct to the situations he finds himself in, and uses mostly evasive techniques (similar to Jackie Chan), to defend himself. Hauer does a good job blending the realities of blindness with the Hollywood clichés, which makes scenes in which he drives down one-way streets, and the like, very entertaining. The film makers also keep the violence in a backlit, comic book style, never becoming overtly graphic (the antithesis of something like KILL BILL, where the characters dance through geysers of arterial spray). BLIND FURY is an enigma, it is not wacky enough to be considered cult, it does not deal with important subject matter, yet it is still somehow affecting. It will be cast into the discount bins at your local mall, left to languish in obscurity. But for those who will give it a chance, you may be surprised by this standard action fare raised to a higher level by a talented cast and crew. 8/10.

This movie gets a thumbs up from me, not because it is a GREAT FILM, but because, when you put it next to similar movies--Chuck Norris or steven Segal movies-- it is superior.

the action sequences are tightly directed and exciting. the humor works. but most important, Rutger Hauer is the main character. When is everybody going to figure out that this guy is a great actor? He is always natural, can be funny, pathetic, intense, anything. He's truly on the level of,say, Gene Hackman, he just can't seem to get into many A-level projects.

Blind Fury is a funny-exciting-goofy type of action film, kind of like a Jackie Chan film, and Hauer's presence raises the whole thing an extra level.

"Blind fury" is a perfect example of a movie that could be very awful in the hands of wrong people . Thankfully , Australian director Phillip Noyce ( known for "Dead calm" , " Patriot games " and "Bone collector") is a solid craftsman . He doesn't turn the movie into "so bad , it's good" kind of movie , but tries to make this movie as good as possible.

How could a movie featuring Rutger Hauer as a blind swordsman be anything but gloriously entertaining? Loosely based on the Japanese samurai movie, "Zatoichi Challenged", the humorous, action-packed tone of "Blind Fury" is vaguely akin to a Hong Kong flick – in fact, it's the sort of vehicle Jackie Chan would have excelled at in his prime, with its numerous scenes of slapstick action, and its lead character's habit of "accidentally" injuring his hapless opponents. Here , Rutger Hauer plays a blind Vietnam veteran - Nick Parker who also knows how to use a sword. His friend and friend's family got trouble with mafia, so Nick must help them.

Sounds cheesy , right ? "Blind fury" seems to fall into B-class movie category , but still manages to be a good movie. This movie has got brains , humor and (what is surprising) a heart. Noyce was able to convince a viewer that blind man with sword is able to defeat mafia . The movie doesn't take itself too seriously , there are plenty jokes , especially the ones about Nick's injury. Creators of the movie obviously had ironic distance to whole story. Despite that there were able to involve viewer EMOTIONALLY to the story .

The friendship between Nick and Frank is done good , but the relationship between Nick and Billy ( Frank's son ) is done simply great. The ending to the movie is one of my favourite movie endings of all time . I'm always crying at the end and that is a a big achievement for a B-class movie.

Acting is very decent . No performances worthy an Oscar , but Rutger Hauer is great as Nick Parker . He makes his character very human - funny , lonely , brave and honorable. He isn't a one dimensional tough guy , but someone who could exist in real life (just like John McClane from "Die hard"). It was also nice to see Randall "Tex Cobb" as one of the bad guys.

There is some good music here . The main theme is quite funny and very memorable , just like the dialogue.

Overall , I recommend "Blind fury" . I give it 6/10 . Give it a shot . You might be pleasantly surprised.

I have to confess I didn't know what to make of most of "Blind Fury". I knew going in that the premise was cool, but the movie also had a surprisingly jovial tone; and the buffoons chasing Rutger Hauer add to the comic sensibilities. It just seemed to lack any real edge. Not bad, but a bit disjointed.

All of this changed with the final fight, when Sho Kosugi showed up and the real swordfighting began. Despite all that came before, it's a moment to cheer.

Yeah, I'd watch it again. Hauer's awesome.

7/10