Furie

Does anyone remember the famous Star Trek episode, one of the earliest ones where an encounter with an anomaly in space leaves Enterprise crewman, Gary Lockwood with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men? If you'll remember he was abandoned on deserted asteroid. The Fury deals with a young man on the way to being another Gary Lockwood.

Young Andrew Stevens has those abilities already, they just need to be focused and developed. Stevens is being raised by his widowed father Kirk Douglas who's a government agent. A raid while they're on vacation in the Mediterranean by some Arab terrorist types allows a ruthless bureaucrat played by John Cassavetes to separate father from son. Stevens believes Dad has died, but Kirk doesn't swallow that so easy.

Kirk's on the hunt for his son and the quest takes him to Chicago where people like Stevens with paranormal abilities are being studied and tested so the USA can have them as a weapon. Carrie Snodgrass and Charles Durning are working there as well. And so is Fiona Lewis who's been given personal charge of Stevens and develops the kid's libido as well as his telekinesis.

Brian DePalma directed this film and it's a good one with outstanding performances by all the cast. Look for a good performance from Amy Irving as another young person with such abilities who literally makes Cassavetes fall apart at the end. And there's a memorable bit from a younger and thinner Dennis Franz before the gain of weight and loss of hair that we all know as Detective Andrew Sipowicz. Franz plays a Chicago police officer who's something of a doofus.

Fans of Brian DePalma in particular and horror films in general will very much like The Fury.

THE FURY

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Sound format: Mono

An ex-government agent (Kirk Douglas) enlists the help of a gifted psychic (Amy Irving) in the search for his equally gifted son (Andrew Stevens), who has been kidnapped by a sinister cartel for nefarious purposes.

Dismissed at the time of its release as a mishmash of themes and genres, Brian De Palma's dazzling thriller encompasses Middle Eastern terrorism, government conspiracies, psychic horror, and a series of Grand Guignol set-pieces, orchestrated with pulp grandeur by a director flexing his creative muscles. Highlighted by John Williams' magnificent score (a genuinely eerie composition, one of the best of his career), the film builds slowly and surely to an explosive climax which closes proceedings on a note of absolute screaming hysteria (celebrated and vilified in equal measure by fans and critics alike!). The supporting cast includes John Cassavetes, Charles Durning and Carrie Snodgress, all of whom add gravitas to the material. Look fast for Daryl Hannah in an early pre-stardom role.

Story involves two teenagers--Gillian (Amy Irving) and Robin (Andrew Stevens). They both have the power to make people bleed and see past events. Robin is kidnapped by a secret government agency and Gillian is going to the Paragon Institute to learn more about her "power". There's a LOT more going on but it's too confusing to get into.

When I saw this on video back in the 1980s I loved it. Seeing it now I hate it. The story is very confusing with way too many characters and plot holes galore. The dialogue is terrible (I kept playing back scenes on the DVD because I couldn't believe what I had just heard) and this moves VERY slowly (it runs two solid hours).

The acting doesn't help. Irving is too weepy and whiny (but she IS great in the final scene). Stevens has never been a good actor. Douglas walks through his role and John Cassavates (playing the bad guy) gives a one-note performance. The only good acting comes from Carrie Snodgrass, Charles Durning, Carol Eve Rossen and (especially) Fiona Lewis.

It has some good things--the direction from Brian DePalma is excellent (especially Irving's slow motion run from the Institute) and there's a good score by John Williams. Also it does have a few incredibly bloody deaths. These were considered extreme back in 1978 but they aren't anymore (and look incredibly fake). There's also a great final scene and I got a good laugh over the incredibly dated video games Snodgrass and Irving play at one point. Also Daryl Hannah's first film.

So it DOES have some good things but the slow pace, confusing story and lousy dialogue sinks it. I can only give it a 5.

'The Fury' is a very interesting mixture of science fiction, horror, action, and espionage thriller. One of Brian De Palma's most underrated movies, it isn't without some flaws, but overall I enjoyed it much more than some of his most recent disappointing efforts like 'Snake Eyes' and 'Mission To Mars'. They might be much better known than 'The Fury' but they are not better movies. The plot is a bit convoluted at times, and maybe a little TOO ambitious, but there are several classic sequences that make this a must see for any De Palma fan. The whole thing comes across like a cross between 'Carrie' (De Palma's previous movie), and Cronenberg's 'Scanners', a movie it predated by three years, interestingly enough. Amy Irving, who also appeared in 'Carrie', is beautiful and believable as Gillian, a troubled teen attempting to understand and control her frightening paranormal powers. Veteran Kirk Douglas ('Spartacus', 'Saturn 3') and cult director/actor John Cassavetes ('Rosemary's Baby', 'The Killers') are both solid as friends-turned-enemies who once worked for the same nameless Government agency. Douglas' psychic son Robin (Andrew Stevens) is kidnapped by Cassavetes and his cronies and experimented on until he reaches the brink of madness. Douglas desperately searches for him by any means necessary, a quest which inevitably means he encounters the traumatized Gillian, who has an increasing psychic link with Robin. Irving and Douglas are both excellent in this movie, Cassavetes plays a fantastic villain, and the supporting cast includes Carrie Snodgress ('Diary Of A Mad Housewife'), Charles Durning ('O Brother, Where Art Thou?'), Fiona Lewis ('Drum'), and cameos from Daryl Hannah ('Bladerunner'), De Palma semi-regular William Finley ('The Phantom Of The Paradise') and a noticeably younger and thinner Dennis Franz (NYPD Blue'). While I couldn't argue that 'The Fury' is De Palma's best work it has aged very well indeed and is recommended viewing. This is one movie that deserves to be re-evaluated!

A man discovers that his telekinatic son has been kidnapped and is being exploited for his powers. He seeks the help of a young woman who has similar powers to help him locate his son, but it might be too late, because with each growing day he becomes more violent and out of control.

Ambitious horror/suspense film is perhaps one of the scariest, most disturbing and violent films ever released into mainstream America. It reaches tremondous heights for a film in this genre, because of the terrific performances from everybody in the entire cast, top notch direction, superb score, and sensational editing that keeps things tight and never lets the suspense to ever lag. A masterpiece for the horror genre and one of De Palma's best.

Rated R; Extreme Graphic Violence, and Profanity.