Screen icon Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner, Wanted: Dead or Alive) stars as blind Vietnam vet Nick Parker, who, with the calm of a Zen master and the precision of a sharpshooter, takes on a gang of ruthless Mafia killers in this action-packed odyssey from director Phillip Noyce (Dead Calm, Patriot Games). Armed with a razor-sharp sword and a cutting wit, Parker is one blind man who doesn’t bluff when the going gets tough. Caught in the crossfire of a gangland vendetta against his best friend (Terry O’Quinn, The Stepfather), Parker and his buddy’s young son are pursued across country by a barbaric band of homicidal thugs (led by hulking ex-boxer Randall “Tex” Cobb, Raising Arizona). Using superhuman senses and a hidden samurai sword, Parker slices his way through a slam-bang adventure and a drop-dead finale that’s every bit as funny as it is ferocious. Featuring Noble Willingham (Career Opportunities), Lisa Blount (Prince of Darkness), Meg Foster (They Live) and martial arts legend Shô Kosugi (Revenge of the Ninja).
For thoughts on Blind Fury, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
Video Quality
Blind Fury comes to Blu-Ray with a 1080p transfer in its original 1.85:1 that is pretty decent from Kino Classics, but there is definite room for improvement. This film previously made its debut on the format almost two years ago from Mill Creek. While I have never seen that particular disc, history would have us believe that it is likely derived from the same older master supplied by Sony, only presented with a better encode with less compression artifacts. The biggest flaw with the transfer is the presence of digital tinkering which robs it a bit of its organic feel. The sharpening of the transfer does result in some edge enhancement and loss of natural film grain. The transfer can be fairly detailed, but sometimes it will be overshadowed by the density fluctuations and spikes in the grain field.
Image quality is otherwise stable with colors never really struggling in terms of saturations. Black levels are acceptable in their depth, even if a few moments struggle with delineation. Highlights stumble a bit more with stability. Compression artifacts and other digital anomalies are not as bad as you will find in the typical Mill Creek transfer, but there is still a bit of it present here. The slight speckling of nicks and scratches present is so mild that it is unlikely to ruin anyone’s experience. The presentation is watchable, but a new scan would do wonders for this one.
Audio Quality
Kino Classics brings us this new Blu-Ray with a lossless DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mix that is a much better experience than the video side of things. The environmental effects are given priority here with great nuance within the speakers. The sounds of the various kinetic sequences and other exaggerated sounds bring some weight to the mix. Dialogue holds up very nicely, coming through clearly without being stepped on by the music or sound effects. This movie has a workmanlike score that sounds great within the mix. You do not hear any weakness in the upper registers or anywhere else when it comes to fidelity. Kino Classics has delivered a great track here. There are optional English subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Audio Commentary: Screenwriter Charles Robert Carner provides a really fun and informative commentary track moderated by Filmmaker Douglas Hosdale in which he discusses the background the film, the inspiration of the Zatoichi films, how they broke certain conventions in the action genre, the unique tone of the film, working within the studio system and more. This is a really valuable addition to the disc which fans will not want to miss.
- Trailers: The disc provides the minute-and-a-half trailer for Blind Fury. There are also trailers provided for Wanted: Dead or Alive, Running Scared, Murphy’s Law, Code Of Silence, Revenge of the Ninja, Hudson Hawk and The Hard Way.
Final Thoughts
Blind Fury is the type of film where you can judge if it is for you based on the premise alone. The movie is supremely cheesy and not believable in the slightest, but there is an innate sense of fun which makes it very entertaining under the right circumstances. Sure, the kid actor at the center of the narrative can be a bit grating, but Rutger Hauer balances that energy with his cool mixture of ruthless badass and charming goofball. The film is pretty mindless, but the action sequences are executed with enough finesse that you will not feel as if you have wasted your time. Kino Classics has brought this film to Blu-Ray with a passable A/V presentation and an informative audio commentary. If you have a soft spot for the film, this is the best release so far on home media.
Blind Fury is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.