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Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Blind Fury (Blu-ray) (1989)

Blind Fury (Blu-ray) (1989)

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Released 6-Jan-2016
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Details At A Glance

General		Extras
Category	Action	Trailer-Cinema Cult Titles
Rating
Year Of Production	1989
Running Time	86:25 (Case: 83)
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu	Cast & Crew
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	Phillip Noyce
Studio Distributor	Shock Entertainment	Starring	Rutger Hauer Terry O'Quinn Brandon Call Noble Willingham Lisa Blount Nick Cassavetes Rick Overton Randall 'Tex' Cobb Charles Cooper Meg Foster Shô Kosugi
Case	Standard Blu-ray	Starring
RPI	$19.95	Music	J. Peter Robinson

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.85:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No	Miscellaneous
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

    For those who enjoy old-school, B-grade action movies, 1989’s Blind Fury is a hidden gem that is absolutely worth checking out. The Hollywood debut for Australian director Phillip Noyce (Dead Calm, Patriot Games), this is an American appropriation of the long-running Japanese film series Zatoichi, executed with the same type of cinematic tendencies that we have come to expect from simplistic action pictures. Thus, it’s excessively violent, contains a fair few action set-pieces, isn’t overly interested in smarts or thematic relevance, and is backed by a cheesy electronica soundtrack. If this type of thing is your jam, have at it. But if not, there’s no talking to you. It’s an outright guilty pleasure, though it’s one of the better movies of its kind.

    Blinded during combat, Vietnam veteran Nick Parker (Rutger Hauer) is taken under the care of local villagers who nurse him back to health. In addition, they teach Parker how to use his other senses more effectively, and he perfects the art of sword fighting. Returning to America, Parker keeps his trusty blade well-hidden in his walking cane as he sets off to visit his old army friend, Frank Devereaux (Terry O’Quinn). However, his buddy is missing, and during Parker’s visit, Frank’s wife Lynn (Meg Foster) is killed by a group of men looking to kidnap Frank’s young son Billy (Brandon Call). Choosing to protect Billy, Parker begins travelling to Reno seeking to save Frank, and every step of the way they’re relentlessly pursued by henchmen working for a certain MacCready (Noble Willingham), who holds Frank captive.

    Scripted by Charles Robert Carner, who also wrote the ’80s martial arts actioner Gymkata, Blind Fury is brisk enough at a mere 86 minutes, and there’s plenty of humour to keep the flick light and enjoyable from start to finish. The storyline is well-executed, with enough chatter and character beats to keep the enterprise coherent, while pacing is frequently agreeable, and the film certainly delivers in terms of action. To be sure, the set-pieces aren’t revolutionary, but Noyce goes through the motions with sufficient panache, and there are thrills to be had. There’s even a cameo by Japanese stunt performer Shô Kosugi, who also featured in a number of ninja flicks during the 1980s. Hauer trained quite extensively for his role of Nick Parker, and he’s believable as a blind samurai warrior on top of being a charismatic hero. Blind Fury is certainly campy, but it’s hard to resist the movie’s charming mix of comedy and action.

    Although it cannot be seriously defended beyond the level of guilty pleasure, Blind Fury is a good fun fight flick that will almost certainly please fans of the genre, or simply fans of Hauer. There were talks of a sequel around the time of the movie’s release, but the poor box office results squashed any plans for future instalments. And that’s a tremendous shame, as the movie is solid fodder for a fun action franchise not unlike the Zatoichi series, and Hauer could have done a fair bit more with this role. Blind Fury is mindless fun, nothing more and nothing less.

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Transfer Quality

Video

    This is the first time that Blind Fury has debuted on Blu-ray anywhere in the world. Thankfully, I can report that this 1080p, AVC-encoded high definition transfer is very respectable, perhaps better than many of us had reasonably expected. Shock presents this minor actioner in 1.78:1 widescreen, which is slightly altered from its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. I cannot be certain whether this is open matte or cropped, but the image looks fine, with no poor or awkward framing, and though I do prefer fidelity, this is not a deal-breaker by any means.

    All things considered, the print is in fine shape. It exhibits a smattering of scratches and flecks, not to mention dirt, but I personally don’t mind such blemishes, because it adds some character to the video presentation and reminds us that this is a B-grade ’80s production shot on celluloid. It’s not razor-sharp, but the video looks reasonably refined and detailed, though the quality of the presentation does differ from scene to scene depending on lighting conditions. Grain is kept in-tact which adds texture and detail to the transfer, but there is a degree of frozen grain, and the video does look smeary on occasion. Still, these are minor quibbles in the long run. Blacks are deep, and I was unable to detect any crush, aliasing, or any other digital anomalies. It’s a smooth encode.

    Blind Fury is not the type of title which demands an expensive 4K restoration, and therefore this is best we can realistically expect for the time being, especially since not many people even expected to see the title debut on Blu-ray in the first place. It’s not perfect, but Blind Fury looks good, sometimes great, with well-defined close-ups and a faithful colour palette. For fans of the movie who are accustomed to watching their worn-out, pan-and-scanned VHS copies, this Blu-ray will be a treat, and a welcome upgrade. It’s far better than a DVD.

    No subtitles are available.

*Video Ratings Summary*
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

On the audio front, Blind Fury comes packaged with an English DTS-HD MA 2.0 track, which is more than sufficient. A 5.1 mix would have been preferable, of course, but it’s doubtful that a 5.1 soundtrack was ever created, especially since the DVD is 2.0. (I am happy to be proven otherwise, if anybody has any further information.) Anyway, it’s hard to complain much about the audio here, which is robust and strong. Gunshots and swordplay have impact, while the dialogue is always easy to hear and understand. And goodness me, the cheesy music sounds wonderful.

Do not expect much in the way of separation or surround activity due to the source, but this track does everything that it needed to do. And thanks to the lossless encoding, it’s always clear and crisp.

*Audio Ratings Summary*
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

No extras, save for some trailers. Menu is basic.

Cinema Cult Trailers (HD)

Nothing spectacular. This is what we have:

Dr. Phibes Rises Again! (2:34)
Vanishing Point (2:14)
Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1:52)

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

No Blu-ray release exists anywhere else in the world. Buy local.

Summary

Blind Fury is a self-recommending action film for any genre enthusiast, and it remains entertaining from start to finish. You could do a whole lot worse than this.

For its Blu-ray debut, the movie looks and sounds better than ever. I would have liked some extras, but I would prefer a barebones BD as opposed to no BD at all. And with its modest pricetag, this release is recommended.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

Review Equipment
DVD	PlayStation 4, using HDMI output
Display	LG 42LW6500. This display device has not been calibrated. This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio Decoder	Built in to amplifier/receiver. This audio decoder/receiver has not been calibrated.
Amplification	LG BH7520TW
Speakers	LG Tall Boy speakers, 5.1 set-up, 180W

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