Plot: What’s it about?
Ben Childress (John Cassavetes) runs a special branch of the government, one which seeks out young people with psychic gifts. Once the teens have been found, Childress sees to having them kidnapped and then trained by the government, to serve as killing machines in times of war. Of course, Childress is sure to cover his tracks and arrange for accidents to happen, which explains why these young people have vanished. His latest target is a gifted young man named Robin Sandza (Steven Andrews), but this is not the usual case by any means, as Robin is the son of Peter Sandza (Kirk Douglas). You see, Peter and Childress used to be colleagues and as such, Peter knows what his old coworker is up to, without a doubt. Even when he is told his son has perished in an accident, Peter refuses to believe it and asks Gillian Bellever (Amy Irving) to help him locate his son. Gillian also has the psychic twinkle and as such, she can tap into Robin’s mind and use that to find him, or so the two hope. Can Peter and Gillian manage to find Robin before it is too late, or will he end up just another lost teen within this cruel operation?
This is not one of Brian DePalma’s best known features, but it is a solid movie and deserves a wider audience, I think. As usual, he borrows a lot from Hitchcock, but not as much as usual, perhaps due to the material, which needs a different approach. The premise here is a good one and while it often gets buried in the details, it never remains buried and keeps moving ahead. I do think the pace could be a little slow for some modern audiences, but most people should be fine, as the pace isn’t fast, but moves at an acceptable rate. DePalma’s usual visual touches can be seen here as well, which means it looks terrific and offers some solid visual depth. The cast is good also, with such names as Amy Irving, Kirk Douglas, Charles Durning, and John Cassavetes on deck. This disc from Fox is bare bones, but comes at a low price and as such, I won’t complain too much. This thriller offers plenty of suspense and packs a terrific ending, so if you’re a fan of DePalma or thrillers on the whole, I recommend you check out The Fury.
He gets knocked a lot for borrowing elements from Hitchcock, but I think Brian DePalma is a more than solid director, if not consistent. Some of his films have been great and others have been average, but on the whole, I can usually count on his work. I happen to like thrillers however, which is DePalma’s genre of choice, so that could be a serious factor. DePalma returns to psychic powers in The Fury and explores different aspects of the power, which keeps the whole film separate and fresh from Carrie, made just three years earlier. Although the pace sometimes runs a tad slow, DePalma is in fine form here, with his usual skills in visuals and atmosphere on showcase, to be sure. Other films directed by DePalma include Phantom of the Paradise, Body Double, Dressed to Kill, Obsession, and Sisters. The cast includes Amy Irving (Traffic, Bossa Nova), Kirk Douglas (Spartacus, Paths of Glory), John Cassavetes (Rosemary’s Baby, The Dirty Dozen), and Carrie Snodgrass (Wild Things, White Man’s Burden).
Video: How does it look?
The Fury is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. The image here looks dated and shows some flaws, but this is still the best home video edition to date. The main issue here is grain and since DePalma loved to use soft focus shots, that is often unavoidable on his releases. As such, I can’t complain too much here, but the grain does get a little thick at times, though never to an extreme level. The image has deep, stark contrast and natural colors, which aren’t altered too much by the grain, but are a little at times. This is by no means as impressive as I would like, but it looks good and I think fans will be pleased, given the improvements involved.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included 4.0 surround option isn’t going to replace your current audio demo disc, but it is better than expected, I think. I found the overall presence to be solid and when some extra boost was needed, this track was able to push it out, very cool. The tension is enhanced at times via the audio, although not to the extent I would liked, though the age of the materials could be blamed, but I am not sure if that’s the case. The sound effects are well placed, while John William’s superb score sounds great, which should please fans. I heard no problems with vocals here either, no trouble with volume or clarity in this case. This disc also includes an English 2.0 surround track, French language option, and subtitles in English and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a selection of still photos, as well as the film’s theatrical trailer.
