"Blind Fury" is one of the goofiest action movies I have ever seen, lighthearted humor at times mixed with a slightly R-rated bent and some breathtaking action that will give you pause and marvel at how they did it. Based on the "Zatoichi" movies and produced by none other than Tim Matheson, it also has a sympathetic hero who is, pardon the pun, a cut above the rest.
Rutger Hauer is Nick, a Vietnam Vet who lost his sight in the war and has been MIA and presumed dead. He's taken in by villagers who nurse him back to health and teach him to swordfight! I guess Oliver Stone did not have that advantage when he was in Vietnam. Cut to 20 years later and Nick is walking the streets with sunglasses and a presumed walking stick. The stick is actually a sword and comes in handy in knocking out some bullies at a restaurant who pour too much hot salsa sauce on his food. Don't do that to Nick since he loves hot sauce! Think of that scene as a slight wink to Spencer Tracy in "Bad Day at Black Rock."
Meanwhile, Nick is looking for his Nam buddy, Frank Deveraux (Terry O'Quinn, though in the credits he is inexplicably referred to as Terrance), who is not just a gambler in Reno but he's also an organic chemist. When Nick meets Frank's ex wife (Meg Foster, who appeared with O'Quinn in "Stepfather II"), all hell breaks loose with some goons looking to kidnap Frank's son. Nick practically slaughters everyone except for the hellbent hellraiser, Slag (Randall Tex Cobb), who keeps appearing and reappearing in "Raising Arizona"-style like some avenging angel.
"Blind Fury" is a heady, fast-paced chase picture smoothly directed by Philip Noyce with goons chasing Nick and Frank's son either through endless cornfields or trying to run them down the road. Most of these goons are clumsy and plain stupid, and one of them is even named Popcorn! Hauer shows sensitivity as Nick and projects a calmness in his Buddhist ways - he won't resort to violence unless necessary. He tells the kid that real men do cry. How often have you heard an action hero say that? Maybe not even Zatoichi.
