The Fury (1978)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

John Farris (novel)
John Farris (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 March 1978 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

An experience in terror and suspense.

Plot:

A government agent is determined to come to his son's rescue, when a sinister official kidnaps him to harbor his extremely powerful psychic abilities.

Plot Keywords:

Arab | Atari | Bleeding | Telepathy | Derelict

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Kirk Douglas	...	Peter Sandza
John Cassavetes	...	Ben Childress
Carrie Snodgress	...	Hester
Charles Durning	...	Dr. Jim McKeever
Amy Irving	...	Gillian Bellaver
Fiona Lewis	...	Dr. Susan Charles
Andrew Stevens	...	Robin Sandza
Carol Eve Rossen	...	Dr. Ellen Lindstrom (as Carol Rossen)
Rutanya Alda	...	Kristen
Joyce Easton	...	Katharine Bellaver
William Finley	...	Raymond Dunwoodie
Jane Lambert	...	Vivian Nuckells
Sam Laws	...	Blackfish
J. Patrick McNamara	...	Robertson
Alice Nunn	...	Mrs. Callahan

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Iceland:16 | Sweden:15 | Australia:R | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Norway:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Astor Street, Near North Side, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

Frank Yablans Presentations

Trivia:

The amusement park scenes were filmed inside Old Chicago, the world's first indoor theme park and shopping mall. Built in 1975, closed in 1980, and finally razed in 1986, it was located in Bolingbrook, a southwest suburb of Chicago, IL.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Woman gets run down by a current model Ford. She crashes through the windshield, which is made of plain glass. Since 1966, all cars made in the United States have safety glass in the windshield.

Quotes:

Peter Sandza: Hester, look at me. I'm proof - proof that my son is alive or else why would Childress be so anxious to put me away?... Well, thank God I'm somewhere.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Harry Knuckles and the Pearl Necklace (2004) (V)

For your eyes only.

Fortunately, De Palma's hyperbolic, visually compelling, science fiction occult espionage thriller moves so fast that the ludicrous dialog, indifferent performances, and Swiss cheese plot don't spoil the fun. The Fury starts from an interesting premise, but De Palma is clearly more interested in the spectacular set pieces than in logic or characterization. And where Sissy Spacek was touching as Carrie, Amy Irving and Andrew Stevens as psychic teens who unleash the fury are whiny and callow, and you don't really care about their fates. Though Douglas, Snodgress, Cassavetes and De Palma regular William Finley ( Raymond Dunwoodie) are always interesting, the rest of the cast is pretty bad. And a scene between Irving and Douglas on a bus is embarrassingly bad. Still, The Fury is far superior to The Eyes of Laura Mars and John Williams' score keeps the pulse pounding and Richard H. Kline's beautiful deep focus cinematography gives the film an elegant look. De Palma pulls out all the stops and creates some spectacularly over-the-top scenes. Faults and all, The Fury is far more entertaining, and less pretentious and derivative than most of De Palma's more recent efforts to say nothing of Dressed to Kill, Body Double, Obsession, Wise Guys, Carlito's Way, Raising Cain, and The Bonfire of the Vanities.