After watching the documentary Music by John Williams, I went through a list of his movies. The Fury was on that list and it turned out that I had never seen it. Missing it really annoyed me, as it’s an outstanding movie.
The Fury stars Kirk Douglas, John Cassavetes, Carrie Snodgress, Charles Durning, Amy Irving, Fiona Lewis, Andrew Stevens, and Carol Eve Rossen. Brian De Palma directed and John Farris wrote the screenplay based on his novel.
I’m a fan of De Palma. The guy makes a great movie! I reviewed Snake Eyes the other day and loved it. The Fury is right up there with his best and has the added bonus of a score by Williams.
The Story
The official plotline is:
A former CIA agent uses the talents of a young psychic to help retrieve his telekinetic son from a shadowy secret government agency.
Peter Sandza (Douglas) is living in Israel with his son Robin (Stevens). An old colleague of Peter’s, Childress (Cassavetes) is going to help Peter return to the US. Out of nowhere, terrorists attack and Robin is whisked away.
It turns out Robin has psychic powers and can be used as a weapon. Peter knows that Childress has something to do with it and spends the rest of the movie trying to get Robin back. Peter has to avoid capture by Childress, but still get information on his son. He learns of a young girl, Gillian (Irving) who also has psychic powers and may be able to track Robin down.
The Fury is classed as a horror, but I saw it more as a thriller with horror elements. Whatever you want to call it, it’s damn good.
The Cast
I can’t remember the last movie I saw starring Douglas and that mighty chin of his. He is a great actor and, even though he’s a little older in this, does action well. His character goes through a lot and handles it well.
I love how Peter is a good guy in a bad situation. At one point, he has no choice but to take a family hostage. The mother of the family wants to help him and he is really nice to her. It’s actually funny.
Irving was a hottie back in the day and again, her character goes through a lot. She’s a young girl who doesn’t understand the powers she has. When she accidentally uses them, people get hurt.
Cassavetes is a great antagonist as well, even with one arm. He will do anything to get want he wants, and it doesn’t matter who gets in his way.
De Palma
De Palma is an amazing director. He has a unique style, sometimes using an obvious split screen. On other occasions he will use the “depth of field” split screen. There is also a great visual where Gillian sees something that happened in the past. The camera pans around her but still has her in the scene.
He also always tells a good story. The fact that The Fury is an excellent novel helps, but the entire thing unfolds well and you are swept along with the entire thing.
I said before, I hadn’t seen The Fury before. The third act is one of the best endings to a movie ever. If you know, you know. If you don’t know, watch it and be prepared for a stunning ending.
Overall
I’m annoyed at myself for not being better acquainted with The Fury before. There is a great story, fantastic acting, and a score by John Williams. On top of that, you have an amazing director helming it all.
The Fury is one of the best of De Palma’s movies. I’m only giving it 4.5 out of 5 though, as I thought the middle of the movie drags a little, but the ending more than makes up for it.
