Product Description

In Brian DePalma's terrifying horror/thriller, an elaborate game of mind control begins when a government agent's (Kirk Douglas) son (Andrew Stevens) is kidnapped for his psychokinetic powers. Desperate to find him, the father hires a girl (Amy Irving) with similar psychic abilities. She soon reveals that his son is a prisoner at a secret U.S. agency where he's being used for dangerous mind experiments- and programmed for elimination.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #140456 in DVD
• Brand: Twentieth Century Fox
• Released on: 2001-09-04
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 118 minutes

Amazon.com
Brian De Palma's complicated horror story from 1978 never did come together correctly, but it still has pockets of real inspiration as only the director (Carrie, Mission: Impossible) could conceive. Andrew Stevens and Amy Irving play teens with telekinetic powers that intelligence agencies want to harness, and Kirk Douglas stands between his kids and their nefarious exploiters. The film bogs down during Douglas's guilt-ridden, booze-fueled quest to find his son, but De Palma's elaborate, sometimes operatic violence and action sequences are genuinely mesmerizing. The final scene involving just desserts for the film's villain is a big surprise. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Hollywood doesn't make 'em like this anymore!!
Dismissed at the time of its initial release as a mishmash of themes and genres, time has been kind to "The Fury" (1978), Brian De Palma's visually spectacular adaptation of the novel by John Farris. An ex-government agent (Kirk Douglas) seeks the help of a young girl (Amy Irving) with incredible psychic abilities to help locate his son (Andrew Stevens), who has extraordinary powers of his own and has been kidnapped by an ultra-secret organization who plan to use his talents for their own sinister purposes. Farris' own script has a neat symmetry, encompassing Middle Eastern terrorism, government conspiracies, psychic horror, and a series of Grand Guignol death scenes, orchestrated to a turn by De Palma whose growing confidence as a filmmaker sees him fully engage with the concept of Pure Cinema which has characterized much of his work ever since.

Highlighted by John Williams' magnificent score (a genuinely eerie composition, one of the best of his career), the film opens slowly, builds momentum, and culminates in a breathtaking sequence which closes the movie on a note of screaming hysteria (the final thirteen shots have been celebrated and vilified in equal measure by disbelieving audiences ever since the movie first opened!). De Palma's technical precision is matched by his excellent cast, including John Cassavetes, Charles Durning and Carrie Snodgress, all of whom loan these outrageous proceedings a gravity which lesser actors might have scorned. Look quickly for a very young Daryl Hannah in an early pre-stardom role.

20th Century Fox's region 1 DVD runs 117m 46s and features a brand new anamorphic (1.85:1) transfer which is marred by excessive grain throughout, though not enough to spoil the overall presentation. The remastered 4.0 soundtrack spreads the music across the soundstage to detrimental effect, diluting the sonic impact of key scenes, though Fox have also included the original 2.0 mono track (mistakenly identified as surround on the packaging), and this version is exceptionally strong and vivid. There's also an anamorphic trailer, a stills gallery, and English captions.

TOTALLY COMPELLING
Exuberant and glossy, this DePalma follow-up to CARRIE is a telekinetic feast. Incredulous and mind-blowing, this is a great pop movie with some fabulous DePalma sequences -- Amy Irving's flashback on the stairs is a dizzying and imaginative plot-mover; the opening assault will take you by complete surprise. In addition, there are some affecting performances mixed in among the hambone, but effective, performances of Kirk Douglas and especially John Cassavettes, who plays this role as if he is Rosemary's husband all grown up and evil. Carrie Snodgress is truly moving in a way too small role, and Amy Irving glows in those richly textured close-ups DePalma does so well. The story is compelling, if a bit convoluted, what with its undertone of doom and a special-effects romance that never plays itself out. If you love engrossing suspense/horror films, you can't miss with this one. John Williams' dense and lyrical score adds a mesmerizing dimension to the increasingly gory proceedings...And the finale is supremely satisfying.

Guilty? About what?
Pleasure yes, but hardly a guilty one. This is De Palma's most staggering display of moxie -- his attempt to out-Hitchcock Hitchcock at every turn. Oh sure, the story's kind of a "Carrie" retread, and the plot doesn't make perfect sense, but who cares? This movie is an exercise in sheer technique, nowhere on display more than the classic ending -- a spewing, multi-angle Grande Guignol spectacle that gives nothing but satisfaction. My favorite actor, John Cassavetes -- maybe the only villain in film history who keeps his broken arm in a black sling -- plays it for all it's worth. This is a gloriously bloody movie.