Rating: 
Summary: Do Not Mess With Amy Irving!!
Review: "The Fury" is another Brian DePalma flick dealing with telekinetic abilties. This time it's Amy Irving (from Carrie) as the girl with the amazing mental powers. She's awesome! Her struggle to understand and deal with her state is portrayed brilliantly. Meanwhile, Kirk Douglas is a government agent, betrayed by his own partner (John Cassavetes) who tries to assassinate Douglas. He escapes death and goes underground. His son (who also has telekinetic abilities) is taken by the government to be used as a weapon. Douglas goes on a hunt for his son (Andrew Stevens), stopping at nothing to get him back from Cassavetes and the dark agency he represents. Eventually, Kirk Douglas' character meets up with Amy Irving; and gets her to help him. Lots of great DePalma touches throughout! Of course, everyone knows about the fantastic "explosion" finale. "The Fury" would be a cool part of a triple feature with "Carrie" and "Scanners"! Watch for Dennis Franz in a funny role as a cop. John Williams does the music, so how can you lose? ...
Rating:
Summary: 'CARRIE' AS DRESS-REHEARSAL ?
Review: A secretive dark government snakes its way through both the
narrative as well as the character portrayals ... an abduction
orchestrated by a black-suited leader with a penchant for cigarettes ... the X-Files, right?
Not so fast; Brian DePalma and John Farris were the artists
for this motion picture, not Mr. S. King or Mr. C. Carter.
And when I say 'artists', I mean just that; not some mass
market hype-a-rama telling you the film is important and that
you WILL see it at any cost.
Take my word for it: At the price offered by Amazon, you'll
hopefully (affordably) order a copy, and take a dose or three
of this maligned and overlooked gem. Sure, it may look 1978-
dated, but as you watch it, you'll see how widely its influence
still trickles into the craft of film.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappoiting from Brian de Palma
Review: Brian de Palma, in this film, deals with a very common theme in the horror field : ESP and special mental powers. In this case, the power to produce energy that can be directed at machines making them run or people making them suffer or die. A young man has that power and he is kidnapped by special services in the US to become a weapon against the Chinese or the Russians. A young woman has the same power and the same services try to kidnap her in her turn. Those services just try to develop this power and to make the subject conscious of it and to make the same subject control it. The result is obvious : the subject becomes a bomb. We are in « Firestarter ». Nothing very original. Of course, there is a father, the father of the young man. He is nearly killed by the same secret services before the kidnapping of his son. He escapes and then tries to free his son. He manages to trace the young woman and to use her to get to his son. He arrives too late and only finds corpses or finds a son who does not know him any more and considers him as a new tool to recatch control over him. Death again. But the very first and last eye contact between the young man and the young woman is the only twist in the story line : he transmits his power to her through these few seconds of contact. Then she is a demultiplied weapon because she can add her own power to his power. No escape, and at the same time the revelation that these secret services are amateurish and do not seem to believe in security, though their main mistake is that such a power without the conviction the target is morally acceptable leads to a murdering and suicidal attitude in order to get away from enslavement. So the punch line of the film is disappointing from Brian de Palma who gave us the habit of better wrapped up stories with a denser meaning. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.
Rating: 
Summary: When DePalma Even Knew How To Make "Great Bad Movies"
Review: Brian DePalma hasn't made a fully satisfying film since "Dressed To Kill" in 1980. During the same year, I saw an edited version of DePalma's "The Fury" on CBS-Network television. I recently saw an uncut version of this film. "The Fury" takes viewers back to a time when DePalma even knew how to make "Great Bad Movies."A government agent(John Cassavetes) kidnaps the telepathic son(Andrew Stevens) of an old colleague(Kirk Douglas). Douglas sets out to rescue Stevens with the help of an old girlfriend(Carrie Snodgress) and another telepath(Amy Irving). "The Fury" is a true guilty pleasure from DePalma. DePalma's efforts to combine the horror and spy movie genres is hokey. Some of the dialogue between the characters is absolutely ridiculous. Nevertheless, "The Fury" is still a very good film. Unlike such recent DePalma failures as "Mission To Mars" and "Raising Cain," "The Fury" is a flawed movie that still manages to be highly memorable and entertaining. The film is much more entertaining than DePalma's plastic Hollywood blockbuster "Mission: Impossible." As a telekinesis-oriented horror film, DePalma's film falls short of David Cronenberg's "Scanners" but is vastly superior to the Drew Barrymore film "Firestarter." With his dark and menacing features, John Cassavetes makes a great bad guy. If he had chosen to focus on acting rather than independent filmmaking, Cassavetes would have become one of the great villains of the big screen. Amy Irving is one of cinema's more underrated beauties. "The Fury" never has a dull moment. The ending also features one of the greatest death scenes for a villain in movie history. "The Fury" is for all Brian DePalma fans and anyone who loves horror films.
Rating:
Summary: When DePalma Even Knew How To Make "Great Bad Movies"
Review: Brian DePalma hasn't made a fully satisfying film since "Dressed To Kill" in 1980. During the same year, I saw an edited version of DePalma's "The Fury" on CBS-Network television. I recently saw an uncut version of this film. "The Fury" takes viewers back to a time when DePalma even knew how to make "Great Bad Movies." A government agent(John Cassavetes) kidnaps the telepathic son(Andrew Stevens) of an old colleague(Kirk Douglas). Douglas sets out to rescue Stevens with the help of an old girlfriend(Carrie Snodgress) and another telepath(Amy Irving). "The Fury" is a true guilty pleasure from DePalma. DePalma's efforts to combine the horror and spy movie genres is hokey. Some of the dialogue between the characters is absolutely ridiculous. Nevertheless, "The Fury" is still a very good film. Unlike such recent DePalma failures as "Mission To Mars" and "Raising Cain," "The Fury" is a flawed movie that still manages to be highly memorable and entertaining. The film is much more entertaining than DePalma's plastic Hollywood blockbuster "Mission: Impossible." As a telekinesis-oriented horror film, DePalma's film falls short of David Cronenberg's "Scanners" but is vastly superior to the Drew Barrymore film "Firestarter." With his dark and menacing features, John Cassavetes makes a great bad guy. If he had chosen to focus on acting rather than independent filmmaking, Cassavetes would have become one of the great villains of the big screen. Amy Irving is one of cinema's more underrated beauties. "The Fury" never has a dull moment. The ending also features one of the greatest death scenes for a villain in movie history. "The Fury" is for all Brian DePalma fans and anyone who loves horror films.
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood doesn't make 'em like this anymore!!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Hollywood doesn't make 'em like this anymore!!
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: TOTALLY COMPELLING
Review: 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. Pino Donaggio's dense and lyrical score adds a mesmerizing dimension to the increasingly gory proceedings...And the finale is supremely satisfying.
Rating: 
Summary: I BOUGHT IT AND I'M "FURY"-OUS!
Review: Having not viewed THE FURY for nearly 20 years, I very recently purchased a copy of it from Amazon to see if it had improved with age. Let's put it this way: Fine wine it ain't! -------- This is fairly typical of much of the simple-minded bovine excrement that Hollywood began churning out in the 1970s and masqueraded as "entertainment." It's a psychological thriller/horror mutt that will "entertain" 14 year olds who are fascinated by the sight of people blowing up or bleeding from various bodily orifices. Otherwise, it hasn't got much going for it. The story (?) revolves around a man (Kirk Douglas) whose psychic son (Andrew Stevens) is kidnapped by a rogue U.S. Government agency for the purpose of conducting mind-control experiments. Douglas enlists the help of another psychic teenager (Amy Irving) in order to locate his son. Yeah, it's just that simplistic and it's B-O-R-I-N-G! -------- The only semi-legitimate excuse for spending 2 hours watching THE FURY (as so many of my fellow reviewers have observed) is to get an early glimpse of a few performers who later went on to become household names, including Dennis Franz, Daryl Hannah, James Belushi (?) and Stephen T. McCarthy. (Well, I'm a household name in MY house!) Yeah, that's my 18 year old, mop-haired profile as I sit back-to-back with Amy Irving and we wordlessly play a 30 second game of flash-card mental telepathy. I remember that day vividly; the girl kept coming-on to me. It was so annoying that I couldn't even get into character. I understand that she eventually SETTLED for a different Steve (Spielberg) after I had rebuffed her every advance. (Aw c'mon! Let a guy dream why don'tcha?!) -------- If it's a psychological thriller you want, I suggest JACOB'S LADDER; THE SIXTH SENSE; HUSH, HUSH SWEET CHARLOTTE; Hitchcock's, PSYCHO and John Carpenter's, THE THING. Or, if you want your time to be REALLY well-spent, I recommend that you read any of the titles included in my Listmania Book List. But why would you waste your valuable time on THE FURY - a hybrid dog that "EVEN STEPHEN" (T. McCarthy) at the height of his creative powers couldn't save?! (Yeah, I meant that as a joke - alright?)
Rating:
Summary: A De Palma Delight
Review: Here's an overlooked gem by the always controversial (at least back then) Brian De Palma, fresh from the success of another telekinetic thriller, Carrie. The story concerns two teen siblings who possess exceptional mental powers, and the people around them who know of their gifts, some of whom try to protect them, and others with more exploitative motives. Though the pace slows in spots, the whole conspiracy element (a favorite theme in many BDP films) keeps the overall story compelling as the young protagonists move towards their ill-fated reunion. A dynamic and sympathetic performance by Amy Irving drives this dark, somewhat pessimistic tale ..... the solid cast of veteran and character actors flesh out the mostly offbeat roles and compliment the unpredictable twists of the story's relentlessly rambling pace. The pre-Spielberg John Williams score wonderfully conveys the mounting sense of dread, one of the most haunting soundtracks he's composed. You can almost hear director De Palma fiendishly cackling as the efforts of virtually every protagonist are proven to no avail, and ultimately (spoiler ahead) the evil forces come out triumphant .... until a most satisfyingly incendiary finale. Whoa, Amy! What made De Palma's earlier work most distinctive (love it or hate it) was, along with the obvious Hitchcockian references, avoiding the usual "Hollywood Happy Ending" ..... he wanted us to remember that the bad guys were still out there, that everything didn't wrap up and even out and work in everyone's favor. This edge has dissipated in the course of his more mainstream work (though there is a taste of it in "Mission Impossible"), but the message in these more "outlaw" films still carries an impact, gives us much to consider on the matter of Powers That Be. A minimally-flawed, dizzyingly filmed and very haunting movie with an attitude.
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