The Blood of Heroes

Rating:
Summary: Surpisingly Good
Review: In the mid to late 1980s, about the only science fiction you could see on TV outside of original Star Trek reruns were Mad Max ripoffs which were all either brainless no-budget actioners or uninsightful downers (Mad Max is one of the top 5 imitated movies of all time). I still automatically get a sense of revulsion when I see an ad for any movie with a sandy, post-apocalyptic setting. In comparison to all these films, Blood of Heroes is second only to the Mad Max films themselves in quality. In fact it seems to me that Blood of Heroes might have been made even if Mad Max never existed, so my rating might be a bit harsh, but I am a jaded.

What makes this watchable despite having seen so many similar films are such things as good acting and interesting characters(especially Hauer, who is very likeable and you actually care about what happens to him) and a different than usual perspective upon post-apocalyptic, water and fuel starved society. This film builds upon the idea that there would still be a need for entertainment and sports.

Hauer and co. are members of a team in a brutal new sport (people die in every match). Teams compete against each other to win resources. Hauer is the team leader and weathered veteran while Joan Chen plays the new rookie. The sport is well outlined and seems real. And it has more of the feeling of a sports film than films like Rollerball (the original -- I haven't seen the remake). Unlike most sci-fi sports films it is not so much about rich people exploiting the powerless like the Romans did their gladiators, but about people trying to find empowerment through their sport and escape their humble origins, like Rocky (only there is no real great wealth to look forward to).

Less jaded viewers might want to give this a try.

Rating:
Summary: A great movie - but consider the VHS version ovr DVD ...
Review: It's been stated before, but I'll state it again; This is a great movie. I own both the VHS and DVD versions of the film but was very disappointed in the DVD release. Presumably, they used the best film version they had to create the DVD, but it still suffers from a decided lack of post-production work. In many scenes the color is washed out, and for the life of me I don't understand why they couldn't have done something about the cigarette burns (used in theatres to to signal an upcoming reel change) which are present in the DVD version.

The upshot is that for all the advantages DVD has over VHS, I would suggest you consider purchasing the VHS version over the DVD version. Beyond the usual trailers for other movies, the DVD version offers nothing that the VHS version doesn't already have.

Rating:
Summary: A great movie - but consider the VHS version ovr DVD ...
Review: It's been stated before, but I'll state it again; This is a great movie. I own both the VHS and DVD versions of the film but was very disappointed in the DVD release. Presumably, they used the best film version they had to create the DVD, but it still suffers from a decided lack of post-production work. In many scenes the color is washed out, and for the life of me I don't understand why they couldn't have done something about the cigarette burns (used in theatres to to signal an upcoming reel change) which are present in the DVD version.

The upshot is that for all the advantages DVD has over VHS, I would suggest you consider purchasing the VHS version over the DVD version. Beyond the usual trailers for other movies, the DVD version offers nothing that the VHS version doesn't already have.

Rating:
Summary: Sleeper Cult Movie!!
Review: Outstanding film!! Unusual vision of a future world were "You live to put the skull of a dog on a stick". A must see!!

Rating:
Summary: Intense
Review: Quite a movie! I saw this film late at night on HBO. Like most Late-Night movies, this one exceeded my expectations with a plot and storyline that amazed me. The overtones and symbolism in this movie are intense. A must see for anyone who enjoyed "Rollerball".

Rating:
Summary: A sci fi fav
Review: Rutger has made some stinkers but this movie is a decent film. The sport itself is somewhat contrived but the flavor of the film keeps it going. Very typical storyline but a good mad maxish style movie. People are so dirty youcan smell the stink. Joan Chen and Vincent D'Onofrio have small roles in the film.

Rating:
Summary: Tip your hat to the Aussies again...
Review: THE BLOOD OF HEROES is yet another example of a good post-apocalyptic movie about life lived by remnants of a once great civilization. If you liked the ROAD WARRIOR trilogy you will most definitely find this movie enticing. Pay close attention to the music, dialogue,background sets, and general psychology of town inhabitants as you walk with Rutger Hauer, and an all-star cast on a journey from dogtown to dogtown toward the fabled NINE CITIES in which the brutal rugby/gladiator-like game to pin the dogskull on the opponents' stake is played. I particulary fancy movies that take time to think about what people would be like if they were subjected to the conditions brought on by extreme global changes. It is a movie with good action sequences, thought-provoking vision, and even some comic relief. I recommend it to people who enjoy exploring the human condition,the darker side of life and its struggles, and reading between its lines to see what makes up the time period.

Rating:
Summary: A simple, yet stirring story of courage and redemption
Review: The plot of Blood of Heroes is unique, following a team of "juggers" (a brutal futuristic sport) as they struggle for survivial in a desolate post-apocalyptic wasteland. But the heart of the movie, and what makes it such a rousing tale, is a familiar story about the courage of a group of nobodies who dare to dream, and of the redemption of their leader fallen from grace. It inspires you to stand and cheer them on by the end.

Rating:
Summary: surprisingly sweet flick...about beating people up
Review: The reviewers are right - this was a surprise, all the more so because it was about as pleasant a surprise as you can watch involving a brutal, post-apocalyptic future in which human existence has been reduced to a life of beating people up. We don't know what's happened to the world, but it happened long ago by the time the story begins. For most, life is a trial of bare subsistence in the sun-baked villages that dot the world. The only entertainment is "The Game" (I honestly don't remember it having a name, and the story makes it clear that this is basically the sole form of athletic competition left). The basics of the game are simple enough - one team must get something to the other side. NCAA sanctioned competition ends there: you're blockers carry clubs or flying whips with bladed tips; instead of getting a ball into the end-zone, you're impaling a dog's skull on a spike; and in case the foregoing hasn't made it crystal clear, no degree of roughness is unnecessary. Thus it's unsurprising that careers are short, and even the champs bear painful souvenirs of their wins. Those lucky enough to win in the small villages win the right to take on the majors - "The League of 9 Cities" and thus have earned the chance to get clubbed, whipped-scarred and otherwise beaten to a bloody pulp by a higher grade of pro. Joan Chen is an eager hopeful that first plays against the band managed by Rutger Hauer, then joins up with them. Hauer is the team's scarred and venerable vet - and we get hints that he has already faced The League, if not played for them in the past. Then...something happened. As Hauer and Chen comb the land, they ready themselves for another stab at greatness.

For a cinema inundated by "Mad Max" clones, BOH is actually refreshing. There is no great evil or tyrant that must be taken care of. There are no whammo scenes or great catchphrases. Instead, the story starts with our "heroes" (yes, I know that they're not all that heroic) and stays true to their travails. We get a feeling for this crude game that champions brutality, and are glued to the screens even as we feel that we should turn away (I always thought Joan Chen as sweet, though this flick reveals a determinedly Mike Tyson side to her). I love the set design - the dried out villages where people try to survive and eke out some measure of entertainment. I also loved the way the film displays the care the characters extend to their equipment (we're supposed to wonder about the many spikes that now-dried skull has seen; or about what soft and frilly things were once stored in the dresser that now carries the clubs and whips).

The biggest star of the flick is the game itself. It's a brutal game, but not really about brutality. Chen's character starts out justifying the punishment she's subjected herself to - it's okay as long as the others were worse. Instead, and in the flick's clincher line (spoken by one of the league's stars) we learn that the opposite is true: there's no end to the pain that a player will inflict - but none will hurt a fly for any other reason but to win. The game, like the movie and much like life, isn't about finding out what went wrong or goes wrong every day on our world, it's about getting up after you've been knocked down, and getting that dog's head to the spike.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Movie !
Review: This is one of the best movies I have ever seen and my most favorite. Rutger and Joan make a great couple. Juggers Forever !