Product Details

• Actors: Kirk Douglas, John Cassavetes, Carrie Snodgress, Charles Durning, Amy Irving
• Directors: Brian De Palma
• Writers: John Farris
• Producers: Frank Yablans, Jack B. Bernstein, Ron Preissman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: September 10, 1996
• Run Time: 118 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630024721X
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #243,417 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Hollywood doesn't make 'em like this anymore!!, October 9, 2001

By 

Libretio - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fury (DVD)

THE FURY

(USA - 1978)

Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Theatrical soundtrack: Mono

Dismissed at the time of its initial release as a mishmash of themes and genres, time has been kind to THE FURY, 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.

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TOTALLY COMPELLING, February 5, 2000

By 

R. Penola (NYC, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fury [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Guilty? About what?, April 9, 1999

By 

Rodney Welch ([e-mail]) (Columbia, SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fury [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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.