Certain Fury Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.5
Video		4.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.5

Certain Fury Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 10, 2017

The theatrical trailer for 1985’s “Certain Fury” is quick to remind viewers that the film stars two Academy Award winners, clawing for any morsel of dignity it can find to build the feature up as something more respectable than it actually is. It’s true, Irene Cara (who collected an Oscar in 1984 for Best Original Song) and Tatum O’Neal (who brought home a little gold man in 1974 at the age of ten for her supporting turn in “Paper Moon”) have reached the pinnacle of peer reward in Hollywood, but they’re not exactly two forces of thespian power. “Certain Fury” is an exercise in B-moviemaking from director Stephen Gyllenhaal (father to Jake and Maggie), who makes his helming debut here, tasked with butching up Cara and O’Neal for a chase picture that resembles “The Defiant Ones,” but mostly plays out like a television show from the mid-1980s, likely airing after “The A-Team.”

Brought into a courtroom after being arrested on different charges, prostitute Scarlet (Tatum O’Neal) and skittish Tracy (Irene Cara) aren’t ready to greet a judge, feverishly trying to make deals to avoid sentencing. Their prayers are answered with bloodshed as two of their fellow criminals decide to make a break for it, killing a series of cops and government employees, which distracts the room long enough for Scarlet and Tracy to escape. At first plunging into the sewer system to cover their scent, the young women develop a tentative partnership, working together to find a safe haven as they sort out unfinished business. Traveling to meet with Scarlet’s slimeball boyfriend, Sniffer (Nicholas Campbell), the outlaws are soon on the run from Rodney (Peter Fonda), another of Scarlet’s companions who’s looking to capture the twosome, inspiring drastic measures to survive the hunt.

The “Fury” half of the title is certainly cared for in the courtroom sequence that opens the film. It’s here where we meet Scarlet and Tracy, who are both panicking before the time comes for their cases to be heard in front of a judge. Tracy is struggling with a drug possession charge, riled up over racial slurs used against her by the arresting officer. Scarlet is illiterate, trying to bluff her way into a technicality that could set her free. However, their moment of justice never arrives, cut short by two troublemakers who steal unattended weaponry and begin blasting cops away, delighting in chaos meant to secure a quick escape. Gyllenhaal isn’t messing around here, delivering a sliced throat, multiple bleeding gunshot wounds, and a frightened bystander covered in brain matter, working the R-rating in full. It’s a strong brew of violence right away, establishing the extremity of “Certain Fury,” which isn’t appealing, but at least there’s a some bite here, however gratuitous it may be.

Once Scarlet and Tracy enter a city sewer system to shake off law enforcement in pursuit, “Certain Fury” grows more comfortable sharing its stupidity, including an unintentionally hilarious moment where one cop, who’s finally cornered the women while wearing a wetsuit, takes a moment to light up a celebratory cigarette, only to trigger a massive explosion due to sewer gases -- creating a ball of flame Scarlet and Tracy avoid by plunging themselves underwater. It’s almost a “Naked Gun” moment in what’s been a sobering picture, showcasing a lighter side to “Certain Fury” that’s not pursued in full. In fact, the screenplay by Michael Jacobs gets downright nasty with his fugitives, presenting Scarlet as a small-minded racist who happily puts Tracy into the line of fire to protect herself. Despite writing that would like to celebrate the birth of a partnership between opposites, it spends more time on their hostilities, following Scarlet back into the lion’s den as she mingles with bad men to find a way out of this mess, with Tracy following obediently.

True antagonists are hard to come by in “Certain Fury,” finding Sniffer a customary ghoul who spends his days creating pornography in his apartment. With Tracy taking a moment to shower, the goon can’t help himself, permitting the production to indulge in a sleazy sexual assault detour that carries on for far too long. Rodney is more refined but just as tedious, with Fonda picking up an easy paycheck as one of the baddies, who leaves Scarlet with a reminder of his impatience after slicing her face with a knife. There should be a grander sense of pursuit in “Certain Fury,” but Gyllenhaal doesn’t have the energy to beef up suspense, arranging tedious chases and near-misses that grow repetitive, and emotional content in the form of Tracy’s concerned father (Moses Gunn) never achieves liftoff. It’s a thin premise to begin with, but Jacobs doesn’t draw it out with any enthusiasm, recycling moments of discord between the women, which doesn’t fill the run time with enough of the titular emphasis.

Certain Fury Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Billed as "Newly remastered in HD," "Certain Fury" arrives on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation. It's not a pretty picture to begin with, but the viewing experience handles with relative stability, offering a decent amount of detail considering low-budget cinematography issues, delivering a satisfactory look at facial particulars and set decoration, with Sniffer's apartment wallpapered with all kinds of graphic photography. Urban escapades are equally engaging, delivering street and sewer textures, and distances are preserved. Delineation handles acceptably. Colors show some age, but they remain lively with period costuming and outdoor adventures, delivering blue skies and greenery. Skintones are natural. Source is in fine shape, with some speckling detected, but no overt points of damage.

Certain Fury Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix remains true to era standards, offering little in the way of depth and distinction. Recording limitations are persistent, with Gyllenhaal having the bright idea to include exposition while the ladies deal with rushing sewer water, making dialogue exchanges during this sequence difficult to understand. Dramatics open up substantially once away from the water, managing emotional speeds and threats comfortably. Scoring isn't pronounced, but it supports as intended, with passable instrumentation. Atmospherics are blunt but effective. Hiss is minimal.

Certain Fury Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features film historians Nathaniel Thompson and Tim Greer.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:33, SD) is included.

Certain Fury Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As goofiness swarms "Certain Fury," there could be a case for enjoying the picture as complete nonsense. It's actually quite amusing to watch Gyllenhaal reveal that he has no idea how guns work, instructing his cast to treat firearms like Nerf weapons. Scarlet's racism is no laughing matter, but Jacob's screenplay returns to racial slurs near the end of the effort, when the fugitives are supposed to be friendly with each another. Turns out, Scarlet really does hate black people. The rest of the movie highlights the characters climbing buildings, running through alleys, and trying their best to maintain every bad instinct for survival they have. It's would be more amusing if it wasn't all so tedious, topped with a vacant performance from O'Neal, who doesn't pull off a leathered personality with any credibility, and Cara, who simply doesn't have the seasoning to maintain a compelling co-lead status. "Certain Fury" has its shock value and attempts at sincerity, but it's really just a bland adventure through an urban jungle with two women who clearly would've been better off accepting a few days in jail. Freedom takes a lot of hard work to maintain.