Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

Sudden Fury Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 29, 2018

Writer/director Brian Damude only made one movie during his career, and thankfully it’s a terrific one. 1975’s “Sudden Fury” eschews Hollywood comforts for the great outdoors of Ontario, with the helmer creating an unusual cat and mouse thriller with the simplest of cinematic ingredients. This is spare work, often avoiding music and dialogue to maintain concentration on the movement of characters, but Damude doesn’t need much to create a proper nail-biter. “Sudden Fury” is engrossing, with moments of shock and sadness to present it with purpose, while Damude does everything he can with only a few locations, putting effort into characterization and editorial muscle, getting the feature up on its feet as quickly as possible before staging an unusual game of survival.

Fred (Dominic Hogan) has coaxed his wife, Janet (Gay Rowan), into a leisurely drive as they make their way to a family function. Janet already has little patience for Fred, growing fully disgusted with her spouse when he decides to make a pit stop in the middle of nowhere, revealing his plans to build a resort near a river, only requiring all of her inheritance money to realize his sketchy vision. When Janet refuses such a request, Fred storms off in a huff, playing reckless games on the only road in the area, almost causing an accident with Al (Dan Hennessey), another traveler just trying to make his way across Canada. Frustrated with the day’s disappointments, Fred eventually lose control of his car and drives off road, causing a major accident that leaves Janet trapped in her seat, slowly bleeding to death. Fred, ever the loving husband, elects to disappear from the scene, allowing his wife to die, only to watch as Al discovers the wreckage, pledging to help Janet, inspiring Fred to prevent such a rescue from happening.

“Sudden Fury” does offer a slow-burn opening act, but the intent is to create familiarity with Janet and Fred, a couple who really can’t stand each other, but remain together out of habit, trying to make the best out of a drive through the countryside. Fred has an ulterior motive for the trip, and one that involves using his wife’s personal fortune to fund a ridiculous venture, with the visionary ready to create a resort in the middle of nowhere, planning to do much of the work himself. Of course, Fred appears to be all talk, ready to spend cash he doesn’t have, and Janet is sick and tired of his nonsense, turning what she initially thought was supposed to be a peaceful afternoon into an extended argument with a man she lost respect for long ago.

The marital dynamic is vividly realized by Damude, who enjoys arranging their venom, using Fred’s impulsive recklessness to bring in Al, who’s just an average guy out on the road, nearly killing the stranger when he marches into traffic. Their connection is made, but “Sudden Fury” takes a little more time to bring things to a boil, eventually moving the characters to a gas station for an additional confrontation. It’s a compelling scene, with the travelers sipping sodas and staring intently at one another, while the owner of the station enjoys the company, often going days without seeing anyone. Such community activity is the last found in “Sudden Fury,” which soon introduces the accident that leaves Janet clinging for her life, trusting Fred to do the right thing and find help.

Fred has no interest in saving his wife, generating the hook of “Sudden Fury,” which breaks road movie blues to develop into a tense examination of murderous appetites, putting Fred in the role of an opportunist using the rollover to his advantage, feverishly considering all possibilities as he ignores his wife’s pleas. It’s quite the set-up for a suspense picture, playing up the sickness of the situation and the full realization of evil for Fred, who graduates from a coward to a killer, trying to follow through on a particularly nasty impulse to reboot his life. But along comes Al, the good Samaritan who find Janet and wants to do the right thing, only to find Fred hiding in the bushes, determined to prevent a successful rescue.

“Sudden Fury” eventually gives way to bizarre acts of sabotage and pursuits, watching as Al tries to manage Janet’s health without full realization why everything he’s trying is failing. And there’s Fred, nervously figuring out how to keep Al in one place while Janet fades away, eliminating his wife and the witness. Damude isn’t Hitchcock, but it’s a close facsimile with a no-budget tilt, as “Sudden Fury” works itself into a panic on more than a few occasions, with viewers witnessing Fred’s lethal mischief, always one step ahead, while Al falls helplessly into traps. Tension is excellent, and Ontario locations add to the remoteness of the hunt, which finds its way to a farm house, dragging the only neighbors in the area into a perverse war of blame, with Fred the more seasoned player, able to talk his way around incriminating situations.

Sudden Fury Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

A rough and largely forgotten Canadian thriller, "Sudden Fury" is gifted a second life on Blu-ray, with Vinegar Syndrome working their restorative magic to bring the picture to HD with as much care as possible. The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is enjoyably grainy, maintaining a filmic appearance, and some wear and tear remains, including a few damaged frames and pockets of speckling, along with some mild scratches. Clarity reaches as far as the original cinematography allows, supplying a satisfactory look at panicked and distressed faces, and period costuming keeps its fibrous qualities, surveying cheap suits and farm gear. Color is capable, doing very well with the outdoors, finding greenery appealing, while gas station and farmhouse decoration retains brighter hues. Skintones are natural. Delineation is secure, doing well with shadow play during the tense finale.

Sudden Fury Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 1.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix preserves the low-budget appeal of "Sudden Fury," which goes for long stretches without music and dialogue. When scoring efforts do arrive, they maintain support with decent instrumentation and position, lubricating suspense needs with driving strings. Performances are clearly defined, allowing listeners to enjoy Canadian accents and genre emphasis. Sound effects are appropriately loud. Atmospherics retain a feel for wide open nature and riverside scrambling, along with hollow, woodsy farm house movement.

Sudden Fury Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/director Brian Damude.

• Isolated Score from composer Matthew McCauley is offered.

• Still Gallery (5:38) is a treasure trove of "Sudden Fury" information, including the press kit (photo and bios), an issue of Canadian Film Editor Magazine, BTS snaps, floor plans for the feature's climatic farmhouse hunt, newspaper ads, and movie reviews.

• A Teaser Trailer (:30, HD) and a Theatrical Trailer (2:46, HD) are included.

Sudden Fury Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Once "Sudden Fury" gets moving, it's completely compelling. Damude manages to pull strong performances from most of the cast (Hogan is a standout), and he uses locations well, with the farm house climax showcasing terrific thriller timing and smart use of buildings. He has a few tricks up his sleeve to keep eyes glued to the screen, but Damude generates a sharp atmosphere of secretive antagonism and manipulation, constructing a spare but effective genre exercise that's not slick, but there's B-movie passion to cover gaps that pop up along the way.