The Blood of Heroes (1990)

This film is one of my all time favorite movies to watch. I have seen it about 3 times in the last year alone. The acting is absolutely top-notch. The feeling of a post-apocalyptic future is eminent, and every character adds their own piece to the overall feeling of desperation. The storyline creates a very believable notion of sports evolution, and although the sports battles are very violent, there is a very high level of camaraderie evident throughout the film. An excellent movie to watch on a dreary day, or rainy night. I guarantee that, although not all of you will love the film, you will be moved for the duration of it by the sincerity in each character's plight. One of the few post-apocalyptic films where characters seek, and have a real chance, to obtain a better life for themselves.

Set in a post apocalyptic world, the people still need to be entertained. Juggers bring that entertainment playing a gladiatorial style game sort of like rugby, yet nothing like it at all.The Blood of Heroes is by no means 'A-List' material. It IS, however, gritty, riveting and driven. You care about the characters. You find yourself verbally cheering them on! You want them to succeed. The Blood of Heroes does just that - succeed - and in a big way. I'm actually surprised it hasn't been remade with a larger budget considering the trend out of Hollywood these days. I have to admit to being a fan-boy of Rutger Hauer. Performances by other up and coming names are also fun to watch. Add this to your list. You'll be glad you did.

The Blood of Heroes is set in a desolate post apocalyptic future, and you can taste the dirt and the misery. It also shows Rutger Hauer at his best.This flick never rose to fame, probably because of its weird choice of topic, a brutal game that looks like a mix of chess, American football, and ancient Rome gladiatorial combat. There's blood and pain at every turn. So it's not for everyone, but the quality is there.The imagery, costumes, makeup, and action are without reproach. The story might not bring anything new to the table, but the world sure does, and it's showed in full details. The dialogs are simple, yet very effective, and no quick easy slick remark, jut hard harsh statements fitting the whole scene.The only reproach I would make is that the pellicle is getting old, and without clean images, it's getting tougher to appreciate. No widescreen, no HD. Bummer. Still, its age does show beyond that, the rest is impeccable.If you don't mind violence, see it.

While I have found it impossible to clearly define, there is something special about this film. There is some hidden mystique the viewer feels, which has eluded me in my attempts to pinpoint it. Rutger Hauer gives as adequate a performance as anyone can expect from his work in the 1980's, and the story is a hodgepodge of a plethora of other films like Mad Max, Conan, and anything else made around the same time.Honestly, the brutal football-like game seems to come straight from Australian Rules football, but who am I to judge? The banality of this film, would seemingly render it pointless, useless crud, but that doesn't seem to be the case, for some reason.There is something about this film that holds the viewer, caresses the viewer's mind and brings it back to the film. I don't know if there are heinous subliminals embedded herein, or what, but there is something seriously luring about this work.The main problem with it is that it was a film made about the future, painted darkly sinister, and released at a time when the future was bright as a new penny. It flopped.All in all it rates a 6.4/10 from...the Fiend :.