While action has been a staple element of cinema since its creation, not all films which use action are viewed the same. For some reason, the bigger the budget, the larger the presumption that the film is good or “of quality,” compared to a direct-to-video release or *gasp* a low budget release. With that classist perception, there are countless experimental or exciting stories that never catch a footing before even the first reel has been installed in a projector. To a large degree, this describes the largely silent Furious, co-directed by Tim Everitt (Too Fast Too Young) and Tom Sartori and starring brothers Simon (Best of the Best; The Dark Knight Rises) and Phillip Rhee (Best of the Best series; The Kentucky Fried Movie), a martial arts film shot in Southern California and released in 1984 that’s as much an exercise in guerrilla filmmaking as it is an homage to the films of studios such as Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, and Fortune Star. Now, thanks to the Visual Vengeance label of Wildeye Releasing, Everitt and Sartori’s Furious receives a standard-definition remaster on a collector’s edition Blu-ray, accompanied by copious extras that imbue audiences with answers to questions they probably never thought to ask.
Upon the death of his sister Kim Lee (Arlene Montano), Simon (Simon Rhee) is sent on a mission from his master, Master Chan (Phillip Rhee), to uncover the truth. What begins as a straight-forward investigation turns into a battle against formidable magicks and devious capitalists with far-reaching consequences.
According to the new interview with Sartori, making Furious was an exercise in seeing just how cheaply the two University of Southern California grads could make a film. This meant doing things like stealing footage where possible (the act of shooting scenes on-location without permission or license), sometimes altering the script on the fly, and even resorting to single takes for each scene requiring judicious editing to reach the necessary length for a feature. If one didn’t know this going in, questions may form about the intentionality or respectability of the film, especially given the rather derogatory “chopsocky” label ascribed to martial arts projects made during the ‘60s-‘80s by American trade Variety, a not-so-subtle play on “chop suey,” the food, that’s intended to merge the punching and kicking of the martial arts into its own specific subgenre. Much like the generalized chopsocky films, Furious does include dubbing (for the few scenes of dialogue), far-fetched storylines, and martial arts sequence after martial arts sequence, but everything done in the film contains a purpose that moves the story forward, regardless what one thinks of the efficacy of the choices. One can certainly argue as to whether the hero, Simon, using his child students as bait to lure guards away from their posts, is an ethically sound idea, but one can’t with the hilarity that comes from Simon’s tête-à-tête with Mika Elkan’s Mika the sorcerer or the exposition that comes at the conclusion. Sure, it may have been an adaptation coming from realizing that the simple script had grown complicated, but who can argue with the results: a fighter transformed into a pig confessing his master’s plan of transfiguring humans into animals to reduce the overhead costs of running a restaurant because capitalism! It made sense in the 1980s and, frankly, one could see such a twist in a new project given rising food costs today as a result of unchecked capitalism, agriculture deregulation, and the failure to contain diseases like H5N1 (bird flu). The journey to get to that moment requires a great deal of patience, but it’s worth it — especially when it means a couple of throwdowns between real-life siblings Simon and Phillip.
If you’ve come to this home release review, it’s likely because you share a fondness for cinema without the limitations of presumed taste, artistic risks, or experimental midnight madness. In that case, let’s get into the packaging for Visual Vengeance’s collector’s edition, the on-disc presentation, and the abundant bonus features.
Should you snag a first-pressing of this edition, you’ll receive two things: a slipcover with brand-new cover art from artist The Dude on the front and the usual breakdown on the back and a double-sided key tag throwing star (ifykyk) that has the title in the center. The liner of the film itself is reversible with a replication of the original VHS box art on the inside and, presumably, new art on the front (seeing as it has the Visual Vengeance logo). Barring a few differences in style, all the information is the same on either side of the cover. Additionally, the collector’s edition includes a set of 12 VHS-style stickers you can slap onto any portion of your own collection to help give it that ‘80s video store vibe, a folded mini-poster of the original Furious poster, and a small one-sheet with information on the film and remaster on one side and alternate-art poster on the other.
FURIOUS collector’s edition packshot. Photo courtesy of MVD Entertainment Group/Wildeye Releasing.
For the on-disc bonus features, Visual Vengeance gathered as much archival and brand-new materials (more than 140 minutes!) as possible to pack this edition. There are two commentary tracks (one archival with Everitt, one new with Justin Decloux of The Important Cinema Club and Peter Kuplowsky of the Toronto International Film Festival), two brand-new separate sit-down interviews with Sartori and Everitt, two video essays from Justin Decloux (North American No-Budget Martial Arts Cinema Primer and Rhee Brothers Career Overview), a 2013 archival interview with Everitt, behind the scenes Super 8 footage with no audio, a six-song EP from 1987, a live in concert event from 1986, a Sartori music reel *and* three Super 8 shorts, plus three different trailers for Furious (two for the film, one for this edition). This isn’t just a motley collection of materials, they are weighty. The new conversation with Sartori is nearly an hour long, with the new one with Everitt about the same. Both cover their retrospective experience making the film which, considering they are co-directors, you’d think would have a lot of crossover, but their views on what’s important and how they talk about things from the concept to casting to shooting to editing and everything else are filtered through their specific perspectives and remembrances, making each one feel unique. Likewise, if you go to check out the Decloux and Kuplowsky feature-length commentary, be prepared for a series of non-sequiturs as the two talk about the film, their personal philosophies regarding cinema, and make many recommendations of other films to check out. It’s a fun conversation to play over the film proper, though you won’t always get the narrow focus of discussing Furious as you likely will get with the archived commentary track with Everitt. Fans of Furious or just general cinephiles who appreciate a deep dive into niche material, it’s time to go to school.
For the on-disc presentation, remember that this feature was shot on a serious budget and was then transferred to VHS, so while this is a Blu-ray, Furious is presented with a new SD master. This is, however, perfect for the sort of cinematic experience Furious offers because it retains so much of that guerilla look and style through the clear grain, visible cue marks (for reel transition), and all the general hiccups that come from aged films. It’s not its clarity that is the driving force of picking up the edition, it’s the ability to watch it on equipment more readily-available to modern audiences. (Not everyone keeps a working VHS handy, though boutique distributors are starting to publish VHS editions, so maybe there’re more of us than I think.) The point is that the film looks about as good as one expects a film you’d have easily found running *after* USA’s Up All Night ended and before 700 Club started. Same with the sound, presented here in English monoaural only, but at least what we get is as clean and clear as one could hope for a narrative that primarily utilizes score, foley work, and light dubbing when the action subsides.
Truth be told, when viewing the trailer for this edition of Furious, I was mentally prepared for a low-budget modern-day Warriors Two-type of adventure, but I was not ready for a mostly silent production in which the promise of technologically-advanced aliens is more subtext than text, though the delivery of fantastical warriors is absolutely realized. For the uninitiated like myself, it takes some time to get into the groove of what Sartori and Everitt seek to accomplish, but, thanks to some impressive stunts from Simon Rhee and Phillip Rhee, as well as their all-in performances, the last way to describe Furious is dull because once you’re in the groove, it’s hard to get out. If you possess a penchant for exploring mostly-forgotten cinema, you’re not going to regret picking this up — but that’s about the only recommendation I can make. Furious is not for the intellectually curious or experimentally-minded. It’s nowhere near the clean, straight-forward action of One-Armed Boxer (1972), but it does incorporate the silliness and hilarity of The Shadow Boxing (1979), which, in concert with the low production creates a real underdog charm that’s at least worth exploring once.
Furious Special features:
- Limited Edition Slipcase by The Dude – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
- Limited Edition Throwing Star Key Tag – FIRST PRESSING ONLY
- Region Free Blu-ray
- *NEW* SD master from original tape elements
- Archival commentary with co-director Tim Everitt
- *NEW* Commentary with Justin Decloux of The Important Cinema Club and Peter Kuplowsky of the Toronto International Film Festival
- *NEW* High Kicking In Hollywood: Co-director Tom Sartori Interview (53:16)
- *NEW* The Kung Fu Kid: Co-director Tim Everitt Interview (53:35)
- *NEW* North American No-Budget Martial Arts Cinema Primer – Justin Decloux Video Essay (21:19)
- *NEW* Rhee Brothers Career Overview – Justin Decloux Video Essay (10:30)
- Archival Scarecrow Video Podcast with Tim Everitt (2013)
- *NEW* Furious New Wave Band – Behind The Scenes Super 8 Footage (2:55)
- Scorched Earth Policy: Full Six Song EP (1987)
- Cinema Face: Live in Concert (1986)
- Tom Sartori 1980s Music Video Reel
- Tom Sartori Super 8 Short Films Reel
- Original Trailers
- Visual Vengeance Trailer
- Reversible Sleeve Featuring Original VHS Art
- Folded mini-poster reproduction of original Furious one sheet
- 2-sided insert with alternate art
- ‘Stick Your Own’ VHS Sticker Set
- Optional English subtitles
Available on Blu-ray February 25th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official MVD Entertainment Group Furious webpage.
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Categories: Films To Watch, Home Release, Recommendation
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