MOVIE REVIEW : ‘Blood’ Has Enough for Even Hard-Core Fans

“The Blood of Heroes” (citywide) is a relentlessly brutal post-apocalyptic action-adventure that brings to mind “The Road Warrior” and “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome” long before the end credits reveal it was also made in Australia. Unfortunately, writer-director David Peoples lacks George Miller’s wit and humor, which means that his film comes across as a solemn attempt to exploit as much violence as possible in 90 minutes.

In his feature directorial debut, Peoples takes his story so seriously that not only is it numbing in its display of carnage but also faintly silly. Even so, the film has sufficient style and drive to attract audiences who like their action very, very hard.

We’re out in a desert wasteland in the distant future where people live in primitive encampments, and the only diversion are the gladiatorial contests of the wandering “Juggers,” whose medieval-looking armor is composed of tire scraps and who joust with maces made from scrap materials. When one such Jugger, called Sallow (Rutger Hauer), arrives for a competition in a small community, he attracts the attention of the beautiful and determined Kidda (Joan Chen), who persuades him to let her join his team.

Kidda is a quick learner, but the rewards of the Jugger existence seem only massive amounts of scar tissue and eventual crippling or death, all of which make makeup artists Michael Westmore and Bob McCarron the real heroes of this tale. Kidda succeeds in persuading Sallow to challenge the Jugger league of the Red City, to which he belonged before being expelled for flaunting his affair with a woman whose lover is one of its overlords. A Jugger who makes it into the league will be rewarded with a life almost as luxurious as that of the Uberalles, the underground city’s elite.

The look of “The Blood of Heroes” is barbarically impressive, especially in the Red City sequences, which have the appearance of a vast industrial inferno. Todd Boekelheide’s score is rightly ominous and metallic, and the film has the highest quality sound and cinematography. Hauer is a capable old hand at this sort of film. Another key Jugger is played by “Full Metal Jacket’s” talented Vincent D’Onofrio.

Although the R-rated picture is deplorable for its violence, it probably was a smart choice on the part of Chen, who survived the awful “Tai-Pan” to triumph as the tragic empress in “The Last Emperor.” Chen literally throws herself into her role, bringing to the film some welcome fire and passion. In the process, she destroys the stereotype of the beautiful Chinese woman as a fragile porcelain goddess. However, you can’t help but wish you were watching her in another kind of movie.