![]() The pack is lead by the late Rutger Hauer who functions as the film’s center of gravity, and is as charismatic and commanding as ever. The Blood of Heroes is one of the rare post-apocalyptic actioners where characters are not cynical, but trying to live as humanely as possible even in the hardest of all times.Ī great cast breathes life into their characters, among them future Hollywood mainstays Vincent D’Onofrio and Delroy Lindo. Despite the often crippling matches, they even celebrate together after a game. There is also no animosity between the players of different squads outside of the game. This perception is also enhanced by everyone walking slowly through the desert and grabbing every opportunity to sit or lie down to recover their strength.īesides the matches and the journey to the Nine Cities, we get some insights into the minds of our protagonists, as they share their dreams and worries with each other. The story is told straightforward, but the pacing of the film is fairly mellow outside of the matches. The minimalist sets show exactly enough to create a believable world. The post-apocalyptic desert does not look epic or inviting for adventure, but just desolate and bleak. Peoples created a true wasteland that is not just a playground for action heroes. RIP Rutger Hauer: From Blade Runner to Blind Fury To earn their place among the lucky few, Sallow and his team need to defeat the elite Juggers from the league of the Nine Cities. Their ultimate dream is to collect enough trophies to enter the subterranean Nine Cities where life is pleasant. ![]() Sallow (Rutger Hauer) leads a squad of fighters, who are traveling from village to village to compete in Jugging matches. His producers entrusted Peoples only with a relatively small budget, but this did not stop him from creating a masterpiece!Īfter a cataclysmic event, the world has been a barren desert ever since. For the film, he invented the sport of Jugging, a mix of American Football, American Gladiators and Blood Bowl, where two armored and weaponized teams compete for a dog skull. A perceived 99 percent of all post-apocalyptic actioners take their attitude and style from the original Mad Max trilogy but with The Blood of Heroes (aka The Salute of the Jugger) Peoples went into a refreshingly new direction. In 1989, legendary screenwriter David Webb Peoples ( Blade Runner, Unforgiven) took a shot at directing, and his first and only moment in the director’s chair gave us an ingenious blend of a post-apocalyptic setting and sports action.
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