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1[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blind_fury_3.jpg]]
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3''Blind Fury'' is a 1989 action film written by Charles Robert Carner (of ''Gymkata'' fame) and directed by Creator/PhillipNoyce. It is a loosely based, modernized version of ''Zatoichi Challenged'', the 17th film in the Japanese ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}'' film series.
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5The film stars Creator/RutgerHauer as Nick Parker, a blind, sword-wielding Vietnam War veteran, who returns to the United States and befriends Billy, the son of an old friend. Parker decides to help the boy find his father, who has been kidnapped by a major crime syndicate.
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7!!Tropes included are:
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9* EightiesHair: Mullets. Mullets everywhere!
10* AbsurdlySharpBlade : Nick manages to both cut through things that would in reality survive the stroke, but also make precision cuts far too delicate to be possible -- such as removing someone's eyebrows without doing any damage to the skin underneath. Both are something that Zatoichi does, the first repeatedly and the second was done in ''Zatoichi Challenged''.
11* AndTheAdventureContinues: Nick simply walks away in the end. During the credit roll, he practically mimics his walk from the opening.
12* ArtisticLicenseChemistry: Sure, why not use harmless and eye-catching blue crystals of cupric sulfate as a prop for drugs! But this could be simply a case of RuleOfCool.
13* BadassAndChildDuo: Nick and Billy.
14* BadassBystander: Lyle and Tector carjack an old lady, who promptly pulls out a HandCannon and opens fire on them as they speed away.
15* BigBad: Thanks to [=MacCready's=] drugs scheme, Frank is abducted, [[spoiler: Mrs. Devereaux is killed]] and Nick not only has to escort Billy from Miami to Reno, but also protect him from numerous kidnapp attempts. Not to mention [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking casino he owns cheats on players]].
16* BlindDriving : Initially excused by an emergency situation, but it continues even after they would reasonably had time to switch to a driver with sight.
17* BlindedByTheLight: In the climax, Frank throws several home made chemical grenades which don't have much force but explode brightly enough to disorient them.
18* BlindWeaponmaster: Nick Parker is a blind modern-day swordsman who manages to singlehandedly destroy a crime syndicate. It's essentially a Western take off on ''Zatoichi''.
19* BlindWithoutEm: Annie. When she gets her glasses crushed, she can't even see her outstretched hands. In an emergency, [[BlindDriving Nick is forced to drive]].
20-->'''Annie:''' My glasses!\
21'''Nick:''' ''[stepping on them]'' Oops... I think I just found them.
22* BloodlessCarnage: For a film featuring a MasterSwordsman as a main character, there's very little blood on screen.
23* {{Bookend}}: Near the beginning, Billy accidentally drops his toy dinosaur out the window, which Nick catches. At the end, a saddened Billy throws the dinosaur over the bridge, which Nick catches again.
24* BrattyHalfPint: Billy. [[CharacterDevelopment He gets better later on.]]
25* BreadEggsBreadedEggs: The Pike Brothers, naturally.
26--> "Shit!" "Fuck!" "Shitfuck!"
27* BrickJoke: At one point, Nick uses his sword to cut off Cobb's eyebrows and later makes a comment about [[GroinAttack "doing circumcisions"]] if Cobb doesn't tell him where his friend Frank was. Toward the end of the movie when Nick kills Cobb, he slices upwards between Cobbs legs before [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice stabbing him in the gut.]]
28* BringingInTheExpert: Near the end of the film, [=MacCready=] decides to hire a master swordsman of his own to counter Nick after his henchmen failed repeatedly.
29-->'''[=MacCready=]:''' If you can't handle it, get me somebody who can! Get me Bruce Lee!\
30'''Cobb:''' Bruce Lee is dead.\
31'''[=MacCready=]:''' Then get his brother!
32* BulletProofVest: After getting slashed across the chest and left for dead, Slag wakes up from his stupor and opens up his shirt to show to the audience that he was wearing one.
33* BumblingHenchmenDuo: Lyle and Tector, the foolish thug brothers.
34* ButNowIMustGo: Nick
35* ClusterFBomb: The Pike brothers' dialogues are usually full of profanity.
36* CoDragons: Slag is the muscle, being close to a Bond-like henchman or some kind of EliteMook, while Cobb is the brain, running the casino and other joints for [=MacCready=].
37* DeadlyDodging: During the fight in the corn field, Nick emerges behind the back of two mooks, makes a noise with his scabbard, and slips back out of sight. The mooks turn around, and one shoots the other by reflex.
38* DestinationDefenestration: [[spoiler: Slag, after being sliced along the waist by Nick.]]
39* DiagonalCut: Slag is killed this way, [[DisneyVillainDeath then falls out of a window high in mountains]].
40* DirtyCop: When Slag comes for Mrs. Devereaux and Billy, two crooked cops assist him, so the kidnap can be staged as if Billy was eye-witness of some unspecified crime. When [[spoiler: Mrs. Devereaux is shot by Slag]], one of cops mentions that it wasn't part of their deal.
41* DisabilityImmunity: When lights are off, Nick use this against the {{Mooks}}. Sure, both he and they are blind, but he was blind for past 20 years, developing other senses, while they just stumble around in the darkness.
42* ElevatorButtonsMash: Four not too bright {{Mooks}} are chasing Nick. When they enter the elevator, each of them press different button, giving Nick plenty of time to not only escape, but also trap them inside of the elevator.
43* FlippingTheBird: Billy waves his middle finger at both Nick and various {{Mook}}s.
44* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: [[spoiler: Slag]]
45* HandicappedBadass: If anything, Nick Parker TookALevelInBadass after he had lost his sight.
46* HeroicBystander: Nick fights four [[BigBadWannabe street thugs]] after they took a purse from passing woman.
47* {{Homage}}: The whole film is one big homage toward old ''Franchise/{{Zatoichi}}'' films, of whom producer Tim Matheson is big fan. Many details are practically ripped -- SwordCane, façade of being harmless or using sharpened hearing to win in casino (or find out when the house is cheating).
48* HonoraryUncle: Billy eventually starts calling Nick "Uncle Nick".
49* HumanShield:
50** Nick grabs Lyle Pike and holds him in front of him when Lyle's brother Tector is trying to shoot him. [[spoiler:Tector ends up shooting Lyle by mistake.]]
51** Cobb shoves another {{Mook}} in front of him to try and keep Nick from stabbing him in the climax. [[spoiler:It only delays the inevitable.]]
52* IHaveYourWife: The villain attempts to do this to Nick's friend, but Nick just happened to show up at their house a few minutes before them.
53* InsultBackfire: During the chase scene, Nick is the one behind the wheel. One of the drivers shout at him, leading to this exchange:
54-->'''Driver:''' What's your problem, are you blind?\
55'''Nick:''' Yeah, what's your excuse?
56* InterchangeableAsianCultures: Apparently the Vietnamese villagers knew all about wielding katanas and cane swords.
57* LetsGetDangerous: When getting ready for the final assault, Frank makes some Molotov Cocktails.
58* LostInTheMaize: When Billy learns that [[spoiler: his mom was killed]], he runs away from Nick into the corn field. The {{Mooks}}, who were following them, take this as opportunity to kidnap the boy.
59* MasterSwordsman: [[TheHero Nick]], obviously, and the {{Ninja}} played by Sho Kosugi, a Japanese martial arts expert.
60* MyGreatestSecondChance: Since the Vietnam War Frank has blamed himself for his DirtyCoward moment causing him to leave Nick, believing he died but in reality was just blinded. When they storm the ski suite [[spoiler:at first HistoryRepeats, but then Frank comes in to save Nick.]]
61* NoNameGiven: Many characters are never named in-story. All their names come from credits.
62* ObfuscatingStupidity: Nick. Usually he acts as if he was either a naive guy or not fully aware of the situation and dangers around. Most of the fun in the film comes from his acting like a harmless wimp.
63* PaperThinDisguise: Nick is able to pass two guards just by wearing the white jacket of a waiter. By the time the guards realize something is off, it's too late.
64* PlausibleDeniability: Annie initially goes to great lengths to avoid finding out exactly what the BigBad is forcing Frank to do and what means he's using, even if she has some suspicions.
65* PoliceAreUseless: A man is driving a van, causing lots of accidents. Two guys are chasing him, in a stolen car, shooting at the van. The police? Nowhere to be seen.
66* RuleOfCool: Blind swordmaster in a modern setting? Check. Mafia chasing him all over the States? Check. Driving blind while being chased? Check. Climatic sword duel with a hired ninja? Check.
67* RuleOfFunny: Shaving someone's eyebrow off with a sword-swipe is more funny than plausible.
68* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: After Nick kills over a dozen {{Mook}}s on his way to the BigBad, the drug dealer and his bodyguard take off before he can reach them, telling [=MacReady=] to find another buyer in the unlikely event he survives. Sensing how angry [=MacReady=] is at their departure, the bodyguard is GenreSavvy enough to keep his gun out and not turn his back on [=MacReady=] and Slag in case they get any ideas about shooting their former partners out of frustration.
69* ShoutOut: The names of Lyle and Tector share the names of a pair of brothers in ''Film/TheWildBunch''
70* SingleStrokeBattle: Nick kills most of the {{Mooks}} this way.
71* SingleTear: Nick, after leaving Billy.
72* SuperFlyReflexes: Nick cuts a wasp in twain with his sword by sound alone. Can be seen at the start of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgnlJ38ntQw theatrical trailer.]]
73* SuperSenses: While Nick's hearing is as sharp as expected from a blind person, he also developed a pretty good nose.
74* SuperWindowJump: To get away from Nick quickly, Slag jumps through a nearby window, completely destroying the wooden frame and glass pane, with absolutely no injuries sustained.
75* SwordCane: Nick, being blind, uses his sword-cane to feel his way around in normal circumstances.
76* TookALevelInKindness: Billy later on.
77* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Last time we see [=MacCready=], he is struggling with Frank over the shotgun and next scene is at a bus station. We don't know how the struggle ended or if [=MacCready=] was sent to the authorities.
78* WretchedHive: Reno is portrayed as city of crooked casinos, drug lords, gun-totting citizens and full of floozies. Police are nowhere to be seen.
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