A blind Vietnam vet, trained as a swordfighter, comes to America and helps to rescue the son of a fellow soldier.
| Tagline | He's lucky he can't see what he's up against. |
| Release Date: | Aug 17, 1989 |
| Genres: | Action, Thriller, Drama |
| Production Company: | Interscope Communications, TriStar Pictures, Daniel Grodnik Productions |
| Production Countries: | United States of America |
| Casts: | Rutger Hauer, Terry O'Quinn, Brandon Call, Charles Cooper, Noble Willingham, Lisa Blount, Meg Foster, Sho Kosugi, Randall 'Tex' Cobb, Nick Cassavetes, Rick Overton |
| Status: | Released |
| Budget: | $20000000 |
| Revenue: | 2700000 |
**_Rutger Hauer as a blind Vietnam vet and master swordsman_** This was inspired by the Japanese film “Zatoichi Challenged” (1967), but I’m sure Marvel’s Daredevil was an influence as well (the character debuted in early 1964 and so had been around for 25 years when this debuted). There’s also some influence from Eastwood’s “The Gauntlet.” It’s surprisingly good with fleshed out characters, quality locations, lots of action and an effective sense of humor. Blonde Lisa Blount is a plus on the female front, along with a couple of other peripheral casino women. The mighty “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” would borrow from it two years later. Yet it’s inexplicably obscure. It runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot in Houston, Reno and Squaw Valley in northeastern California (renamed Palisades Tahoe in 2021). GRADE: A-
