The Blood of Heroes (1989)

The Blood of Heroes (R) - Review

"Win one for the Rutger!"

Football has long been analogized with war.  What then when the world is Post-Apocalyptic, Post-The Final War?  Then you have The Blood of Heroes, written directed by David Peoples.

One game still dominates the American landscape, the Game, be it crude shanty town or bombshelter metropolises.  All commerce and entertainment come from it, heroes and stars are idolized, the losers are swept off to obscurity and disfigurement, the winner to fame and their next meal while their owners reap the profits.  In the dusty outskirts of civilizations teams of Juggers rove from dogtown to dogtown, looking for home teams to play, to win their next meal or piece of ass. Once enough victories are attained, once enough buzz is generated, they are allowed to compete in the League in one of the submerged cities for higher prizes and fame, and more pain.

The movie follows one such team, lead by the immeasurable Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner) as Sallow, a disgraced ex-Leaguer now slumming it with a hopeful band of young players (one being a young Vincent D'Onofrio) who can't wait to make it to the show.  The game itself is imagined as a distorted version of football, with five players on each team with varying types of weapons, and one "quick," and swift and unarmed player whose job it is to move through enemy lines and stick a dogs skull onto a spike to signify victory while their opponents try to do the same.  It is violent, aggressive, and makes complete sense in this wasteland of humanity.  From the dogtown an ambitious new Quick joins the team and Sallow sees a chance to return to the League and exact revenge on those who have wronged him.

A great little flick, with solid acting and well thought out mechanics, The Blood of Heroes may owe a lot to Rollerball, but also might be more true in its aim and better understated as it goes for societies jugular.

7.5 Jock Straps out of 10 (GOOD)