Certain Fury (1985)    New World/Action    RT: 87 minutes    Rated R (strong violence, rape, language, racial epithets, nudity, drugs)    Director: Stephen Gyllenhaal    Screenplay: Michael Jacobs    Music: Russ Kunkel, George Massenburg and Bill Payne    Cinematography: Kees Van Oostrum    Release date: March 1, 1985 (US)    Cast: Tatum O’Neal, Irene Cara, Nicholas Campbell, George Murdock, Moses Gunn, Peter Fonda.    Box Office: N/A

Rating: ***

 Certain Fury certainly is trash, but what cracks me up about it is how it tries to lure in viewers with the promise of two Academy Award winners playing the lead roles. Since it’s New World, you know not to expect Marlon Brando and Meryl Streep. In this case, it’s Tatum O’Neal who won her Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Paper Moon when she was 10 and Irene Cara who didn’t even win for acting. Both of Cara’s Oscars are for Best Song- “Fame” and “Flashdance (What a Feeling)”. She also sings the theme for Certain Fury, but it’s not even in the damn movie. I recall hearing it over the end credits when I saw it at the movies, but never again after that. It’s replaced by some instrumental piece in every version (cable, video and DVD) I’ve seen since then. I’d really love to know why it was removed.

 I’d like to say that Certain Fury, best described as a female version of The Defiant Ones, continues a tradition started by C.H.U.D. and continued by Body Rock in that it’s filmed in the filthiest, poorest areas of New York, but it wouldn’t be a true statement. Unlike the other titles, it’s not even filmed in New York (it was shot in Vancouver). It’s just as dirty-looking as director Stephen Gyllenhaal (Losing Isaiah) takes viewers on a guided tour of tenement buildings, drug dens, back alleys and junkyards. It makes Certain Fury look cheap and shoddy but it’s actually the right tone for this story of two female fugitives on the run from the law.

 Certain Fury starts on an awesome note with a violent, bloody shoot-out in a courtroom when two prostitutes attempt to escape custody. In the resulting mayhem, Scarlet (O’Neal) and Tracy (Cara) try to run away. Although they had nothing to do with what happened, the police aren’t inclined to believe them since several of their own died. Things get worse for the girls when a cop drowns in the sewer after accidentally setting off an explosion. He tries to light a cigarette down there; has this genius never heard of sewer gas? Tracy tries to save him to no avail. Now the girls are in even bigger trouble.

 Scarlet and Tracy come from different walks of life. Tracy is the privileged daughter of a surgeon (Gunn, Amityville II: The Possession) who got busted for driving a stolen car and possession of marijuana. Also, she called the arresting officer “a honky white-ass dumb mother f***er”. Scarlet, an illiterate white trash street kid, is into prostitution and drug dealing. She’s charged with murdering a client, an act she claims was in self-defense. Talk about an odd couple, right? Enemies at first, they’re forced to rely on each other if they want to survive being chased by cops and vicious criminals like Scarlet’s psycho ex Sniffer (Campbell, Knights of the City). Three guesses as to how he got his nickname and the first two don’t count.

 After a great start, Certain Fury goes downhill a bit. The rest of the movie doesn’t live up to the opening scene. I didn’t always like this movie, but I developed an appreciation for it over the years. It’s a cool low-budget B-movie. Neither of the lead actresses give Oscar-caliber performances (how ironic!); in fact, the acting is pretty bad overall. I’m not sure how old the lead characters are supposed to be, but they both look well past their teens. Peter Fonda (Easy Rider) camps it up as a crime boss Scarlet goes to for help (he’s another of her exes). Not only does he refuse, he cuts her on the side of her face thus giving her name deeper meaning. Gunn brings a shred of dignity to the role of a father convinced of his daughter’s innocence and wondering how she could sink this low without him noticing.

 There’s plenty of action and shooting in Certain Fury. There’s a drug house that resembles something out of a nightmare. It’s the scene of a huge fire set by Fonda’s henchmen trying to lure out Scarlet and Tracy. The score is kind of nice, but it’s not a perfect fit. It’s more appropriate to a movie like Big Shots, a lighter take on the whole black/white friendship thing. The action takes place in some ugly areas and it’s not always pretty to look at. It’s still a pretty cool flick though. It’s a relic from a long-gone era, a time when cheap movies like Certain Fury found their way to theaters for one-week runs. Boy, do I ever miss that. Back then, crappy movies were pretty good. Now they’re just crap. Here’s to the old days.