Essential
Summary
Saluting The Blood of Heroes: Behind the Apocalyptic Film is painstakingly researched with fascinating insights into the making of the film including interviews with the writer/director; so if you’re a fan of this obscure Rutger Hauer movie or the post-apocalyptic movie genre this is a must have.
About: Saluting The Blood of Heroes Behind The Apocalyptic Film includes delves into the intricate workings of a hidden cult gem called The Blood of Heroes, directed and written by the talented David Webb Peoples, known for his exceptional screenplay writing skills displayed in films such as Blade Runner, Twelve Monkeys, and Clint Eastwood’s western masterpiece Unforgiven. This film served as inspiration for the creation of the sport known as Jugger and upon its global release, it gained recognition as The Salute of the Jugger. Produced by Charles Roven and featured a stellar cast including Rutger Hauer, Joan Chen, Delroy Lindo, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
Review: I love that I live in a world where an obscure post-apocalyptic movie starring Rutger Hauer and Joan Chen gets a book written about it. I’m sure most of you have watched Salute of the Jugger AKA The Blood of Heroes and if so then you’ll need to add this book to your collection ASAP.
Written by Danny Stewart, Saluting The Blood of Heroes: Behind the Apocalyptic Film is clearly a labour of love for the author who has interviews with various people involved in the film (including the director) while also exploring the post-apocalyptic film genre.
Stewart starts off going over movies like Mad Max, Terminator and even some John Carpenter classics like Escape from New York. He also explores the sport of Jugging as well as paying tribute to Rutger Hauer including some reviews for his films. Joan Chen, Vincent D’Onofrio and Delroy Lindo also get nice write-ups with some of their films mentioned.
The short story of Rollerball was a major influence on the script and although David Webb Peoples hadn’t seen Quintet starring Paul Newman it is also seen as a film similar to it as it’s about a future sport.
Detailed reviews of The Terminator, The Running Man and more are also here, so if you’re a genre fan you’ve probably already added this book to your Amazon cart.
What you may not know is that I am included in this book where Danny very kindly used my article that I wrote a while back revisiting the film. Sadly, my name is spelled wrong a few times which I’ve had to put up with for 46 years, but anyway…
Needless to say, this book isn’t just about The Blood of Heroes, but about the post-apocalyptic genre in itself and it’s something I never tire of reading about.
Overall, Saluting The Blood of Heroes: Behind the Apocalyptic Film is impeccably researched and Danny Stewart has clearly spent a lot of time and effort putting this fantastic book together. If you’re a fan of the movie or the apocalypse genre in general then this is well worth adding to your bookshelf.
