The Fury

The Fury follows a CIA agent named Peter Sandza whose quiet life is upended when a ruthless plot pulls him away from his son, Robin, a boy with extraordinary mental powers. Robin is spirited away for study by Ben Childress, a scientist obsessed with turning psychic gifts into weapons. Sandza, convinced his child is alive, refuses to give up and teams with Gillian Bellaver, a teenage girl who can move objects with her mind. As they track Robin, the chase becomes a tense game of cat and mouse through a maze of high security labs and guarded facilities. Their uneasy alliance tests trust as they uncover how far the authorities will go to harvest supernatural ability in a tense pursuit.

Directed by Brian De Palma and released in 1978, The Fury adapts John Farris's novel, marrying sleek genre thrills with De Palma's kinetic camera work and a conspiracy driven setup that blends horror with science fiction for fans and scholars.

With a budget of about 5.5 million, the film grossed roughly 24 million worldwide, signaling solid returns for a midrange genre picture of its era and helping cement De Palma's status as a stylish provocateur, and a solid cult favorite.

The Fury stands out for its bold visual mood and a blend of horror and sci fi that was ahead of its time in using psychic powers as both threat and lure. Neon interiors and kinetic framing echo later psychological thrillers and De Palma's influence on 70s genre cinema today.

Critics were divided on pacing and coherence, but many praised the film's style, atmosphere, and strong performances by Kirk Douglas and John Cassavetes. The story probes parental devotion and state overreach, raising questions about the ethics of weaponizing human gifts and the price of power for fans of stylish cinema.