Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

trica22 Anyone wanting to watch a mixture of Mad Max and Rollerball (the original!!!) then this has you covered.Great performances, simply plot, well paced and never takes itself too serious. This one is plan and simple entertainment.So switch off, sit back and enjoy. I gaurantee you will go well passed the 100 stones.

Azundris Jugger is a great spectator sport; it's quick, with strategic elements, something's always going on, and a third is over before any ADD you might have could set in. The movie, though? Well, to start with, it's the boredom of watching a fixed game that any sports movie offers. (And not much else, there isn't really much in the way of plot.) But you'll also be watching a game the rules of which aren't properly explained, and the cinematography isn't conducive to figuring it out, especially in the key games which happen in half-light. Any of Blade Runner, Split Second, even Wedlock are better vehicles for Hauer.Reviewed: "Long" (99min/PAL) DVD. May work better on theatre size screen.

Paul Andrews The Salute of the Jugger is set in a post apocalyptic future where civilization has ended, the Earth is now a barren wasteland where just to survive is tough. A team of Juggers travel the wastelands challenging small villages to a brutal game that is a cross between football & wrestling. While in one village the team recruit a new 'Quick' member named Kidda (Joan Chen), as she begins to get to know team leader Sallow (Rutger Hauer)he tells her that he once played in the professional league but was banished after an affair with the wrong woman. Kidda convinces Sallow to head back to the Nine Cities & challenge the league in order to obtain the fame & fortune that goes with it, Sallow decides to give it one last go & together with his team is set for a showdown with the best Juggers in the world...This Australian & American co-production was written & directed David Webb Peoples & was one of those films that came out here in the UK in the late 80's with striking artwork on the video box that I always remembered, well I finally got a chance to see it (all sorts of stuff turns up on obscure cable telly channels) & can honestly say the wait wasn't worth it. I would say that The Salute of the Jugger which was retitled to The Blood of Heroes for it's US release is a cross between Mad Max 2 (1982) with it's future post apocalyptic landscape setting & Rollerball (1975) with it's futuristic violent sport that is seemingly so popular. I can't say I liked The Salute of the Jugger, I thought the character's were thinly drawn & the Jugger game itself is never really explained so it's difficult to understand just what is going on or the point of it, it has something to do with placing an animal skull on a stake but other than that your guess is as good as mine. It's a crap sport anyway, I certainly wouldn't be interested in playing or watching it. The whole script seems to be lacking substance, the events that have created the post apocalyptic world are never revealed, personal relationship's & character backgrounds are left ambiguous at best & the way society is run & survives is also a mystery. There's no sense of a place or a world here, the Jugger game makes no sense while even the basic premise of most sporting action dramas where the underdogs come through against seemingly impossible odds is underplayed. The Salute of the Jugger never worked as a human drama, a futuristic post apocalyptic film, an action spectacle or a sporting event & ended up being a slow moving thriller with little to recommend it.The futuristic world looks quite nice, this obviously had a fair amount of time invested in the sets & production design but it's not like we haven't seen it before though. The film has a very natural sandy & dark look to it that does get a little repetitive. There's little in the way of violence or gore, a few of the events have various people hit each other but nothing graphic.Filmed in Australia on a pretty good budget by all accounts The Salute of the Jugger should look better, should be more exciting & captivating than it is. The cast are OK, Ruter Hauer isn't much of an actor, Joan Chen is alright while respected actors Delroy Lindo & Vincent D'Onofrio turn up.The Salute of the Jugger is meant to be a post apocalyptic action film with a sporting theme but I found it rather forgettable & boring, the sporting scenes lack any intensity or excitement & the lack of clear rules don't help either. Not a film that I will be in any hurry to watch again.

billy_bob_stapel Blood of Heroes aka Salute to the Jugger. Why do i like it? The director did not make the mistake of jumping back and forth in giving a pseudo believable explanation why things are like they are.You just get thrown right there in the middle of a wasteland a la mad max, leaving most of it pretty ambiguous, there is a short written narration in the opening credits but it's not very insightful nor should it be. The world is shown as a giant desert, small settlements here and there and overall it gives you a glimpse on how early civilizations might formed, the people dressed in robes. Bedouins and nomads trying to survive in this pretty meager environment.It is demonstrative and beautifully portrayed, the costumes are simplistic but great in design and efficiently put on display, Especially the Jugger attires are outstanding.Well what is the premise of the movie? It is the Juggers, who travel to from each settlement to play "the game". so what is this "game"? A wild mix of gladiatorial fighting, wrestling and classical ball games. Each player comes with their own attire, self made helmets, protection gear etc. Some teams feature a common theme, such as having blue stripes on their gear, fur helmets(...weird) among other things.Sounds bizarre but it is well thought off, convincing and seems like a very interesting sport. You can pretty much guess the rules by just watching it and despite all it's brutality it really does look like fun.So the story begins like this: The main protagonist Sallow(Hauer) is the leader of a clique of Juggers that travel to different settlements to play the game in oder to get recognized by the league and enter the challenge. In order to that they must collect jugs, which are dog skulls and serve as play ball for the game. you win a game you keep the skulls as trophies. In the movie it is never explained fully how many games a Jugger team must win to get a challenge.Sallow himself has long a history and was once an acclaimed league player but because of some unfortunate events he had to leave the league which is hosted by the decadent authorities located in each of the nine kingdoms.the nine Kingdoms are Municap enclaves that are kept in underground vaults which are hundreds of stories deep embedded in the ground, the last remains of the 20 th century.As the movie depict it it is comparable to ancient Rome or Babylon, instead of beauty though, we see a lot of scrap metal and factories, remains of high technology from the better days. the people were fine garments of silk, an is explained to be some sort of safe heaven and the closest thing to a normal functioning society.The settlements on the surface in comparison are consisting of no more then mere tents and fireplaces, water is scarce etc.While Sallows team is playing in one of the towns a local young woman named Kidda(Joan Chen) is eagerly observing, tired of field work, she joins the debacle as a substitute after one of the local team members gets beaten to pulp during the game.She becomes a force to be reckoned with injuring one of of Sallows teammates severely but in the end gets dominated by Sallow himself , overwhelmed by the ability of the bunch she then tries to follow their trail and join them...This movie is great for it is simplicity, the sport is brutal and violent but on the same level interesting to observe. The characters are fun to watch since all of them carry some unique visual aspects, Delroy Lindo's character Mbulu for example has some huge bulging scars on his cheek that make him look incredibly fierce some.Each of them look so very different from their attire and look in general, great costume design and make up work.You might have recognized that the plot itself is pretty basic and down to earth. It evolves wholly around the Juggers and their strive for recognition by the league. Each of them has their own motives and agendas why to do so, or not to do so.To be frank, only Sallow and Kidda's motives are wholly explained and overshadow the other protagonists ambitions by a long shot.The acting is on point, cheesy at times but it gets the job done.Nothing fancy here and certainly not great nor bad. Some do a better job then others. I thought the young Vincent D' Onofrio was a bit over the top at times, his character was overconfident and annoying but i guess that was supposed to be. Regardless, He is a fine actor.Joan Chen was dull but certainly her display of agility and martial arts made up for it. very impressive indeed and I think and her actions spoke more then words.Delroy Lindo on the other hand took a backseat on this one and beside his awesome appearance did not get enough screen time to show his true potential as the fine actor that he really is. Disappointing in a way but I blame it on the script.In Case of Rutger Hauer, who plays the main lead, I have to say he was good but nowhere near as great as in Bladerunner. He did a good job and made the movie enjoyable.Their interesting appearances stole the show as so did the phenomenal action and the cool concept of the game. Big Kudos to the actors for pulling off a convincing portray of a sport that does not exist. It looked almost to real in many instances.If you like violent action movies and post apocalypse then do not pass on this little gem. It deserves more recognition then it currently has.