Welcome to Blood City (1977)

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

I first watched this film with my neighbors about 40 years ago. We took this at the only video rental in town back then.To me, as a 10 year old, this film was always a mystery. I looked it up again a while ago to understand it better, and glad I found it.I wanted to review the sociological metaphors and moral again, now that I am getting close to 50.Of course, the acting, directing, and other effects are nothing like we find today, but back then it was a sure 10.Some ideas in this film are still unique, even today.This movie did not leave my mind for 40 years...

An initial look at the storyline of Welcome To Blood City screams :'Westworld rip-off!' As it happens, it's not really much like Westworld at all. Welcome To Blood City has a few good ideas and a decent score by Roy Budd, but is rather hampered by lacklustre handling.A number of strangers, all suffering some form of amnesia, wake up in a barren desert wasteland. They cannot remember how they got there or where they came from, but in their pockets they carry an unusual card which tells them how many people they have killed (even though, as far as they're aware, they have never killed anyone in their lives). The bewildered group start hiking in search of food, water and shelter. Soon they find themselves in Blood City, a violent town which seems to be based on an alternate wild west. The leader/sheriff of the town, Frendlander (Jack Palance) explains to them that, as newcomers, they can either choose to become slaves for one year (if they choose this, they will be protected from being killed) or they can refuse to become slaves and go it alone (this is a much riskier choice, as they will be fair game to be killed by another citizen). It turns out that Blood City has its own complicated laws and rules, with credits awarded for fair-fight killings, and immortality awarded to anyone who can successfully carry out twenty fair killings. One of the newcomers, Lewis (Keir Dullea) is determined to fight the system, and sets about striking back his own way. Meanwhile, it is made clear to us, the audience (though not to the inhabitants of Blood City) that the entire thing is an artificial reality – a game, almost – in which various people are being tested for their mental and physical resolve under dangerous circumstances, so that the best ones can be employed as government agents and assassins back in the modern world.Certainly weird, Welcome To Blood City unfortunately fails to be similarly wonderful. It's a near-miss more than anything else, a good idea which doesn't quite make the transition into a good full-length film. The concept of a virtual reality scenario in which human guinea pigs are put unknowingly through a dangerous game is quite intriguing, and there are interesting moments throughout the film. Dullea is OK as the 'hero' and Palance does his usual shifty-eyed, furtive, twitchy turn as the sinister sheriff. Samantha Eggar is rather wasted in a dual role as one of the citizens of Blood City and a laboratory technician in the 'real' world overseeing the experiment. The promising plot doesn't really develop into anything unfortunately – it's an idea that never really gets beyond the 'idea' stage. The resulting film that stems from it doesn't reach the heights of cleverness, thoughtfulness or excitement that one might have hoped for. Worth a look for its intriguing possibilities, but ultimately Welcome To Blood City is a bit of a disappointment.

A group of people suffering from amnesia find themselves as slaves in a savage Old West town that's really a virtual reality program designed to test how ruthless they all are. To get ahead in Blood City, one has to kill others. However, willful and sarcastic new arrival Lewis (a fine and likable performance by Kier Dullea) refuses to adhere to the rules. Director Peter Sasdy, working from an offbeat and intriguing script by Michael Winder and Stephen Schneck, relates the compelling story at a steady pace, presents a chilling portrait of a harsh world where random violence and brutality reigns supreme, and stages the shoot-outs with real flair. The sound acting by the able cast keeps the picture buzzing: Jack Palance has a villainous ball as fearsome local lawman Freedlander, Samanthan Eggar likewise does well as sultry and manipulative scientist Katherine, plus there are sturdy contributions from Hollis McLaren as the sweet and fetching Martine, Barry Morse as the stern project supervisor, Chris Wiggins as the vile Gellor, Henry Ramer as amiable bodyguard Chumley, Allan Royal as the pragmatic Peter, and John Evans as nerdy technician Lyle. Moreover, the nifty premise predates "The Matrix" with its concept of a computer-generated alternate reality, there's a genuine weirdness to the film that makes it engrossing throughout, and the filmmakers leave a good deal of the plot for the viewers to figure out on their own (for example, we never find out who exactly is behind the virtual reality program). Roy Budd's strong dramatic score rates as another major asset. Worth a watch.

A muddled attempt at an interesting premise - people are trained to perfect killers in a Wild West environment - which plays its trump card too early by revealing that Keir Dullea & friends are in a VR situation at the start, when it would have been more of a surprise to reveal it nearer the end, and we could have done with more of an explanation as to WHY the scientists are doing what they're doing and why the people involved have been selected. That said, the film just about keeps the viewer interested throughout, with the best performances coming from Dullea & Palance. It's all very similar, by the way, to "The Prisoner" episode "Living in Harmony", which also had its hero thrown into a VR wild-west scenario.