The Daily Dig: Blue Vengeance (1989)

It’s punk rock versus heavy metal in “Blue Vengeance”, a fast-paced crime thriller shot guerilla-style in New York City.

A disgraced police officer chases a heavy metal-obsessed serial killer. Let’s dig into 1989’s BLUE VENGEANCE, directed by J. Christian Ingvordsen!

As I See It

I’ve always found it strange when directors step in front of the camera on their own movies. It doesn’t matter how big their star is.

It’s weird when Tarantino does it (though I find him amusing in most of his roles and especially good in Robert Rodriguez’s From Dusk Till Dawn). It’s weird when Scorsese does it.

All that said, it seems Chris Ingvordsen might have done this to save money.

Shot mostly without permits, the frugality seems to have hurt Blue Vengeance in the long run, as it’s reported that Jim Glickenhaus and his production company decided not to give it a home release in the U.S.

This is not to say Ingvordsen is terrible, but he hardly emotes and could have stood to stay behind the camera. His direction is tight, and surprisingly, the lack of permits to shoot didn’t seem to handcuff any locations.

Trax seems to take some inspiration from serial killer Richard Ramirez, also known as “The Night Stalker,” with his nihilistic, darkly poetic aphorisms.

I could smell CBGB when they walked in. It was a welcome bout of nostalgia, regardless of how run down the place was by the time I was able to experience it. Well beyond the glory days of early Punk/Hardcore/New Wave.

Tiffany’s punk rock stylings bring up the age-old war of Punk vs. Metal that permeated the early eighties music scene as the daydreaming metal head killer, Trax, spews fantastical lyrics, and they battle over who has the cooler leather jacket.

It’s a fun watch and definitely not the only Ingvordsen film in my queue.

Famous Faces

Chris Ingvordsen (Officer McCardle) starred in a lot of the movies he wrote and directed, including a series of “Frank White” films where he played the lead character in a spy action thriller — Covert Action, Shocktroop, and Comrade in Arms.

CBGB is widely considered the original home of punk. I’m lucky enough to have lived in New York and old enough to have experienced shows there. I’m not sure I can ever forget seeing Madball on such an altar.

Of Gratuitous Nature

For such a low-budget film that missteps with some casting choices, there is a strict adherence to pushing the story forward. That leaves little room for unnecessary scenes or asides to show off the actor’s physiques.

Heartthrob

Being the New Yorker I am, the accents sound normal to me. Fiery-haired Garland Hunter (Tiffany) looks like a punk princess and says “caw-fee,” just like everyone else I grew up with.

Ripe for a Remake

I’ll take anything with metal and punk at its core. Maybe we can do away with some of the procedural stuff, up the gore, and get some legit musical performances peppered in there to make it a good time.

Spawns

No progeny to report.

Where to Watch

Vinegar Syndrome put out a Blu-ray, of which the standard edition is still available, which includes a making-of documentary and interview with Chris Ingvordsen by longtime Fangoria/Rue Morgue editor Michael Gingold. You can stream Blue Vengeance on Tubi and Screambox.