smatysia Part psychological thriller, with just a bit of sci-fi, it really never does work. Joseph Bottoms was pretty boring as the lead. Kirstie Alley was pretty good, and this film DOES have her only known topless scene. (There is a long feature on the director on the DVD which contains some additional footage of this scene.) The late Lana Clarkson was good enough here, and Marina Sirtis looked fantastic as the hooker. Keir Dullea was simply wasted on this material. The biggest plot hole had to do with the special effects (which really weren't all that special). The grid outlines that Jonathan Ratcliffe (Bottoms) were able perceive simply weren't nearly good enough for him to get around as well as he did. And I mean walking about, we don't even have to go as far as the driving scene. Also, he really wasn't very convincing as a blind man. Poor screenplay plus poor acting equals poor movie. The only reason to check this one out is if you are interested in Alley. Grade: D-

kevin44 This is an excellent film. The thing that struck me first was that this was a serial killer flick in which the police hardly figure at all, you see them once or twice from a distance. You have two stories running in parallel until finally, and inevitably, they cross.The second thing that really got me thinking is that our agent of justice probably got the wrong man. The evidence we have is far too circumstantial and would have been thrown out by any right minded jury, if the judge had not already dismissed the case.Was the real killer driving the cab from which Kirstie Alley's character fled?The character of Jonathan Ratcliff is interesting because, whatever his virtues might be, he is also a stalker. And we discover that when he is blinded there is no physical reason for his disability. On some subconscious level he has chosen not to see, and when he is given a device which enables him to see, after a fashion, it is in black and white and works on the same principle as sonar, that is it reflects back the signals he sends. He no longer sees the whole picture, and neither do we.The concept of blind Justice is on one level a reassuring one since everyone is equal irrespective of race, creed, power etc.. However, on the other hand, Justice is blind! This could mean that it cannot differentiate between the innocent and the guilty.In the film the character of Jonathan Ratcliff is living out a fantasy, when at the end he is asked by the woman he has just 'rescued' what his name is he replies, 'A friend': like a guardian angel or a comic book superhero. He is a voyeur who has been forced to take a role, to follow a destiny and he shapes that destiny himself.The film itself is well put together and there are some wonderful Hitchcockian touches, especially in the way it exploits the blindness of the central character and the limitations and possibilities of the electronic device that substitute for his eyes.I rate this film 8 out of 10, very thought provoking.

gridoon "Blind Date" is an OK little thriller that takes place in an unusual setting (Athens). It has:a)A pretty shaky plot. Although the initial idea, that of a blind man being able to see through a device that transmits images directly to the brain, seems vaguely plausible, the way the hero literally stumbles upon a maniacal killer, and the way he can remember things by "connecting" his brain to an Atari video-game machine (!), is just too much of a coincidence.b)Plenty of gratuitous female nudity. It seems that EVERY single female character in the movie had to disrobe in front of the camera (usually just before being killed). c)Acceptable (for 1984) special effects - except for one quick attempt at gore that is unintentionally funny (a blood-spraying knife?).Not a great film by any means, but time passes....(**)

Commando-2 Blind Date tells the story of Jonathon Radcliffe, who on recovering from an accident that left him without sight, finds himself an integral part in the mystery of a series of grisly murders in Athens.Nico Mastorakis is one of the best cult film makers of the eighties, and its for movies like this that show why.A brilliantly subtle Hitchcokian idea, but better, it is full of interesting scenes, if not suspenseful moments. The acting is good but is brought down by the performances of the killer's targets.Not for everyone, but a real overlooked classic.I only want to know what happened to the proposed sequel promised at the end, that says Jonathon Radcliffe will return in 'Run, Stumble and Fall.'