Bruiser (2000)
Bruiser is the story of a man who has always tried to fit in. He keeps his mouth shut, follows the rules, and does what he's supposed to do. But one morning, he wakes up to find his face is gone. All the years of acquiescence have cost him the one thing he can't replace: his identity. Now he's a blank, outside as well as in, an anonymous, featureless phantom. Bent on exacting revenge, he explodes. He isn't going to follow the rules anymore.
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One of my all time favorites.
Captivating movie !
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
Henry Creedlow (Jason Flemyng) is a meek and mild type who tends to let other people take advantage of him. As this story develops, he loses his wife Janine (Nina Garbiras), his job at "Bruiser", which is apparently some sort of lifestyle magazine, and his whole identity, his normal face replaced with blank, mask like makeup. After this, Henry decides that enough is enough. He starts getting revenge on those who have wronged him, including a supposed "friend", James Larson (Andrew Tarbet), Janine, and his extravagant boss, played to the hammy hilt by Peter Stormare. Soon, detectives played by Jonathan Higgins and the eternally cool Tom Atkins pick up his trail.This being a George A. Romero feature - and his first since the 1991 adaptation of Stephen Kings' novel "The Dark Half" - it isn't without interest. The main problem is that it does get tiring and annoying at times, especially when indulging in the eccentricities of Stormare and his decadent employees. Even so, it is amusing to see Romero inject so much blatant humour into one of his films. "Bruiser" is at its best when focusing on the torment experienced by Henry, and Flemyng is a good enough actor to both carry this film and earn some empathy. Early on we get a sense of what Henry goes through with a little fantasy sequence.Those expecting more of a typical horror movie will likely be disappointed with this one. The body count is minimal, as well as the gore. Atkins is a joy to have on hand, as always; Stormare is very good although his character quickly wears out his welcome. Leslie Hope does a decent job as Rosemary, the boss's wife who puts up with too much of her husbands' garbage.An okay watch overall, but it does earn an extra point for the concert performance by legendary horror / punk band The Misfits, who figure prominently on the soundtrack.Six out of 10.
After years of being tread upon and cheated on, a man awakens to find his face has a been replaced by an blank, white mask.I have always appreciated Romero for his non-zombie films. Sure, he will always be known as the zombie guy, and his first three (Night, Dawn, Dead) are masterpieces. But he just keeps going... while some of his lesser known films ("Monkey Shines" and "Martin") are among his best work. This, too, is probably the last good film he made (as of 2013).Apparently, due to marketing it as horror, what resulted was the film going straight-to-video. I get that, but I do not know how to say this is not horror. I see it is a drama of sorts, but there is no denying the blood and supernatural elements.Peter Stormare is excellent (one of the best character actors alive) and, of course, Tom Atkins is the best part of the film. Tom is such a nice guy, it is a pleasure to see him excel.
I thought Bruiser was going to be about a normal guy who loses the plot and goes mental with revenge.But instead we have terrible acting from Jason Felmyng. A lot of it reminded me of a theatrical.As others have said, it lacks punch, direction and interest.It is very badly acted, and reminded me a C-movie you would see early into the hours of the morning had you been unable to sleep that night.The idea for the mask was just ridiculous. And it looked ridiculous. The way the guy planned his murders was just pathetic. A guy who was intent on a murder rampage would just do it all in one day or night, but instead our main character gives a little speech before each murder.What a bore this movie was. Do not waste your time on it.
Odd George Romero film that barely was released originally and barely written up until home video is change of pace for the horror master, but its also a clear indication of Romero's limitations as a director. Feeling more like his misfire There's Always Vanilla/ Season of the Witch this is the story of a magazine executive who is being raked over the coals by everyone in his life. Waking up with a featureless mask for a face he decides to get revenge on those who wronged him. Feeling unremarkable and like almost any other independent film this is a cookie cutter film. Frankly had Romero not directed it I don't think it would have gotten any notice what so ever. The craft of the film has no spark and is extremely run of the mill and unimaginative. Watching it its clear that Romero directed it, there is something about the way his films look and feel,and comparing this film to his other films makes everything else he's done all the more surprising. Why do many of his other films work and this one doesn't? I don't know. Removing his Stephen King adaptations and zombie films I think its pure dumb luck that everything comes together. Here he's got an intriguing idea but how Romero tells the story just lays on the table like a dead fish. Its not a complete waste of a film, there are some interesting ideas about identity and the cast is good, but its also really dull. Lower tier Romero and for fans only.