Bruiser (2000)

Director:

George A. Romero

Writer:

George A. Romero (writer)

Release Date:

13 February 2000 (Canada)

Genre:

Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

Revenge has no face.

Plot:

The young executive of a publicity agency Henry Creedlow is a man that has repressed morbid thoughts...

Plot Keywords:

Face | Revenge | Mask | Suicide | White Mask

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jason Flemyng	...	Henry Creedlow
Peter Stormare	...	Milo Styles
Leslie Hope	...	Rosemary Newley
Nina Garbiras	...	Janine Creedlow
Andrew Tarbet	...	James Larson
Tom Atkins	...	Det. McCleary
Jonathan Higgins	...	Det. Rakowski
Jeff Monahan	...	Tom Burtram
Marie Cruz	...	Number 9
Beatriz Pizano	...	Katie Saldano
Tamsin Kelsey	...	Mariah Breed
Kelly King	...	Gloria Kite
Susanne Sutchy	...	Colleen
Balázs Koós	...	Chester
Jean Daigle	...	Faduah

Also Known As:

Bruiser (France)
Devil's Mask (Philippines: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, violence, language and some drug use.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

France | Canada | USA

Language:

English | Spanish

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Sweden:15 | South Korea:18 | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Italy:T | Philippines:PG-13 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Canal+

Trivia:

George Romero directed the video "Scream" for the Misfits and the only payment he wanted was them to appear in "Bruiser" along with 2 original songs.

Quotes:

[after Katie issues several insults to Henry in Spanish, he responds in the same language]
Katie Saldano: I didn't know you speak Spanish.
Henry Creedlow: I'm full of surprises.

Movie Connections:

References Les yeux sans visage (1960)

Blue Velvet's Nicer Nephew

But not in the way we were led to suspect from the packaging. If you believe the box, Bruiser is a thrilling joy ride from acclaimed director Romero, or something like that.

What Bruiser really is is psychological melodrama/thriller, mixed in with some wicked black comedy. Jason Flemying is excellent as Henry, and Stormare surprised me incredibly as the flamboyant, bad-ass publisher of the in-movie magazine, entitled (what else?) "Bruiser."

I've grown used to seeing character actor Stormare in character roles, usually benign or slightly creepy (Dancer In The Dark, Million Dollar Hotel), and Flemying as vaguely menacing (Lock,, Stock; From Hell), but here both actors play against their normal image to reveal great depths of skill...both are totally believable in their roles, which adds a lot to the film.

For those who know nothing about it...Flemying plays a mag exec who is downtrodden and stomped on by nearly everybody...Romero really makes you feel the depths of Hell this poor guy's in. One day, he wakes up to find that his face has been replaced by a featurless white mask...what does this say about his identity? Who IS this faceless man?

Over the rest of the film, Flemying and Romero explore the subject ruthlessly (with plenty of violence, of course, because, well, this is George Romero here)...and the viewer is left with a conundrum similar to the end of a Lynch film: Did this happen? And if it happened, well...what next?

For lovers of challenging film, this one is a keeper....bizarre, disturbing, and ultimately meaningful, this is Blue Velvet's benign nephew. Go see it or rent it ASAP.