After an eight-year absence George Romero, one of the horror film’s grand masters, returns. BRUISER doesn’t live up to Romero’s best work but it’s not a complete disaster, either. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait as long for Romero's next film!
The Package
The original NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, DAWN OF THE DEAD
and MARTIN are enough to insure George Romero a permanent place
in the horror movie hall of fame, but his more recent
efforts--DAY OF THE DEAD, MONKEY SHINES, the first segment of
the two part anthology
TWO EVIL EYES and THE DARK HALF--have
left me cold. Could it be that Romero, like fellow aging horror-meisters
John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper, is losing his touch?
Well, after nearly eight years and at least a dozen
aborted projects, Romero’s back with BRUISER (2000), a film he
wrote and directed the old-fashioned way: with a minimal budget
and a cast composed largely of unknowns (FARGO’S Peter Stormare
is the biggest "star"), thus allowing himself total control. The
result? As I said, it’s no disaster, but it isn’t exactly a
success, either.
The Story
Henry has problems: his wife doesn’t respect him, his
friends dump on him and, worst of all, he’s stuck in a job he
despises. He’s plagued by murderous visions that occur
unexpectedly throughout the movie’s first 20 or so minutes--it’s
clear this nutcase is going to snap, and it’s probably best not
to be around when he does!
What follows is a gorefest that falls somewhere between
DEATH WISH and HALLOWEEN. Romero is nothing if not intelligent,
and he was clearly trying to make a serious statement about
contemporary alienation; but his noble intentions are torpedoed
by clunky dialogue (such as Henry’s climactic declaration that "I
finally stood up for myself!") and a main character who, as
played (blandly) by Jason Flemying, doesn’t work as a Travis
Bickle-styled anti hero or Dirty Harry-styled avenging angel.
The Direction
This is quite a slick exercise, packed with extremely
well handled action and suspense sequences. The shock scenes, of
which there are quite a few, are flawlessly executed,
particularly the fantasy murders of the beginning, which come
without notice and are quite effective. Romero is still one of
the sharpest talents in the business, but I really wish he had
better material to work with.
Vital Statistics
BRUISER
Le Studio Canal
Director: George Romero
Producers: Peter Grunwald, Ben Barenholtz
Screenwriter: George Romero
Cinematography: Adam Swica
Editor: Miume Jan Eramo
Cast: Jason Flemying, Peter Stormare, Leslie Hope