AFTER DARK: BRUISER (2000)
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Written & Directed by George A. Romero Starring Jason Flemyng (Henry), Peter Stormare (Milos), Leslie Hope (Rosemary) and Tom Atkins (Detective McCleary) Bruiser is showing on Zone Horror Wednesday 29th April at 2.15am While Freeview genre channels are usually the den of crap full of straight-to-TV drek and mainstream rip-offs here Zone Horror have stumbled upon a gem. Even better, Bruiser is a film that is currently unavailable in the UK and since its release in 2000 has yet to materialise on R2 DVD. This is odd, because the film is the work of genre heavyweight George A. Romero, a man with a loyal following (thanks to countless zombie movies that began with 1968s Night of the Living Dead) and an eye for the everyday macabre. And like his Dead movies, Brusier is a savage satire on American mores; brutally attacking the countrys aspirational obsessions with his usual sledgehammer approach. The abandonment of self in favour of a commodified existence is Romero's key target here. The film tells the story of Henry Creedlow (Flemyng) a nobody office drone who works for the fashion magazine Bruiser. Both his boss (Stormare) and his wife (Nina Garbiras) treat him like something they stepped in (and screw around together behind his back). Henry of course knows all about this, but in his world: Bosses are entitled,And hes willing to put up with anything in his attempt to climb the ladder. Ysee Henry wants the good things in life nice house, nice car, good suit yknow the American Dream and all that. All that changes when Henry wakes up without a face. With his new anonymity he abandons his quest for middle-class comforts and instead embarks of a spree of bloody revenge. Henrys been a nobody all his life now hes going to put that to his advantage. The key motif of a faceless man (lifted from George Fanju's 1959 Les Yeux Sans Visage) is a far from subtle response to 21st century mans key dilemma. Henry wants to fit in, be a part of the crowd and suppresses his own personality less it threaten his feeble social standing. He attempts to craft a personality out of possessions and a beautiful wife; but these are just an empty façade (his wife despises him and his dream home is half finished). So (luckily for fans of Grand Guignol) Henry plays his frustrations out in bloody daydreams. He fantasises about blowing his own brains out and crushing a fellow commuters head under a train. He is bitterly aware of his predicament at one point he refers to himself as, Henry whats-his-name, but is too short-sighted to see a legitimate way out. So he chooses violence. When his face disappears, Henry plays out these fantasies in real life; smashing in the head of his thieving maid, throwing his wife out of a window and shooting up his conniving best friend:
Looks like you pissed yourself there, buddy, says Henry. Must be the stress; the stress of high finance.Visually Romero (who with films like Night became known for his verite camera style) is more like his old pal Dario Argento as he records with gusto the onscreen mayhem. The camera sweeps in and out and dances around Henry as he goes on his spree. It gives the film an operatic unreality, further emphasising it as a kind of modern day parable. While Flemyngs central performance is suitably low key, the rest of the cast add to the larger-than-life vibe. As Henrys Machiavellian boss, Peter Stormare is a force of nature he doesnt talk, he bellows and will fuck anything that move (literally and figuratively).
You telling me you never stuck your dick in another mans sandwich? he asks a bemused Tom Atkins.Bruiser is baroque and devilishly funny and its hard to see why the film has been overlooked for DVD distribution. But heres you chance, people. Grab a coffee and forget about work the next day tell the boss you were up late watching Bruiser. Why not? What are ya, some kind of faceless office drone? BRUISER is showing on Zone Horror Wednesday 29th April at 2.15am