Bruiser Review

Written by: 4thHorseman   

Romero is best known for the gore and legendary status that are his Living Dead series. Not many directors have been able to touch him when it comes to his horror directing, and he deserves the credit for movies he's done. Bruiser is a lil different take from his other horror movies, but definately worth the Romero stamp of greatness.

Bruiser is about a man named Henry who is a pushover in life. Nothing goes his way, his boss is having an affair on his wife, his wife treats him poorly, and he is the nice guy that always tends to finish last. He tends to get visions of killing people from time to time, because his rage tends to get the best of his mind. One morning after his wife tells him he's a boring asshole, he wakes up and looks in the mirror to notice his face has turned into a blank white "mask". He tries to take it off, with no luck whatsoever, because it is now his face. So when the housekeeper comes in, he still believes it's a vision, but after the murder happens, he realizes it's entirely real. So throughout the movie, it's basically him seeking revenge against the people making his life a living hell, and he does it under the "faceless" killer...

Like originally said, it is definately a Romero film. The film itself and flow of the movie is very smooth and well directed. However, unlike his past successes, he doesn't rely as much on blood and gore. Even without it though, he is successful when it comes to making a great movie. The characters are very well played and believable, the story is catchy and interesting, and the whole "mask/face" thing is very disturbing to see because it's so different. Definately a change from his other movies, but still extremely well done.

Bruiser will not be rated anywhere near Romero's Living Dead series, but it's a movie people should see. If you expect to see anything like his other films, you will be disappointed. It's a weird, high paced movie with (like most Romero films) a lesson to be learned at the very end. While most movies tend to entertain, George does that AND teach a moral. That is why Romero has become one of the masters of horror, and a lot of directors can learn that not all horror movies need to rely on blood and guts. Bruiser is a great movie to show this, and I hope that all experience this fantastic piece of cinematic artwork.