Bruiser

Many people think that George Romero hit his stride with the Dead Trilogy and everything else is just filler. I'd like to say that is complete and utter crap. George has pumped out numerous great films like Creepshow, The Crazies, Monkey Shines and Martin as well as some killer commercials in Japan for Resident Evil 2. He is also responsible for one of the best movies of recent years, Bruiser.

In this film, Henry (played by Jason Flemyng) is an ad exec for a women's magazine run by a domineering and emasculating boss named Milo. Henry is married to a cheating gold digger and is being ripped off by his best friend. After a particularly hectic night, he wakes up and finds that his face has been replaced with an emotionless white mask. With his identity missing, Henry seeks to reclaim it by revenging himself on those who have done him wrong.

Bruiser is a beautiful character study that lets us look into the soul of a man much like ourselves, a man who is just getting by and not living the life he dreamed and shows us what can happen when we fail ourselves and offers us a chance to seek redemption now before we must seek blood later. It plays off like a simple revenge fantasy, and it truly is one, but it is more the story of finding yourself.

A great story and a great cast pull this movie out way ahead of the mediocre American Beauty, which had similar themes but a lower body count and didn't feature the Misfits as a club band. It's a shame this movie didn't see a theatrical release and the dvd cover makes it look like just another direct to video slasher, which it is far from. Also included on the dvd is the Misfits' Scream video, which George directed and features some great zombies and one of the better zombie experiences you'll find in recent years. Check it out.