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Bruiser AKA Devil's Mask (Blu-ray)
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray B - United Kingdom - Powerhouse Films Review written by and copyright: Rick Curzon (4th July 2024). |
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The Film
 Horror legend George A Romero (Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead) directs Jason Flemyng (Snatch, Pennyworth), Peter Stormare (Fargo), and Leslie Hope (24) in the devastating and deranged Bruiser. Unhappy with both his homelife and his career, Henry (Flemyng) is plagued by violent fantasies. When he wakes up to find his face replaced by a featureless mask, he sets about exacting violent punishment on those who have wronged him. Featuring music by celebrated composer Donald Rubinstein (Martin, Knightriders), and including an appearance by legendary punk band the Misfits, Bruiser was hailed by critics and fans alike as a triumphant return to independent filmmaking for Romero.
Video
One of Romero's more unusual and oddball projects and one that had eluded me until now. It's well made and mostly well played but the satire is heavy handed and I found the film predictable. Still, it's interesting and not quite like anything else I've seen; it does slightly recall the Creepshow tale "The Crate" that Romero made in '82, at least in the violent day dreams. There are elements of the nebbish taking revenge and visually the masked hero Henry (Jason Flemyng) recalls comic heroes like Diabolik ... in a strange way. Peter Stormare does one of his over the top turns chewing scenery as Milo, hero Henry's sleazoid boss. Part of the problem is that the people that wrong Henry are so broadly drawn, there's no subtlety ... but that's not a new criticism for Romero and his attempts at satire. The makeup done for Flemying's masked face is simple and effective and frankly is the most striking element along with Donald Rubistein's jazzy score. Once Henry starts killing off the cartoons the film kicks up a gear; they scenes of violence are satisfying (with flashes of gore) because the villains are so odious. Good, not great Romero. From the booklet: Bruiser was restored in 4K HDR from the original negative by Studiocanal. The film’s original 5.1 surround sound and 2.0 stereo audio tracks were remastered at the same time.The colour palette is at times pale, naturalistic with ruddy flesh tones and at other times pretty vivid with greens and blues prominent, reds stand out when they appear and occasionally we get some splashes of other colours like pink in the scenes set in the magazine offices and at the club sequence towards the end. Delineation is good despite the slightly soft look of the original cinematography. It's a fairly bright film most of the time so detail is very good, black levels are nicely handled when they appear with some intended crush on occasion and contrast os low key and supportive. There are plenty of pale highlights and detail is always present. Grain is light and beautifully handled by the encode. No signs of digital tinkering. A strong transfer ('A'). 1080p24 / AVC MPEG-4 / BD50 / 1.85:1 / 99:38
Audio
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Stereo (48kHz, 24-bit) Subtitles: English HoH The soundtrack is about as strong as the original sound design will allow. The 5.1 is the way to go because it's a very sympathetic expansion of the original Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track. It's mostly spread across the front but the score and action scenes have nice directionality. LFE is adequate and occasionally the subwoofer kicked in the action kill sequences. Hard of hearing subtitles are flawless; soundtrack options are good as can be given the original sound design ('A').
Extras
Audio commentary with writer-director George A. Romero and producer Peter Grunwald (2000) This track dates from the 2000 US DVD and is a good track by two key makers of the film not long after they made it so the anecdotes are fresh in their minds. As a result it's chatty, lively and filled with stories from the set and plenty of good natured bonhomie. Presented in English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 192Kbps). Archival Interview with George A. Romero: Conducted by James Blackford, 8 November 2013, in London" 2013 audio interview (43:42) Superb, vintage interview with Romero by disc producer Blackford. His career gets covered with plenty of interesting information. Presented in English Dolby Digital 2.0 mono with no subtitles (48kHz, 192Kbps). "The Worm That Turned: Kim Newman on Bruiser" 2024 interview (11:44) "Behind the Mask: Jason Flemyng on Bruiser" 2024 interview (9:26) "A Perfect Fit: Dr. Chud on Bruiser" 2024 interview (8:59) "Introduction by Jean-Baptiste Thoret" 2022 introduction (10:15) Collectively 40:24 worth of new and recent featurettes / interviews which provide some great context and appraisal of this largely forgotten film. Newman's piece is his usual excellent overview, the other 2024 pieces being interviews with two who worked on the film, both interesting and engaging if relatively brief. The 2022 Thoret piece hails from a French release and is in French Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo with optional English subs, the others are in English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo (all are 48kHz, 192kbps). Presented in 1080p24 1.78:1. "Bruiser Soundtrack Demo by Dr. Chud" 1999 unused track (1:17) Brief demo of the soundtrack set to stills. Presented in LPCM 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 16-bit) Theatrical Trailer (1:30) French Theatrical Trailer (1:31) Two vintage trailers presented in 1080p24 1.85:1 with LPCM 2.0 stereo (48kHz, 16-bit for the standard trailer, 24-bit for the French). The French also has optional English subtitles. Bruiser Image Gallery: Original Promotional Material (106 images) Extensive HD gallery. 80-page liner notes book with a new essay by Craig Ian Mann, archival interviews and magazine articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses and full film credits Superb hard copy companion provides plenty of context and frankly more writing on this film than it's ever had before, at least as far as I've come across.
Packaging
Not sent for review.
Overall
Romero's rarist film gets the deluxe treatment and fills the gaps in many fan's Blu-ray Romero library. Image, sound and extras are all well up to par. Unmissable, get the limited edition whilst you can. One of the discs of the year, certainly for Romero buffs of which I count myself as one ('A').
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