Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.0

Bruiser 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 13, 2024

George A. Romero's "Bruiser" (2000) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by George A. Romero and Peter Grunwald; new program with Jason Flemyng; new program with ex-Misfits drummer Dr. Chud; new program with critic Kim Newman; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Henry Creedlow’s (Jason Flemyng) life is a nightmare. His wife, Janine (Nina Garbiras), has started telling him straight to his face that he is a loser and cannot stand him anymore. Their housemaid has begun stealing with him present in the house. Even though his best friend (Andrew Tarbet) has been managing his portfolio, he has run out of cash. For a long time, at Bruiser Magazine, his boss, Miles Style (Peter Stormare), has been treating him like a talking object, too.

On a morning like every other morning, Henry finally snaps, kills the lying housemaid, puts on a plastic mask, and exits the large suburban house that he is soon going to lose because he can no longer pay its mortgage. With the gun that has permanently solved his housemaid problem, Henry then heads to his office at Bruiser Magazine, where he discovers that his boss has been secretly meeting his wife. While his boss argues with his ex-wife, Henry helps his cheating wife jump out the window with a cord wrapped around her neck. With the plastic mask still on his face, Henry quietly disappears.

One does not need to have seen hundreds of thousands of different genre films to figure out what Henry’s next several moves might be. So, let’s move straight to the final act, featuring Henry’s most elaborate move. In a warehouse temporarily transformed into a massive nightclub, Henry sets up a giant freak show and lures his coked-up boss. While the freaks are having a good time, Henry transforms his boss into the star of the night.

Written and directed by legendary director George A. Romero in 2000, Bruiser unites several solid character actors but is an unfortunate misfire. It looks cheap, rushed, and frequently even amateurish, much like filler content commissioned for a recently launched streaming service. Naturally, it is fair to speculate that Romero was either not fully in control of it or not fully committed to it.

The bulk of the material sells Flemyng’s character as a broken man who has been forced to become a psychopath but is really a victim of an inhumane system rewarding and protecting cheaters and abusers. It is an old and very ineffective trick to justify the existence of graphic visuals and clichéd political messaging, so it is disappointing to see that Romero tried it, too. But this is not why Bruiser does not work. There is just not enough quality in it.

Nevertheless, the final act could have made a big difference if Romero had done it right. Only here, for a short period of time, it becomes difficult to guess what Flemyng’s character will choose to do next. However, the mayhem in the nightclub is only a collection of short, mostly random acts, and only one features somewhat decent performers and effects. (A year after Romero completed Bruiser, French helmer Antoine de Caunes made Love Bites. While not a masterpiece, Love Bites creates quite a special atmosphere with wild characters exactly like the ones seen in the nightclub, which is why it is worth seeing).

Ultimately, Bruiser is difficult to recommend even to hardcore Romero fans. It is not reflective of his style and does not produce the thrills one would expect from a film he scripted and directed. It is an oddity that only damages his reputation.

Indicator/Powerhouse Films presents Bruiser on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray from a recent 4K remaster. In native 4K, Bruiser can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades.

Bruiser 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Indicator/Powerhouse Films' 4K Blu-ray release of Bruiser does not have a Blu-ray copy. If you need one, you should consider picking up this release. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-B "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc, including the actual color values of this content.

Screencaptures #1-23 are from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #27-31 are from the 4K Blu-ray.

In native 4K, the film can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. I spent time with large portions of the 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray as well.

The overall quality of the visuals is very, very good, which of course should not be surprising given that the film was completed in 2000. All visuals with plenty of bright light, natural and artificial, look particularly good. Color reproduction is terrific. In fact, some colors are so lush that they tend to give certain visuals a very modern digital quality that I cannot say I liked. Image stability is excellent. The only area where some visuals reveal minor inconsistencies is the big nightclub party. Here, I spotted minor encoding anomalies, though the camera tends to move quickly and hide them pretty well. Also, I compared the same sequences in native 4K and 1080p. I prefer how the darker footage looks in native 4K, but some of the daylight footage looks better in 1080p. Regardless, I think that both presentations are equally pleasing.

Bruiser 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. I thought that it was flawless. Balance is excellent and clarity and sharpness are exceptional. However, in multiple areas, and especially in the end, I thought that a lot could have been done with the sound design to create more excitement. There are no encoding anomalies to report in our review.

Bruiser 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this archival audio commentary, George A. Romero and Peter Grunwald explain how Bruiser was conceived and how and where many sequences were shot (with comments about what was or wasn't changed from the screenplay to screen transition), Peter Stormare's hilarious improvisations, the film's wicked sense of humor (in select areas), the important role music has in it, etc.

• Archival Interview with George A. Romero - in this archival interview, George A. Romero discusses the evolution of his career and the filming of Night of the Living Dead, as well as the importance of gore in his films and the creative environment for independent filmmakers in America. The interview was conducted in London on November 8, 2013. In English, not subtitled. (44 min).

• Jason Flemyng: Behind the Mask - in this new program, Jason Flemyng explains how his performance in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels earned him his part in Bruiser and talks about what it was like to work with George A. Romero during the production of Bruiser. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Dr. Chud: A Perfect Fit - in this new program, ex-Misfits drummer Dr. Chud talks discusses the music he composed for Bruiser and a souvenir he picked up from the set of a key sequence. The Misfits can be seen performing in the nightclub at the end of the film. In English, not subtitled. (9 min).

• The Worm That Turned - in this new program, critic Kim Newman discusses Bruiser and explains why for years it was one of the easiest George A. Romero film to skip. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Introduction by Jean-Baptiste Thoret - in this recent program, French critic Jean-Baptiste Thoret introduces Bruiser. In French, with English subtitles. (11 min).

• Bruiser Soundtrack Demo - presented courtesy of Dr. Chud. (2 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage theatrical trailer for Bruiser. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Image Gallery - a collection of original promotional materials for Bruiser.

• Book - limited edition exclusive 80-page book with a new essay by Craig Ian Mann, archival interviews and magazine articles, an overview of contemporary critical responses, and full film credits.

Bruiser 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Plenty of good intentions, not enough quality. It is why Bruiser does not work. Peter Stormare's improvisations produce a few decent moments, but the overwhelming majority of the material in it is of the type that today you would expect to see from a recently launched streaming service. It is generic, instantly forgettable, impossible to associate with George A. Romero. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' 4K Blu-ray release treats Bruiser as a genuine cult film, so if you are a Romero completist, consider picking it up, but you will not be incredibly disappointed only if you approach it with the proper expectations. A separate Blu-ray release is available as well.