BRUTAL centers on Trevor (Morgan Benoit), abducted from his backyard at the age of fifteen by an unseen alien presence. Forced into nearly two decades of no-holds-barred fights against other abductees inside an unearthly mixed martial arts arena, Trevor has evolved from an innocent boy into a brutal fighting machine. Derek, (Jeff Hatch) an ambulance chasing lawyer, is the latest lab-rat abductee forced to fight Trevor. As the two men exchange ever-increasing beating over the course of weeks and months, the brutality of their existence and the true nature of their humanity is slowly revealed. With elements of THE TWILIGHT ZONE and THE PRISONER, BRUTAL explores through science fiction, allegory and psychological drama, man’s violent nature and our propensity to commit unthinkable acts of violence against each other. Yet through this prism of brutality our capacity to love one another, even in the worst of circumstances is celebrated.
Reviews
I somehow made it all the way to the unoriginal and empty ending. There really is nothing good about this movie. It is the same garbage over and over, with minimal change or development. The acting is increasingly bad with each scene, like worse than an free intro to acting class. The production and music are equally bad; both are rushed and try so very hard to achieve something but fantastically fail.I cant believe this movie was even made. Did ANYONE view it before giving it the OK? There is a 41 minute episode of Star Trek that covers this essential plot and does it with more intelligence and substance.Worse than TV-only movies by far. All positive reviews of this movie are fake. Very few movies I wish I never would have come across. This tops the list.
Brutal is a rare look into man's violent nature, set against the backdrop of an MMA style fighting ring, brilliantly contrasting ones will to survive with the need to connect. Director Donald Flaherty finds a unique platform on which to explore mans psyche, and delivers a deeper meaning to the title "Brutal", as his story unfolds with toe curling fight scenes, chest pounding blood baths, naked moments of innocence, arresting performances, and humor in the most unlikely of places. The stark set design helps to magnify the strength as well as the fragility of his lead characters.An intriguing moral tale not to be missed!
First let me say that the movie is very appropriately titled, from the very start the action in this film is a display of total Brutality! If this was filmed in 3D, I believe I would have been covered in blood. I was sitting in my seat thinking "this can't get more brutal" and then sure enough, "splat, pop, eye gouge"! The opening had my attention, I was enthralled and determined to figure out what was happening. Why were these characters in a continuous blood drenched battle? The way the movie unfolded was very artistic and I could see how Mr. Flaherty has matured and grown from his last movie. I also want to say that Jeff Hatch gave a great performance, as did Morgan Benoit!
Fantastic action shots, opening with a dramatic "ouch moment" that has you looking away. The film keeps you interested all the way through as you gradually watch the plot evolve and see the change in direction and attitude of all the characters. Light hearted moments are in there, but as the title suggests, its not supposed to be a laugh a minute film. The action shots are well filmed and very realistic. The plot certainly isn't a straight forward "violence only" film. It has a gentler side that caused a deal of debate after watching it. Which is great because it obviously offers different things to different people, dependant on your perception of the story. Great movie, well worth the watch.
