Brutal (2014) User Reviews

I was unfortunate

[allenandginter · 2/10 · 20 May 2016]

I was unfortunate to be suckered in by the shill rating above of a 7.2 that is now a 7 and should be a solid 3 in the weeks to come.

It is a sad state of affairs when a horrid film is pushed, as a favor to friends of cast, writers, producers, etc in order to dupe people who will STILL find the rating false and the movie pure crap

This is sort of like how elections run, I suppose. People claim a thing, tell you it is great then when you are exposed to it yourself you realize it was one big lie

So

Bad acting

HORRID effects

POOR writing

Silly combat

...and, again, a shilled rating that does not reflect the true trash this piece is

Indie fighting

[Leofwine_draca · 2/10 · 2 October 2017]

BRUTAL is a pointless little indie film with sci-fi touches. It involves a couple of men who are held prisoner in futuristic white rooms and forced to fight against their will against each other in brutal cage fights which their captor utilises for entertainment value. Fans of brutal action might enjoy some of the violence depicted here, but overall I found this impossible to like. It's set-bound and near plot less; it might have worked well as a 10 minute short, but stretched to feature length, it's a real bore.

It's Brutal, as in you'll lose brain cells.

[sparrows-misery · 1/10 · 21 May 2016]

I immediately starting laughing at how bad this is when it started. Couldn't even finish it. Super B grade, and super terrible. False reviews on here. But feel free to go waste your time and see for yourself.

The very beginning scene has two dudes fighting and the terrible sound effects of the punches are hilarious. The fake punches, the shaky "action" camera. I tried to sit through it but it was just so lame that I literally almost died. I don't even know what actor would seriously agree to being in this film. It is worse than Sci-Fi movies that are made for TV, and you know those are pretty cheesy.

terrible movie

[dinglinfeng3000 · 1/10 · 21 May 2016]

terrible movie and completely waste of time to watch it. Could not continue to watch it after 15 minutes....Don't really trust IMDb ratings now since more and more over rates for cheap movies. Don't think this movie deserve a rating. And don't know where and how the 6.7 rate come from and from who. This is really bad for watch and worse of all, waste of time. IMDb should be responsible for these kind of ratings . because it misleading and misreport the good rated movies should be. People involved in the over ratings should be banned from future voting , which also include the same account with same IP address. What everybody think ?

How Did This Get Made?

[blakestoudt · 1/10 · 22 May 2016]

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.

You're just like all the others

[nogodnomasters · 1/10 · 5 December 2017]

Two boring characters pummel each other in a cage match for a steak and peas dinner. The fights are bloody knuckles and smashed faces. The first one lasted a ridiculous 8 minutes. However, if you missed that they fight again and again in The Arena (Star Trek Gorn reference).

They are apparently held by aliens with a lot of white paint. The acting and dialogue was bad and the idea has been done. Recommend "The Human Race" instead.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity. Pole dancer.

Brutal, and thats no understatement

[gjh-alliedfabs · 9/10 · 10 February 2014]

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.

Captivating

[kenbodiford · 10/10 · 10 July 2020]

What a great flick....wonderful graphics and acting. So realistic!!!

Like an ultra violent Twilight Zone episode!

[custservacademic · 8/10 · 10 July 2020]

I saw this movie online and thought it was really well done for what it is. It's low budget but has lots of action. The story made me feel like I was watching an old Twilight Zone episode, which being a sci-fi fan made me really love it. It's slow at times, but the action scenes, the brutality and effects more than make up for the sometimes off pacing. i don't agree with some of the other reviews that said it had bad acting. The acting was great. The fight choreography was really well done. There are more than a couple scenes in there that will make you flinch from the blood and gore. If you like sci-fi, Twilight Zone, and fight movies, give this a shot. Don't go in thinking your watching a billion dollar blockbuster from one of the studios and you'll have a good time.

Brutal - Be ready for some splatter, don't wear white!

[john-920-697652 · 9/10 · 10 February 2014]

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!

Very original concept, amazing fight scenes.

[judkinssteve · 9/10 · 21 January 2014]

I was fortunate to attend the screening of Brutal in late 2013. I was very impressed with the films originality. A concept I have not seen before. The fight scenes were as the title suggested "Brutal" the actors were obviously trained fighters as some of the stunts were very clearly done by them.

The story was a times heart breaking and at other times intensely dramatic. Great performances by the leads as well as the supporting cast. The actress who played the mother was very believable and gave the story a real heart.

Morgan Benoit who played the younger of the two lead actors is a name to watch out for. I have seen him in a couple of films now and his fight skills matched with some good acting chops should see him go from strength to strength.

Overall I thought Brutal was great. I think it will do very well on an international scale as the film is not heavy on dialogue and the fight scenes will keep any action/fight fan on the edge of their seat.

Abducted without explanation, two men are forced into a daily steel cage brawl testing their will to live.

[rg-gaber · 9/10 · 17 February 2014]

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!

Title Is Entirely Accurate

[billoberstjr · 10/10 · 29 January 2014]

I saw this film at its Los Angeles premiere at the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. If the action sequence that opens BRUTAL doesn't get your attention, you're dead. From moment one, the audience is drawn into the hellishly surreal world into which a mysterious force has dropped Trevor (Morgan Benoit) and Derrick (Jeff Hatch.)

BRUTAL combines some of the most balls-to-the-wall fight choreography you've ever seen (Benoit and Hatch's bone-crunching fights are so realistic that they are simultaneously hard to watch and hard to turn away from,) a sci-fi undercurrent and a nuanced lead performance that should, by all rights, make Morgan Benoit a star.

BRUTAL cuts across the genres, and Donald Flaherty's mix of Twilight Zone-esque mystery and raw brutality makes for a fascinating ride.

Fun sci-fi action flick with lots of blood!

[guido_k-53538 · 9/10 · 22 July 2020]

This is an Indi film that I watched a screening of a few years back. It reminds me of some old school sci-fi flics I would watch growing up. It's not a big budget action drama that seems to be made every five minutes these days. It has a solid story that I have to admit was a little confusing at first but all gets tied up in the end. Lots of great fight scenes with really good choreography. The camera angles put you in the action for most of those fights and there are a lot of them! Some gore no nudity although there was one scene that I was hoping for a little skin but alas it was for not, bummer. Other than that, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a late night action flic. It's certainly better that anything Steven Segal has put out in decades.

Brutal packs a bloody good punch

[MelodyMooney · 10/10 · 8 June 2016]

Watching a sci-fi thriller with out as much action just seems Brutal. Big hats off the the director and the actors and of course the stars, the stunt coordinators for putting together this gem of a indie film. It is being hailed and awarded by the MMA world as well as the online horror film community. It is one you will be both covering your eyes to watch as well as not looking away. The tone reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode in all the good ways. It will leave you with questions and thinking about it for days to come. The acting is as solid as the hits and the fight scenes are indeed Brutal as the title promises. It is a violent ride but one that also pauses to accept man's nature and just how much we can endure.

Looking forward to more work from this director and team!