The Oscar winner's directorial debut, in which she stars, focuses on a disgraced MMA fighter's return to the ring while she tries to repair her family relationships.
The original screenplay centered on a 21-year-old white woman. When Berry expressed interest in the project, screenwriter Michelle Rosenfarb was willing to rework the material to fit a protagonist who’s an older Black woman. As Jackie, Berry holds the screen in close-up and refuses to surrender to sentimentality as she exposes Jackie’s angry, self-destructive tendencies. The opening scene, in which Jackie is working as a maid and nanny, succinctly demonstrates her explosive temper.
As if this weren’t enough, Jackie develops an increasingly close bond with her tough-as-nails trainer , and she has to find a way to come to terms with her own mother , who apparently paid no attention when Jackie was raped and abused by the mother’s boyfriends during Jackie’s childhood.
The fight scenes are skillfully choreographed, but in other respects Berry’s direction is shaky. She and cinematographers Frank G. DeMarco and Joshua Reis rely on too much handheld camerawork and an excessive use of close-ups. Berry often fails to establish the locations as a result of the ever-swirling camera. And although certain passages have energy, the film definitely could have used a tighter hand in the final edit.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘Bruised’ Review: Halle Berry Pummels Her Way Through a Mountain of ClichésHalle Berry fought to get “Bruised” made. The movie, a labor of love (if not necessarily of originality) about an ex-MMA fighter who goes from scrubbing toilets to standing proud for her estranged …
Read more »
‘Bruised’ Review: Halle Berry Directs Herself Into No-Holds-Barred Portrayal Of MMA Fighter Looking For Redemption – AFI FestHalle Berry’s feature directorial debut, Bruised, actually premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival as a “work in progress.” It was picked up by Netflix with the …
Read more »
‘Bruised’ Review: Halle Berry Pummels Her Way Through a Mountain of ClichésHalle Berry fought to get “Bruised” made. The movie, a labor of love (if not necessarily of originality) about an ex-MMA fighter who goes from scrubbing toilets to standing proud for her estranged …
Read more »
Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris in Apple TV+’s ‘Swan Song’: Film Review | AFI 2021Glenn Close and Awkwafina also star in Benjamin Cleary’s sci-fi drama about a man with a terminal illness who turns to an experimental solution to shield his family from grief.
Read more »
‘Bruised’ Review: Halle Berry Directs Herself Into No-Holds-Barred Portrayal Of MMA Fighter Looking For Redemption – AFI FestHalle Berry’s feature directorial debut, Bruised, actually premiered at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival as a “work in progress.” It was picked up by Netflix with the …
Read more »
Cardi B Is Once Again Our Mole on the Inside of CelebrityThe stars, they’re just like us—and if they’re not, Cardi B will tell us.
Read more »