映画|ヘヴィメタル・ミュージカル|Mr. Bricks: A Heavy Metal Murder Musical by ブレンダン

First off, let me just say that I absolutely hate musicals. Ever since the time I was forced to sit through the steaming pile of shit that is "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street", I've been really against having people sing at me in my movies. Johnny Depp is a talented actor for sure, but having him singing at me constantly for 116 minutes was a lesson in torture that I never wish to experience again.

Fortunately, Mr. Bricks: A Heavy Metal Murder Musical, spared me the discomfort of having to put up with any of that shit again. In fact, it may have even changed my opinion of musicals for the better...

The plot of the film revolves around the main protagonist, Eugene Raymond Hicks, or as he would rather be known, Mr. Bricks,(Tim Dax) searching for a girl named Scarlet Moretti (Nicola Fiore) whom he considers to be his one true love. Unfortunately for Mr. Bricks, he has a slight case of amnesia, no thanks to being shot in the head at almost point blank range during the opening scene of the movie, so finding her and his would-be assassin is gonna take a little time.

That's right, shot in the head. Now, I'm no medical expert but usually when people get shot in the head from a revolver, they don't generally tend to survive. Well, Mr. Bricks is clearly not your average man. Not content with being an absolute hulk with his entire head tattooed, he seems to have a bulletproof skull too. Nice.

Upon regaining consciousness, Mr. Bricks decides that the first thing he should do is sing a song. This was going to be the "make or break point" for me due to my loathing of musicals but thanks to the music being metal (which I listen to) and because of the appearance of the guy singing, I wasn't nearly as put off as thought I might be. In fact, it was almost nostalgic in the way that it reminded me of a lot of the old music videos I grew up watching on "Headbangers Ball".

Awesome! 8 minutes in and I'm still here. BIG victory.

Meanwhile, whilst Mr.Bricks is singing songs and bricking people in the face with...er....bricks, the young lady he was with when he got shot, Scarlet, is now under police protection. As it turns out, Scarlet herself is a police officer and is being looked after by her overly protective partner Carmine Dukes (Vito Trigo). It is revealed early on in the film that Scarlet was sent to lure Mr. Bricks into a trap by masquerading as a hooker. For better or worse however, she ends up getting beaten up and raped by Bricks.

Without expecting it, one of the major "twists" of the movie is handed to us within the first 20 minutes - Mr. Bricks is actually not a very nice guy. He's a rapist and on the run from the police. Unfortunately for Scarlet's partner however, Bricks has his name and is out for revenge....

...And that's as far as I'm going to divulge.

For me, the most interesting aspect of Mr. Bricks is the way that the film actually gets you to root for the bad guy. He's an utterly likeable character despite his penchant for breaking the law. The chemistry between the two main protagonists (Bricks and Scarlet) feels entirely natural throughout each of their encounters and you can't help but want them to become an item despite the fact they are on opposite sides of the law. The "Musical" theme of the movie is thankfully well balanced too. Each song is short, powerful, and in your face without dragging on and the shift from monochrome to colored filters throughout each song is fitting and looks cool. My only gripe with the movie, and it's only a small one, is that the picture quality of the movie itself seemed a little too lo-res. I realize it's an independent movie but a sharper transfer would have been nice. The CGI blood splatter effects is a little hit-or-miss at times too but it doesn't hurt the film at all so no biggie.

The ending is satisfying and suggests the possibility of a sequel too which would certainly be welcome. Tim Dax and Nicole Fiore make a cool combination (Incidentally, they will star alongside each other again in the upcoming "Slaughter Daughter" due for release in 2014) so it would be great to see more of them again.

The Japanese release of Mr. Bricks: A Heavy Metal Murder Musical is packed with some great extras too. One of the songs featured in the movie is performed by the legendary Motörhead and there is a hilarious "TROMA Tribute to Lemmy" included on the disc. As a Motörhead fan, this extra makes it worth the purchase alone but we are also treated to an intro from Tim Dax and Lloyd Kaufman (who has a cameo in the movie too) as well as some neat footage from the recent "Occupy Cannes" initiative that took place earlier this year.

All in all, a great film, a worthy addition to the TROMA library, and well worth a watch with some popcorn!