Combs Cinema #4 - Brutal
Dec 28th, 2007
BREAKING NEWS!!!
I just got word from our faithful JCFC admin David that Jeff is working on a new film!!! 
Right now, all we know is that it’s a thriller called Fast Track and it will probably go straight to DVD, but I will post more details as soon as I have them.
This is so exciting! Even if Jeff’s only in a few minutes of this film (although let’s hope for more!), it’s just wonderful that he’s got another project for us all to enjoy! Congratulations, Jeff! 
Now on with the review!
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For this holiday month, I wanted to pick a film that was much like a holiday meal. Brutal is a rich, indulgent treat!
Southern, swaggering, mustached, not-so-bright, deliciously lascivious, power-hungry Sheriff Jimmy Fleck (played wonderfully by Jeff), is up for re-election but has been doing rather naughty things with his young deputy, Zoe (a great young actress, Sarah Thompson) that may affect his political status. The two are caught in the middle of solving a string of brutal (heh) murders in the small town of Blackwater Valley. Jimmy doesn’t want to believe it, but soon, the signs all point to a serial killer in their midst. Can they find the killer before he strikes again?
This is a great, fun, meaty role that Jeff plays brilliantly. After seeing Brutal, I truly believe that he should be doing more comedy. His timing and facial expressions are absolutely hilarious and dead-on. Jeff added these great dimensions to a character that could have just been played “flat” by a lesser actor. There’s also a tiny little “Bushish” angle to Jimmy that I will be forever curious as to whether it was done on purpose!
Check out the fifth clip from Jeff’s new demo reel for a great scene from Brutal and read on for the rest of the review!
The relationship between Sheriff Jimmy and his young female deputy Zoe was believable and heartwrenching. I loved their chemistry and dynamic. There are some wonderful scenes that show Jeff’s ability to play a romantic lead as well.
The film doesn’t take itself too seriously, so it’s a little Re-Animator in its delivery. That gives it nice multi-levels of horror and comedy, which really add depth to the film. There’s even a little nod to Star Trek when one of the characters says deadpan to Jeff, “I’m a veterinarian, Jimmy, not a doctor!”
Zoe berates Sheriff Jimmy for not believing there’s a serial killer in Blackwater Valley
Brutal really should have been a theatrical release. It’s far better than most of the stuff that’s out on the screens these days. The plot was interesting, held my attention, and the dialogue was really great. Lots of fun twists I wasn’t expecting either. There’s a great scene between two lovers that has an absolutely hilarious ending. And the killer’s choice of instruments of death was just…laugh out loud funny. Every character brought a little something to the story, making it just that much better.
After having portrayed so many doctors, Sheriff Jimmy is a welcome change for Jeff. He really seemed to relish playing the character and was just so amazing in the role. I loved how naughty Jimmy became by the end of the movie. I’m not going to give anything away, but he becomes so amazingly devious and underhanded, it’s great! Jimmy kind of reminds me of what would have happened to Lonnie Hawks (Jeff’s character from Death Falls) if he had grown up and gone into law enforcement.
Overall, this was a very pleasant surprise! I was hoping to see Jeff for more than four minutes in this film (his role in the “sequel” to Brutal, Blackwater Valley Exorcism wasn’t as big) and I got so much more than that! Let’s hope Jeff gets more diverse roles like this so he can really show off his great acting ability to its fullest!
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TRIVIA
• Brutal is the “pre-quel” to Blackwater Valley Exorcism, which was actually filmed first! Sheriff Jimmy is also in BWVE, but has a less prominent storyline.
• Jeff insisted on buying all of his own clothes for the film as he already had a good sense of what Jimmy would be like as a character and wanted to fully immerse himself in the role. The outfits are absolutely perfect for the character and Jeff being able to choose them himself made Jimmy all that much more his own.
• Some of the funniest lines in the film were ad-libbed by Jeff! Ethan Wiley relates in the commentary that Jeff did many takes thinking up different hilarious lines every time. The director had a hard time choosing which ones to put in the film because they were all so great! I just wish he would have put some of the “outtakes” in as one of the extras!
• Kevin Indio Copeland who shares an intense scene with Jeff in Brutal was also an extra in Re-Animator!
Here’s Kevin with Jeff in Brutal:
And here he is nodding hello to Bruce Abbott in Re-Animator:
When Jeff and he discovered they had both been in Re-Animator together, they had a great time reminiscing about their time onset. Everyone I’ve spoken to who worked on Re-Animator, from the cast to the crew, still look back fondly to working on that film. I love that!
EXTRAS
There is a wonderful behind the scenes featurette (even better than the one from Blackwater Valley Exorcism, which I enjoyed immensely) which has lots of great footage of Jeff as Jimmy, including a “faux interview” with the Sheriff who discusses his plans for the future of Blackwater Valley. There’s also a lovely, longish, relaxed interview with Jeff and the director, Ethan Wiley in which Jeff mentions he really enjoyed playing Sheriff Jimmy and that it was a welcome change from the labcoat set.
There is also a great photo gallery with wonderful production stills of Jeff and the rest of the cast and a really fun commentary done by the director, Ethan Wiley.
This is my absolute favorite photo from the gallery. Jeff looks like he’s just having a blast!
This is another movie I recommend to any fan. Although it may be a little too gorey for a lot of you sci-fi fans, still give it a try. Jeff is hilarious, larger-than-life, wonderful, and yes, absolutely gorgeous…*blush*. Jimmy really gives Jeff a great chance to shine and show off his amazing acting ability. I even liked the mustache…after I got used to it. 
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AVAILABILITY
Pretty much anywhere. Blockbuster, ebay…even Netflix has it!
Rent it! Buy it! Just see it!