Bull [Blu-ray]

If you like Kill List you will like this one. I watched it twice in one day.

Nearly no critics did not like this grueling, Django Unchained style film. And what's not to like, unless you are even a little bit squeamish. Then you should probably avoid this Paul Andrew Williams entry. Because it starts violent and gory, and goes downhill from there.The basic plot is almost too simple to lay out. The story of a brutal Mob Enforcer betrayed and seemingly murdered by the same mob, then miraculously returning to wreak vengeance is so simple, it is, itself a Trope. As many have observed, Neil Maskell is impossible to turn away from as the titular Bull (think DeNiro in Taxi Driver) , and David Hayman is almost better as the "ruthless Mob boss" from Central Casting.If their great tradition of Mob Cinema is to be believed, the Brits are about the scariest Organized Criminals on the Planet - with the exception of Bratva. I soooo don't want to ever cross Bratva. Nope.But Bull is not about the acting, or the direction or photography, all of which are first rate. It is about the lean, spare almost anorexic efficiency of how Williams tells the story. This efficiency is enhanced by a great narrative technique: the back-story of how Bull "dies" is told in flashbacks, chronologically, as the main story moves forward. Again, nothing particularly new here, but the technique is used so well it fits perfectly with the films overall manic purpose.Clocking in at 88 minutes, Bull is a full speed freight train that starts fast and shifts into super high gear, never letting up until its curious Ending.Yes, about the Ending. WTF? Is Bull actually a Demon from Hell (a la the excellent Nicholas Gage film Drive Angry)? Is this all a fever dream of a slowly dying Bull, who has been lit on fire and shot with a shotgun? We may never know. And that is probably very OK.

But also petty.This is a revenge story about a man who is betrayed by his criminal companions and decides to kill each and every one of them. He may or may not actually be alive at the time; it is not clear.It is set and filmed in England (so far as I can tell) and the dialect was a bit hard to understand, particularly that of the protagonist. But who needs to understand the words to enjoy an intense story of petty revenge?

Very disturbing profile of the kind of psychopath that is uniquely British. Absolutely stunning acting and an incredible cast. Very reminiscent of Dead Mans Shoes.

Needed some explanation in the end. Good you can figure it out. Good movie to watch.

I guess I missed that it was going to be so pointlessly violent. Zero character development to explain why it was so violent, at least for the first half of the movie that I made it through before giving up and turning it off.

Can't give it that last star due to the ending being absolutely ridiculous... 76 mins out of the total 88 mins of this film was flawless tho. Great acting, great dialog, interesting, intriguing, and well shot... Why.. why that ending...? So many different ways to end it and they chose the absolute worse story idea. Worth watching tho... I suppose. So close to being a GREAT film..

The movie was OK, plenty of violence as advertised. Not bad, plot and acting were just average. Had signed up for Showtime via Amazon and "rental should have been free but Amazon charged me $4.99. And they make it impossible to dispute the charge. Not happy.

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