Men Cry Bullets (1997)

reviewed by
Eugene Novikov


Men Cry Bullets
Reviewed by Eugene Novikov
http://www.ultimate-movie.com/
Member: Online Film Critics Society

"When it comes to loss of love, men cry bullets."

Starring Starring Steven Nelson, Honey Lauren, Jeri Ryan. Not Rated (would be a strong R due to profanity, gore and full-frontal nudity).

I'm not the kind of person you'd find automatically giving high-marks to the avant-garde or patently bizarre. In fact, when I see a movie that is obviously calculated to have a strikingly weird look and feel, I make it my goal to look beyond atmosphere and see what I can find. It is typical of modern-day independent filmmakers to use an "original" facade to compensate for a pointless or hollow script (or no script at all, as in the case of I Woke Up Early the Day I Died). So when I find a film with its point as prevalent as its peculiarity, it is a find indeed.

Which brings me to Men Cry Bullets, a remarkable little movie that's as weird as it is complex. It marks the feature debut of short-film veteran Tamara Hernandez, and it's impressive. Brazenly original and visually striking, this obscure production probably won't get even a marginally wide release, but if it does happen to open near you, take my word for it and sprint to the theater wise enough to exhibit it.

The story seemed intriguing even before I actually saw the movie: Billy (steven Nelson), a female impersonator with little life experience is jostled during one of his performances by Gloria, a fiercely tough novelist (Honey Lauren) who still lives with her parents. He goes to her place of residence expecting an apology but what he gets instead is his very first sexual experience. This begins a rocky, one-sided relationship which takes our protagonist on a roller-coaster ride because he has no control over what he has gotten himself into; the relationship is run either by fate or by his girlfriend.

Meanwhile, Gloria's cousin Lydia(Jeri Ryan) comes to visit. She is a gorgeous woman and Gloria is horrifically jealous; she even makes up stories about her being in a mental institution. Well, Lydia unwittingly kills Gloria's beloved pig and serves it in a beautifully prepared dinner, inflaming Gloria's anger to the point where she wants Billy to help her kill her cousin. But Billy takes a liking to the vicious woman and begins to question who is better for him, the abusive, relentlessly angry Gloria or the affectionate, beautiful, arrogant Lydia.

Men Cry Bullets turns the tables on your typical abusive relationship. This time, the male is docile and the woman is dominant. Scenes in which Billy is being smacked around are punctuated by flashbacks of his childhood in which he sees his mother being abused in uncannily similar ways. These sequences are as touching as they come; compassionate, heartfelt and very powerful. They are also cryptic, coming together to form a complicated big picture, making the movie a terrific character study.

Never underestimate the importance of style in an independent picture. Thankfully, Men Cry Bullets is far from lacking in visual flair. From the glitzy nightclub scenes to the downright gritty parts set in a house or out in the middle of a field, it never ceases to impress aesthetically. Adding atmosphere is an ominous, exciting soundtrack that stays in the background much of the time but always makes an impact.

I must caution that this isn't a movie for everyone. Some will be put off by the subject matter, others by the graphic content. I've learned that if I allow myself to be overly influenced by such things I'm likely to miss the thematic undertones of a picture and will wind up oblivious to its potential significance. If personal feelings overtly distract from your appreciation for a motion picture, lock them out. This film must be seen.

Grade: A-
©1999 Eugene Novikov
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
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