Bruised (film)

Last updated

Bruised
Bruised film.jpg
Official release poster
Directed by Halle Berry
Written byMichelle Rosenfarb
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyFrank G. DeMarco
Edited by
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • September 12, 2020 (2020-09-12)(TIFF)
  • November 17, 2021 (2021-11-17)(United States)
Running time
138 minutes [1]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget$11 million [2]

Bruised is a 2020 sports drama film starring and directed by Halle Berry in her directorial debut, who also served as the producer. It co-stars Shamier Anderson, Adan Canto, Sheila Atim, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Adriane Lenox. The screenplay was written by Michelle Rosenfarb.

Contents

Bruised had its world premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2020 and was later released in select theaters and on Netflix in November 2021. The film received mixed reviews from critics, who praised Berry's directing and acting, but criticized the screenplay, and inconsistent tone of the film. Following its release, viewership on Netflix generated a multi-picture deal for Berry. [3]

Plot

Four years after forfeiting a major fight, former UFC fighter Jackie "Pretty Bull" Justice lives with her boyfriend and manager, Desi, in inner-city Newark. Earning a living as a housecleaner, Jackie relies on alcohol to cope with the tedium of her daily life. Desi pushes Jackie to start fighting again, but she refuses, angrily blaming him for mismanaging her career.

Desi takes Jackie to an illegal underground match, hoping to sign a new fighter. Recognized, the "Werewolf" provokes her into fighting. When Jackie finally loses her temper, she pins the Werewolf down and headbutts her unconscious. Catching the eye of Immaculate, a local promoter of the all-female MMA league Invicta Fighting Championships, he recruits Jackie and sets her up with Bobbi "Buddhakan" Berroa and Pops, his best trainers, to get back into fighting shape.

Heading home, Jackie and Desi are pulled over by Jackie's estranged mother Angel who has brought Manny, Jackie's six-year-old son who she has not seen since he was an infant. Manny has been placed into her custody after his father, Jackie's former boyfriend, was killed in a shooting. The trauma caused Manny to stop speaking entirely.

Manny moves in with his mother, and Jackie, under Buddhakan's guidance, slowly gets back in shape. Immaculate convinces her to sign a contract with him excluding a manager; infuriating Desi, but they eventually patch things up. Growing closer to Buddhakan, Jackie learns she is also a mother, but has not seen her child in over two years following the breakdown of her marriage.

Jackie enrolls Manny into school while learning to be a mother, even dumping all of her alcohol down the sink. However, Jackie's relationship with Desi deteriorates, until he finally snaps, smashing Manny's keyboard and hitting Jackie in the face when she tries to stop him. Jackie leaves him for good with Manny. Angel reluctantly allows them to move in with her until the fight.

Jackie is pitted against Lucia "Lady Killer" Chavez, Invicta FC's flyweight champion, in an Atlantic City title bout. Immaculate claims the fight is to get Jackie back into the UFC, but he later angrily admits he recruited her as a can against Chavez.

Jackie suffers a panic attack, reliving the memory of her last fight. Manny tries to comfort her, but she screams at him to go away. He runs off, and a stranger brings him to Angel. Already on bad terms with her daughter (as Jackie accused her of letting her boyfriends and Jackie's uncle rape her as a child), Angel scornfully tells Jackie she is an unfit mother and that she will take over caring for Manny.

With no one else to turn to, Jackie starts living with Buddhakan, throwing herself into her training. Confessing her fears of returning to the ring, they kiss and become intimate. However, when Buddhaken asks her to consider becoming official, Jackie admits she is not ready and Buddhakan goes on a bender, ending up hospitalized the day before the fight.

With only Pops in her corner, Jackie enters the fight against Chavez distracted, so the champion dominates the first round. In the second and third rounds, her confidence builds as she wears down Chavez and wins over the audience. In the fifth and final round, Jackie matches Chavez blow-for-blow, ending in a split decision, where Chavez narrowly retains her championship. Despite this, she and the audience celebrate Jackie's successful comeback.

After reconciling with Buddhakan, Jackie goes back to Angel's, promising them she is going to get their own place. The women part on good terms. As they walk down the street, Jackie stops to help Manny tie his shoes and he speaks to her for the first time, accepting her as his mother.

Cast

Additionally, MMA referee Keith Peterson cameos as himself for the referee of the final fight between Jackie and Lady Killer and UFC fighter Yves Edwards plays a commentator. [7]

Controversy

Reportedly, on August 16, 2021, the MMA star and former UFC fighter Cat Zingano filed a lawsuit against Berry, Bruised Film Productions LLC, Thunder Road Film Productions Inc. and Romulus Entertainment LLC in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking damages based upon claims of promissory estoppel. Zingano states that Berry had offered her a role in the film during a meeting in July 2019. According to Zingano, after she was offered a UFC fight slated for October, which would put her in title contention, she was advised by Berry not to take it for insurance reasons. She turned down the fight and was subsequently released by UFC in August 2019. Zingano further alleged that Berry informed her shortly afterwards that she could not appear in the film, as only current UFC fighters were allowed to take part. The suit also states that Berry ceased all communication with Zingano following the incident. [8]

Court papers filed in November 2021, by Berry's attorneys, state that Zingano lost her UFC contract due to her poor record in the organization. The documents also allege that she made the decision to appear in the film without knowing what role she would play or how much would she be paid and did so based upon text message exchanges with Berry. According to Berry's attorneys, Zingano does not state what her damages are and that she is improperly seeking punitive damages. [9]

Production

Initially, Nick Cassavetes was slated to direct the mixed martial arts film Bruised written by Michelle Rosenfarb and produced by Guymon Casady, Basil Iwanyk, Linda Gottlieb, and Erica Lee. [10] Blake Lively was originally cast as the main character in the film. [10] On September 11, 2018, Halle Berry took over directing Bruised, making it her directorial debut, and replaced Lively as the main character in the film. [11] On December 4, 2019, Shamier Anderson and Adan Canto were cast in the film. [12] On December 16, 2019, Sheila Atim was cast in the film. [13]

Principal photography began in November 2019, in New Jersey. Filming locations included the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City [14] and a boxing gym in Newark. [15] During filming, Berry suffered a minor injury, with filming being suspended for a few days. [15] Production resumed on November 27. [16] Production concluded on December 20, 2019. [17]

The film's score was composed by Terence Blanchard and ASKA (Aska Matsumiya). [18] [19]

Release

In September 2020, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film for around $20 million. [20] The film's world premiere was held at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2020. [21] The film also screened at AFI Fest on November 14, 2021. [22] It had a limited theatrical release on November 17, 2021, [22] prior to streaming on Netflix on November 24. [23]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 50% of 94 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.7/10.The website's consensus reads: "Bruised isn't as hard-hitting as its title might suggest, but Halle Berry impresses on either side of the camera in her directorial debut." [24] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [25]

Peter Hammond of Deadline Hollywood wrote that "there is no question Berry has thrown it all against the wall with this one and acquitted herself admirably, not just as you might expect acting-wise from the Oscar-winning star of Monster's Ball but also behind the camera. She keenly navigates a female-driven story of a disgraced MMA fighting superstar trying to claw her way back to the top while putting the pieces of her shattered personal life back together." [26]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards March 18, 2022 Best Actress Halle BerryNominated [27]
Black Reel Awards February 27, 2022 Outstanding Director Nominated [28]
Outstanding Emerging Director Nominated
Outstanding Actress Nominated
Outstanding EditingJacob Craycroft, Terilyn A. ShropshireNominated
Outstanding Original Song "Automatic Woman" (H.E.R., Van Hunt and Brittany Talia Hazzard)Won
NAACP Image Awards February 26, 2022 Outstanding Independent Motion Picture BruisedNominated [29]
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture Halle BerryNominated
Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion PictureDanny Boyd, Jr.Won
Sheila AtimNominated
Satellite Awards April 2, 2022 Best First Feature Halle BerryWon [30]
Toronto International Film Festival September 21, 2020 Rising Stars AwardSheila AtimWon [31]
Women Film Critics Circle December 11, 2021Courage in Acting AwardHalle BerryWon [32]
Josephine Baker AwardBruisedNominated

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halle Berry</span> American actress (born 1966)

Halle Maria Berry is an American actress. She began her career as a model and entered several beauty contests, finishing as the first runner-up in the Miss USA pageant and coming in sixth in the Miss World 1986. Her breakthrough film role was in the romantic comedy Boomerang (1992), alongside Eddie Murphy, which led to roles in The Flintstones (1994) and Bulworth (1998) as well as the television film Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gina Carano</span> American actress and mixed martial artist (born 1982)

Gina Joy Carano is an American actress and former mixed martial artist. She competed in EliteXC and Strikeforce from 2006 to 2009, where she compiled a 7–1 record. Her popularity led to her being called the "face of women's MMA", although Carano rejected this title. She and Cris Cyborg were the first women to headline a major MMA event during their 2009 Strikeforce bout. Carano retired from competition after her first professional MMA defeat to Cyborg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cris Cyborg</span> Brazilian mixed martial arts fighter

Cristiane Justino Venâncio, known professionally by her ring name Cris Cyborg, is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist who as of January 2021 competes in Bellator MMA, where she is the current Bellator Women's Featherweight Champion, having held the title since January 2020. She is also a former UFC, Strikeforce and Invicta FC World Featherweight Champion. She is the only MMA fighter in history to become a Grand Slam Champion, holding world championships across four major mixed martial arts promotions. Cyborg is widely regarded as one of the greatest female mixed martial artists of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronda Rousey</span> American professional wrestler, judoka, and mixed martial artist

Ronda Jean Rousey is an American professional wrestler, actress, and former judoka and mixed martial artist. She is known for her time in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and WWE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miesha Tate</span> American mixed martial artist

Miesha Tate is an American professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), in which she is a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. Tate formerly competed for Strikeforce, in which she is a former Strikeforce Women's Bantamweight Champion. She was also the vice president of ONE Championship. As of January 23, 2024, she is #8 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Nunes</span> Brazilian mixed martial artist (born 1988)

Amanda Nunes is a Brazilian retired professional mixed martial artist. She competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the former UFC Women's Featherweight Champion and two-time UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. She was ranked #1 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings at the time of her retirement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cat Zingano</span> American mixed martial arts fighter

Cat Zingano is an American mixed martial artist, currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. Zingano also competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and on April 13, 2013, she became the first woman to win a UFC fight by technical knockout (TKO). At the time of her departure from the UFC, she was No. 7 in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. As of October 10, 2023, she is #4 in the Bellator Women's pound-for-pound Rankings and #2 in the Bellator Women's Featherweight Rankings.

Leslie Smith is an American professional female mixed martial artist. She formerly competed in Invicta FC where she was a main card staple of the organization, having fought on the main card four times in the first five shows. She also competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Smith fights out of the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu team and is noted for a similar level of high volume striking and aggressiveness to other members of that camp. Smith most recently competed in the Bellator Fighting Championships at featherweight.

Adan Canto was a Mexican actor. He portrayed Sunspot in the 2014 superhero film X-Men: Days of Future Past, Paul Torres on the Fox drama series The Following, and A.J. Menendez in the ABC prime-time series Blood & Oil. He appeared as Rodrigo Lara Bonilla in the Netflix drama series Narcos, Aaron Shore in the ABC/Netflix political drama Designated Survivor, and starred on Fox's The Cleaning Lady until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julianna Peña</span> American mixed martial artist (born 1989)

Julianna Nicole Peña is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where she is a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. Peña is the first woman to win The Ultimate Fighter. As of August 1, 2022, she is #1 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings, and as of January 23, 2024, she is ranked #5 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raquel Pennington</span> American mixed martial artist

Raquel Pennington is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the women's bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the current UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion. As of January 23, 2024, she is #7 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentina Shevchenko</span> Kyrgyzstani and Peruvian mixed martial artist (born 1988)

Valentina Anatolievna Shevchenko (born March 7, 1988) is a Kyrgyzstani and Peruvian professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai fighter. She currently competes in the women's Flyweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the former UFC Women's Flyweight Champion. As of March 7, 2023, she is ranked #1 in the women’s flyweight rankings, and as of August 22, 2023, she is ranked #3 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Marion Reneau is an American retired professional mixed martial artist who competed as a Bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Megan Anderson (fighter)</span> Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter

Megan Anderson is an Australian mixed martial artist who competed in the Women's Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Anderson also competed for the all women's MMA league Invicta Fighting Championships, where she won the Invicta FC Featherweight Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shamier Anderson</span> Canadian actor

Shamier Anderson is a Canadian actor. He is known for his roles in the television series Wynonna Earp, as U.S. Deputy Marshal Xavier Dolls, Invasion, as Trevante Cole, and for Mr. Nobody in the action film John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).

Ketlen Vieira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of January 23, 2024, she is #3 in the UFC women's bantamweight rankings and #13 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

Pam Sorenson is a female retired American mixed martial artist who competed in Featherweight division. She has previously competed in Bellator MMA and Invicta Fighting Championships, where she is the former Invicta FC Featherweight Championship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhang Weili</span> Chinese mixed martial artist (born 1989)

Zhang Weili is a Chinese professional mixed martial artist. She currently competes in the women's Strawweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where she is the current and two-time UFC Women's Strawweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2013, Zhang formerly competed for Kunlun Fight (KLF), where she was the KLF Women's Strawweight Champion. As of September 5, 2023, she is #2 in the UFC women's pound-for-pound rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Atim</span> Ugandan-British actress and singer

Sheila Atim is a Ugandan-British actress, singer, composer, and playwright. She made her professional acting debut in 2013 at Shakespeare's Globe in The Lightning Child, a musical written by her acting teacher Ché Walker.

The Union is an upcoming American action thriller film starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry and written by Joe Barton and David Guggenheim from a story by Guggenheim.

References

  1. ↑ "Bruised". Toronto International Film Festival . Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Bruised (2020)". IMDb . IMDb. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Halle Berry Strikes Multi-Picture Deal With Netflix As Directorial Debut 'Bruised' Hits #1 In U.S." Deadline. November 30, 2021.
  4. ↑ Russian, Ale (April 23, 2020). "Halle Berry Says She 'Broke Some Bones' Filming with UFC Champ Valentina Shevchenko". People . Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Halle Berry has inspiring message for kids on Atlantic City movie set". November 12, 2019.
  6. ↑ "'Bruised' review: Halle Berry makes directorial debut as Newark fighter". November 23, 2021.
  7. ↑ "The best (and worst!) MMA movies of all time". USAToday.com. November 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ Maddaus, Gene (August 17, 2021). "Halle Berry Sued by MMA Star Cat Zingano Over 'Bruised' Film Role Snub".
  9. ↑ "Fighter Cat Zingano Sues Over Claims Halle Berry Got Her Fired From UFC In 2019". November 17, 2021.
  10. 1 2 Mike Fleming Jr; Diana Lodderhose (May 15, 2017). "Blake Lively To Star In Nick Cassavetes' MMA Title 'Bruised' – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  11. ↑ McNary, Dave (September 11, 2018). "Halle Berry to Make Directorial Debut on MMA Drama 'Bruised'". Variety . Retrieved October 26, 2019.
  12. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro; Amanda N'Duka (December 4, 2019). "Halle Berry MMA Feature 'Bruised': Shamier Anderson & Adan Canto Step Into Ring For Oscar Winner's Directorial Debut". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  13. ↑ N'Duka, Amanda (December 16, 2019). "Iliza Shlesinger, More Join 'Pieces Of A Woman'; Pooch Hall Cast In 'Cherry'; Halle Berry's 'Bruised' Adds Sheila Atim – Update". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  14. ↑ Bilinski, Molly (November 12, 2019). "'It is possible': Halle Berry inspires Atlantic City youth during filming for 'Bruised'". The Press of Atlantic City . Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  15. 1 2 Bennett, Anita (November 19, 2019). "Halle Berry Suffers Minor Injury On 'Bruised' Set – Production Briefly Delayed". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  16. ↑ Harmata, Claudia (November 27, 2019). "Halle Berry Returns to Bruised Set One Week After Being Injured During Fight Scene Filming". People . Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  17. ↑ Berry, Halle (December 20, 2019). "Today's #FitnessFriday is extra special to me, because it's the FINAL shooting day of #BruisedTheMovie". Instagram . Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Terence Blanchard to Score Halle Berry's 'Bruised'". Film Music Reporter. June 30, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Aska Matsumiya Scoring Halle Berry's 'Bruised'". Film Music Reporter. July 6, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  20. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 11, 2020). "Toronto 2020 Starts With Knockout: Netflix In Final Talks To Acquire Halle Berry-Directed MMA Drama 'Bruised' In 8-Figure WW Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  21. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (June 24, 2020). "Toronto Film Festival Reveals Plan For Slimline 2020 Edition With Mix Of Physical & Digital Screenings; Kate Winslet, Idris Elba & Mark Wahlberg Movies Among First Wave". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  22. 1 2 Farber, Stephen (November 14, 2021). "Halle Berry in 'Bruised': Film Review - AFI 2021". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  23. ↑ Sollosi, Mary (August 5, 2021). "Halle Berry-directed MMA drama Bruised gets fall release date". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Bruised". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Bruised Reviews". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  26. ↑ Hammond, Pete (November 14, 2021). "'Bruised' Review: Halle Berry Directs Herself Into No-Holds-Barred Portrayal Of MMA Fighter Looking For Redemption – AFI Fest". Deadline. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  27. ↑ Tapp, Tom (January 11, 2022). "AARP The Magazine Announces Movies For Grownups Nominees, Including TV & Streaming Categories". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  28. ↑ "The 2021 Black Reel Awards (BRAs) Nominations". Next Best Picture. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  29. ↑ Spivey, Kemberlie (January 19, 2022). "2022 NAACP Image Awards Nominations: The Full List". Forbes . Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  30. ↑ "2021/2022 Schedule". International Press Academy . Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  31. ↑ "Toronto International Film Festival sets 2020 plans. It won't look the same". Los Angeles Times . June 24, 2020. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  32. ↑ Benardello, Karen (December 13, 2021). "Women Film Critics Circle Honors Passing and The Power of the Dog Amongst 2021's Best Movies". Shockya.com. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.