Bullet in the Face
Bullet in the Face | |
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Genre | IFC |
Release | August 16 August 17, 2012 | –
Bullet in the Face is a dark comedy television series developed by
Synopsis
The story is set in
While robbing a jewelry store, Gunter Vogler (
Waking up in a hospital, Vogler finds himself under the care of the Brüteville Police, who have surgically grafted the face of the detective he killed in place of his own. The police seek to use Vogler's knowledge of the criminal underworld and thirst for vengeance to finally take out the elusive Tannhäuser, with Vogler posing as the deceased cop. Partnering up with the morally unshakable Lt. Karl Hagerman (Neil Napier), the two solve crimes while searching for Tannhäuser, including a series of apparent priest suicides and a teenaged murderer.
Characters
- He temporarily allies himself with the police in order to seek revenge for being betrayed.
- homoeroticgaffes. Vogler murdered every one of Hagerman's previous partners, but the two are forced to work together when Vogler receives a face transplant of Hagerman's last partner, who may have been his gay lover.
- Jessica Steen as Commissioner Eva Braden: The police commissioner, Eva Braden is overwhelmed by the violent gang wars in Brüteville. She recruits Gunter Vogler to fight evil with evil. She is sexually frustrated and unsuccessfully attempts to seduce both Hagerman's former partner and Gunter Vogler.
- Kate Kelton as Martine Mahler: Martine Mahler was Gunter Vogler's partner and lover before she betrayed him and shot him in the face. She is simultaneously having affairs with both Tannhäuser and Racken, whom she hopes to manipulate into a gang war against each other.
- Eddie Izzard as Johann Tannhäuser: A secretive, agoraphobic crime lord who favors chess. He sets up Gunter Vogler and Martine Mahler to kill each other, both of whom are assassins in his employ. Tannhäuser believes himself the father of Martine's baby and has big plans for the child... but not the mother.
- Eric Roberts as Racken: A dimwitted crime lord who opposes Tannhäuser. Racken believes himself married to Martine Mahler, though she is actually conning him. Racken recruits Vogler, who he believes to be a dirty cop, after Vogler convinces Racken that there's a mole in his organization.
Production
The first three episodes were aired on August 16, 2012, in the U.S., followed by the remaining three episodes on August 17, 2012. The series is Canadian, produced for an American cable channel, and was filmed in
Visual influences include
The series musical score was composed by James Gelfand. The theme song was composed and produced by AmA,[3] a group whose members are Amanda Bauman and Patrick Doyle; Bauman provided the vocals.
Episodes
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | US viewers (millions) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Meet Gunter Vogler" Alan Spencer | August 16, 2012 | 0.094[12] | |||
Gunter Vogler, a vicious criminal, is betrayed and left for dead, only to be recruited by the police, who want to use him against the mob. Given a badge and authority, Vogler becomes even more dangerous and out of control. | ||||||
2 | "Angel of Death"[13] | Érik Canuel | Alan Spencer | August 16, 2012 | 0.087[12] | |
Vogler and Hagerman investigate a series of apparent suicides by priests, uncovering a conspiracy involving a dentist-hitman and gangsters who are hiding out in churches. | ||||||
3 | "Drug of Choice"[14] | Érik Canuel | Alan Spencer | August 16, 2012 | 0.077[12] | |
A teenager goes on a violent rampage and kills several people, impressing Vogler. Vogler encourages the boy to embrace his dark side, but Vogler then must defuse a hostage situation at the school when it turns out that a new drug is the cause of the violence in the city. Vogler is shot in the face again during the hostage crisis, which drives him even further into madness. | ||||||
4 | "Kiss Me Thrice"[15] | Érik Canuel | Alan Spencer | August 17, 2012 | 0.054[12] | |
Vogler confronts Racken, exposes some dirty cops, and attempts to figure out Martine's plans. Martine has convinced Tannhäuser, Racken, and Vogler that each man is the father of her baby, and has even married Racken while living under a false identity. More curious than anything else, Vogler does not expose Martine to Racken. | ||||||
5 | "The World Stage"[16] | Érik Canuel | Alan Spencer | August 17, 2012 | 0.093[12] | |
Vogler and Hagerman fight a group of prostitutes who are knocking off gangsters and inflaming tensions in the underworld. Racken and Tannhäuser, convinced that each other are behind the attacks, declare war, threatening to destroy the entire city. | ||||||
6 | "Cradle to Grave"[17] | Érik Canuel | Alan Spencer | August 17, 2012 | 0.053[12] | |
Everyone converges on the hospital in which Martine is giving birth. Martine reveals that she's been playing all sides against each other so that she can take control of the underworld. Her pregnancy is revealed to have been a ruse, and she pulls out a submachine gun from the prosthetic belly, killing Racken and his men. While Martine prepares to kill Vogler once again, a bomb planted by Tannhäuser's men counts down to zero. The show fades to black on that cliffhanger. |
No further episodes are planned at this time.[3]
Critical reception
Bullet in the Face received mixed reviews. Metacritic, a review aggregator, rated it 67 out of 100 based on four reviews.[18] Positive reviews highlighted the wild originality and cult appeal, while more critical reviews focused on an uneven tone. Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe wrote: "Spencer conjures up the same cult sensibility of Sledge Hammer! and ushers it into the more politically incorrect and graphic world of 2010s America and cable TV."[19] Jesse Tigges of Columbus Alive wrote: "Bullet in the Face is, hands down, one of the strangest things I've ever watched."[6] Brian Lowry of Variety called it "gleefully juvenile" and recommended it for "a genre-savvy crowd that can appreciate the joke."[7] Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote: "… the show suffers from a failure to commit: resolutely charting a middle course between cheese-ball parody and something darker and more sophisticated, it manages to be both over the top and consistently flat, too silly to take seriously and too dull to care about."[20] The series garnered solid ratings for IFC, increasing their usual viewership.[21] As with Spencer's previous cult series, Bullet in the Face received a critical reappraisal on DVD. Francis Rizzo of DVD Talk wrote: "Spencer hits all the right notes here, crafting a cinematic experience that looks great and manages an excellent balance of comedy and action, with a healthy number of laugh-out-loud moments, thanks in large part to the wonderful dialogue."[22] Diane Werts of Newsday wrote: "Ultra-stylish, incredibly violent, it's a touchstone of comic tone and meticulous production."[23] Tirdad Derakhshani of The Philadelphia Inquirer called it "wickedly dark and hilarious".[24] Rob Hunter of Film School Rejects wrote, "This six episode series from IFC is foul-mouthed and violent, and its razor-sharp wit comes with a satirical edge. It's an acquired taste to be sure, but if you remember Sledge Hammer! then you know what you'll be getting here."[25]
Awards
DVD release
References
- ^ Spencer, Alan. "Alan Spencer takes us behind the scenes of Bullet in the Face". Bullet in the Face Blog. IFC. Archived from the original on January 25, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- ^ "Breaking News - IFC's Original Scripted Comedy, "Bullet in the Face," Begins Production in Montreal". TheFutonCritic.com. October 6, 2011. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
- ^ a b c Coleman, H. E. (January 29, 2014). "Interview: 'Bullet In The Face' Creator Alan Spencer Talks Reinventing And Taking Risks". Starpulse.com. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ "IFC's Original Scripted Comedy, Bullet In The Face, Begins Production in Montreal". AMC Networks. 6 October 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ "The Influences Behind Bullet in the Face". IFC. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ a b Tigges, Jesse (August 16, 2012). "TV review: Bullet in the Face". Columbus Alive. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ a b Lowry, Brian (August 13, 2012). "Review: 'Bullet in the Face'". Variety. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ Acuna, Kirsten (December 9, 2013). ""The Most Violent Fall TV Shows"". ctpost.com. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- ^ Phoenix, Bronwen Winter (August 15, 2012). "Interview: Creator Alan Spencer Talks IFC's 'Bullet in the Face'". ScreenCrave.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- CraveOnline. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ "Episode 1: Meet Gunter Vogler". IFC. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen for Aug. 13-19. (Week 48)". Anago. August 24, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ "Episode 2: Angel of Death". IFC. Archived from the original on 2012-08-19. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ "Episode 3: Drug of Choice". IFC. Archived from the original on 2012-08-19. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ "Episode 4: Kiss Me Thrice". IFC. Archived from the original on 2012-08-20. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ "Episode 5: The World Stage". IFC. Archived from the original on 2012-08-21. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ "Episode 6: Cradle to Grave". IFC. Archived from the original on 2012-08-20. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ "Bullet in the Face". Metacritic. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ Gilbert, Matthew (August 15, 2012). "IFC's 'Bullet in the Face': Over-the-top spoofery". Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ Hale, Mike (August 15, 2012). "In Search of New Subjects to Spoof". The New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ "Weekend Cable Ratings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ^ Rizzo, Francis (December 31, 2013). "Bullet In The Face: The Complete Series". DVD Talk. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
- ^ Werts, Diane (January 21, 2014). "TV on DVD: 'Bullet in the Face'". Newsday. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ Derakhshani, Tirdad (January 18, 2014). "'Bullet in the Face': Wickedly dark, funny cop-show satire". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ Hunter, Rob (January 18, 2014). "'The Best Blu-ray DVD Releases of the Week". Film School Rejects. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ACTRA Awards. Retrieved September 28, 2014.