Bullet in the Face

BULLET TO THE FACE by Alan Spencer is a work of art, brilliantly written, and magnificently cast. I'm looking forward to more by Mr. Spencer as I grew up watching Sledgehammer, and am equally entertained by his recent work!!! I can't think of any series I can watch over, and over, but this one I can watch a Thousand times and still enjoy it. I have gone as far as to show clips of Bullet to an old friend who has been a main stream movie producer in Hollywood for over Thirty Years, and he agrees Alan Spencer has an incredible talent. I can watch Bullet over, and over so in all this being said I not only applaud the creative talents of Mr. Spencer, but impatiently await the release of his next project.

In 1986 ABC aired a subversive half hour situation comedy unlike any other called "Sledge Hammer!" A trenchant satire on tough guy law enforcement stereotypes, the young creator Alan Spencer sneakily filled the show with subversive political commentary while maintaining credible mystery plots. The comparisons to "Get Smart!" were well founded, but "Sledge" was darker and more twisted, especially for the times.

Flash forward decades later and we have Spencer's latest offering, cable TV's limited run series "Bullet in the Face." This is a Canadian production which Spencer was brought in to retool and he took full advantage of the newfound liberties at his disposal. The series is seriously twisted and features a reprehensible main character acting as the hero. The direction isn't very inspired and many of the performances are over the top, but Spencer's wicked wit shines throughout.

Spencer's scathing voice assails religion, conservatism and even Gilbert and Sullivan in a surreal provocative next to last episode. All those bemoaning how safe TV has become owes themselves to check out this bizarre six episode entry. And be forewarned, this is no ordinary half hour comedy. The violence is extreme and portrayed on par with most R rated feature films. I laughed, but was also disturbed by what I watched; particularly the episode wherein a teenager jacked up on energy drinks becomes a killer. The ending to that one must be seen to be believed.

With headlines often proclaiming the latest act of violence in real life, it's bold to see a comedy daring to be this incendiary and crazed. While "Sledge Hammer!" is more widely loved, "Bullet in the Face" is the more risky endeavor. For lovers of offbeat TV, Alan Spencer remains someone to watch.

I was shown this series by a friend a little while ago and I was instantly hooked. With a quirky and dark humour that leaves me in peals of laughter how could I not continue watching? In fact I have re watched it twice now anticipating the next season to come. The one liners are quick and witty and they come thick and fast giving you a laugh a minute. The entire cast are brilliant in their roles but I feel I must mention both Max Williams and Eddie Izzard deliver their performances in insanely humorous style leaving me in stitches every time without fail. Keep writing Alan because I am dying for the next season and getting to see what my favourite socio- path does next. Full points on my score card for a very original, funny, and brilliantly cast show. If you have not watched this series yet I recommend you do so and prepare for rolling laughter.

I'm writing this 8 years after the show came out. I recently decided to watch/enjoy it again and realized I never wrote a proper review, so here it is.

One short season of six incredible episodes is such a shame. This show should be on season eight by now. The dark, sarcastic, and anti-PC humor are a delight. The dialog is snappy and filled with great one-liners which I will not spoil.

The low-star reviews are for people that have sticks firmly lodged up their backsides.

I must say I was not convinced at first when I read the pitch, not sure what to expect really and I will admit after seeing the pilot, I wasn't sure of what I'd seen. But there it was a great spoof, as simple as that.

Forget you typical buffoon / idiot that you feel sorry for, none of that here. Using the plot device that the "hero" is in fact the villain, you get embarked on a dark comedy where everything he says or does can be "excused" and accepted as the wrong doing of a criminal sociopath. To emphasis the comic effect, his partner is quite the opposite, but never limited to simply be "the" counterpart. This gives us great jokes and we avoid the usual idiotic stuff that is now common in the genre. For that full credit to the writer, Alan Spencer, the jokes are well constructed and don't feel imposed or forced on us.

The cast is great and really committed, with the exception of Neil Napier's character in the pilot. Don't know if it was the actor or the director's fault but he was all over the place.

Why not 10 out of 10 ? First, there's the German accent, if you do it for comic purposes, go easy on it. The same could be said for the French accent, but since that character is playing a double role it can be interpreted as device to dissociate her two persona. The other problem was the over usage of a plan where the camera is not horizontal, don't know if it was for style purposes but the faded colors and the dark comic aesthetic were enough in my opinion.