Bullet in the Face

Synopsis

The story is set in neo-noir Brüteville City, a dystopian city fought over by two vicious mob bosses, agoraphobic elitist Johann Tannhäuser (Eddie Izzard) and doltish Racken (Eric Roberts).

While robbing a jewelry store, Gunter Vogler (Max Williams), a sociopath and universally feared hitman, receives an order from his boss, Tannhäuser, to kill his partner and lover, Martine Mahler (Kate Kelton). Martine, however, complicates the situation when she tells Vogler that she is pregnant with his child. When a police officer interrupts the robbery, Vogler enthusiastically kills the cop, but he himself is shot in the face by Martine.

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.

Main cast

Recurring cast

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 Montreal, Canada. Bullet in the Face is executive produced by series developer Alan Spencer, alongside Michael Prupas, Bruce Hills, Jesse Prupas, Evi Regev, and the production companies Just For Laughs Television and Muse Entertainment Enterprises. IFC originally presented Spencer with a concept for an action comedy that parodied Miami Vice and other 1980s shows. Spencer retooled the concept to be more perverse, modern, and stand in its own universe. Though he had been offered chances to remake Sledge Hammer! as a feature film, Spencer said that he did not want to retread his older work, so he instead created a more original project that would take advantage of newfound liberties – a series that he himself would watch. Production began in October 2011.

Visual influences include graphic novels, Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott, and film noir such as Alphaville. Other influences cited by journalists include Face/Off, Sin City, and Guy Ritchie films, all of which it parodies. Spencer cited the level of violence in the series, describing it as "the most violent comedy in television history". The Parents Television Council confirmed this by listing the series amongst its “seven most violent shows on cable” for that season where it bore the distinction of being the only half-hour comedy on the list. With its filmic influences, Spencer thought it appropriate to include stylized action sequences and violence not usually associated with half-hour comedies. The camerawork, such as use of the Dutch angle, was designed to be reminiscent of graphic novels as well as the Cinema of Europe.

The series musical score was composed by James Gelfand. The theme song was composed and produced by AmA, a group whose members are Amanda Bauman and Patrick Doyle; Bauman provided the vocals.

Episodes

No further episodes are planned at this time.

Critical reception

Bullet in the Face received mixed reviews. Metacritic, a review aggregator, rated it 57 out of 100 based on four reviews. 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." Jesse Tigges of Columbus Alive wrote: "Bullet in the Face is, hands down, one of the strangest things I've ever watched." Brian Lowry of Variety called it "gleefully juvenile" and recommended it for "a genre-savvy crowd that can appreciate the joke." 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." The series garnered solid ratings for IFC, increasing their usual viewership. 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." Diane Werts of Newsday wrote: "Ultra-stylish, incredibly violent, it's a touchstone of comic tone and meticulous production." Tirdad Derakhshani of The Philadelphia Inquirer called it "wickedly dark and hilarious". Michael Nazarewycz of DVD Verdict wrote that the series "...isn't funny enough to be carried by laughs, nor bad enough to be so-bad-it's-good, and it is oftentimes its own worst enemy. Still, there was something about binge-watching all six episodes that made the overall experiment entertaining." 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."

Awards

Neil Napier received a nomination for "Outstanding Male Performance" for his portrayal of Lieutenant Karl Hagerman in "Bullet in the Face" from the 2013 ACTRA Awards.

DVD release

Shout Factory released entire series on DVD in the U.S. and Canada in January 2014 with commentary provided by Alan Spencer. A Blu-ray release from Beyond Home Entertainment was also released for foreign regions.