Watching a sci-fi thriller with out as much action just seems Brutal. Big hats off the the director and the actors and of course the stars, the stunt coordinators for putting together this gem of a indie film. It is being hailed and awarded by the MMA world as well as the online horror film community. It is one you will be both covering your eyes to watch as well as not looking away. The tone reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode in all the good ways. It will leave you with questions and thinking about it for days to come. The acting is as solid as the hits and the fight scenes are indeed Brutal as the title promises. It is a violent ride but one that also pauses to accept man's nature and just how much we can endure. Looking forward to more work from this director and team!

Brutal is a rare look into man's violent nature, set against the backdrop of an MMA style fighting ring, brilliantly contrasting ones will to survive with the need to connect. Director Donald Flaherty finds a unique platform on which to explore mans psyche, and delivers a deeper meaning to the title "Brutal", as his story unfolds with toe curling fight scenes, chest pounding blood baths, naked moments of innocence, arresting performances, and humor in the most unlikely of places. The stark set design helps to magnify the strength as well as the fragility of his lead characters.An intriguing moral tale not to be missed!

First let me say that the movie is very appropriately titled, from the very start the action in this film is a display of total Brutality! If this was filmed in 3D, I believe I would have been covered in blood. I was sitting in my seat thinking "this can't get more brutal" and then sure enough, "splat, pop, eye gouge"! The opening had my attention, I was enthralled and determined to figure out what was happening. Why were these characters in a continuous blood drenched battle? The way the movie unfolded was very artistic and I could see how Mr. Flaherty has matured and grown from his last movie. I also want to say that Jeff Hatch gave a great performance, as did Morgan Benoit!

I saw this film at its Los Angeles premiere at the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. If the action sequence that opens BRUTAL doesn't get your attention, you're dead. From moment one, the audience is drawn into the hellishly surreal world into which a mysterious force has dropped Trevor (Morgan Benoit) and Derrick (Jeff Hatch.) BRUTAL combines some of the most balls-to-the-wall fight choreography you've ever seen (Benoit and Hatch's bone-crunching fights are so realistic that they are simultaneously hard to watch and hard to turn away from,) a sci-fi undercurrent and a nuanced lead performance that should, by all rights, make Morgan Benoit a star. BRUTAL cuts across the genres, and Donald Flaherty's mix of Twilight Zone-esque mystery and raw brutality makes for a fascinating ride.