Title: Man With
The Screaming Brain
Stars: Bill
Campbell, Stacy Keach, and Ted Raimi
Writer: Bruce
Campbell
Based on Story by:
Bruce Campbell and David M. Goodman
Director: Bruce
Campbell
Running Time: 90
minutes without commercials
Media: SCI FI
Pictures Original Feature Film (NTSC DVD Screener)
SCI FI Premiere
Saturday, September 10, 2005, at 9pm (ET/PT)
Network: SCI FI
Channel (Check your local cable/satellite listings for channel)
TV Rating: Not
Available At The Time Of Review
Reviewer: Mark A.
Rivera
“Man With A
Screaming Brain” marks the directorial debut of Actor Bruce Campbell, who is
best known to genre films fans for his starring roles as well as recurring/guest
appearances in films and television programs directed and or produced by Sam
Raimi that include “The Evil Dead Trilogy”, both “Spider-Man” films as
well as appearing as “The King Of Thieves” in both the Hercules and Xena
TV series. Campbell is an underrated master of physical comedy. Look at his work
in “Evil Dead II: Dead By Dawn” and he makes it look so easy that you know
it must be hard. Campbell also has a terrific sarcastic wit about him that fans
enjoy. As a result he can deliver the hokiest dialogue and sell it for all
it’s worth without a single dissatisfied grown from his fans. Dark Horse
Comics, which is publishing a limited series adaptation of “Man With The
Screaming Brain,” referred to Campbell’s iconic character of “Ash” in
the graphic novel of “Army Of Darkness” as being a “superhero” and
honestly, if Hollywood gave him a chance, all I can say is he’s got the square
jaw for the job.
Getting back to
the physical humor Campbell is gifted at getting across, in “Man With The
Screaming Brain” Campbell delivers a terrific physical performance as William
Cole, a wealthy American industrialist looking to invest in the development of a
mass transit system for an Eastern European country. Cole’s life gets turned
upside down when he comes into contact with a murderous Slavic woman that works
within the hotel he and his disgruntled wife are staying at. When Cole discovers
the ring he has purchased for his wife has been stolen by the maid, his
confrontation with her ends in his death and the death of a streetwise cab
driver with a prior relationship to the killer. Both end up as guinea pigs in
the experiment of a mad scientist (Stacey Keach) who fuses the lobes of the
brains from both men into Cole’s body. As result Cole now must share his body
and conscious with this cab driver, who also just happens to a former KGB
operative, in order find their mutual murderess. Of course two minds sharing the
same body puts Cole into all sorts of humorous situations as well as some fun
action sequences too.
Everyone involved
with this film looks as though they are having a great time and no one is taking
it too seriously so the film works as both a spoof on sci-fi mad scientists
flicks mixed in with a little detective story. It’s campy at times, but it
works and the makeup looks better on film then it does in the photos that
accompany this review so don’t let them keep you from watching this genre
flick. “Man With The Screaming Brain” will premiere on SCI FI on Saturday,
September 10, 2005 at 9pm (ET/PT). Don’t miss it!
© Copyright 2005
By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
Read The GENRE ONLINE INTERNET Interview With Bruce Campbell By Clicking Here!