Revenge-thrillers tend to lend well to horror, especially if they push the violence far enough into gory genre territory. The latest by Paul Andrew Williams (The Cottage, Cherry Tree Lane) reads like a classic, gritty crime thriller turned vengeance quest but plays like a horror movie in many ways. Bull stuns with its shocking violence, keeps you guessing throughout, then impressively pulls the rug out from under you.
Kill List’s Neil Maskell stars as the eponymous Bull, a gang enforcer that adores his son Aiden (Henri Charles). But Bull mysteriously went silent for a decade, just gone without a trace. Now, he’s back and in search of his old gang, who are surprised to see him. It quickly becomes apparent that Bull is on a rage-fueled mission for payback against an egregious double-cross. At the top of his hit list are father-in-law and local crime boss Norm (David Hayman) and Bull’s drug-addicted wife Gemma (Lois Brabin-Platt), who happens to be Norm’s daughter. More than simply carve his path through personal justice, Bull wants to find his son.
Williams keeps an intimate focus on Bull throughout, making viewers complicit in his ruthless, systematic tracking of those who wronged him. Jumping back and forth through the present and flashbacks from a decade ago, Williams doles out the pieces to this mysterious puzzle oh so slowly. It’s evident that those Bull mercilessly tortures and kills betrayed him. Still, without knowing what the inciting event was or that backstory- at first- it plays like a deranged killer stalking and toying with prey.
Maskell makes for a riveting lead. It’s what carries the film even when the timeline isn’t always easy to follow. Bull’s love for his son humanizes him, striking a tonal balance to match the moments of unhinged rage that veers straight into horror territory. Combined with Williams’ stylistic flourishes, Maskell’s performance takes Bull from your classic crime thriller into something wholly unpredictable. A carnival set-piece leans hard into the genre, casting Bull’s maniacal laughter as he murders an enemy in plain sight, his deranged expression cast in neon red lighting. This inventive staging, along with Maskell’s deeply resonant and emotional portrayal, adds a provocative, horrifying tone. Hayman’s frightening turn matches him as the cruel crime boss with no limits to his absolute rule.
As the bodies pile up, so, too, do the questions. Not just about the fateful events that transpired a decade ago, but about Aiden’s whereabouts and why so many of Bull’s colleagues feel like pigs to the slaughter now. The closer it barrels toward those answers, the more it keeps you guessing the truth. The explosive third act reveals pack a potent punch, knocking the wind out of you as it builds toward a satisfying, unpredictable finish.
There’s a simplicity to William’s direction that lets Maskell’s performance drive the story. The bloody kills, the creatively staged deaths, and an unrestrained killer marries a crime revenge-thriller with a slasher. One grounded in gritty realism. Maskell is ferocious, and the pain he inflicts upon those that betrayed him matches that ferocity. The bloodshed and violence are shocking, but not nearly as much as the narrative surprises in store. This revenge-thriller may read like a classic crime tale, but how it plays out ensures it’s one for the horror fan.
Bull made its world premiere at Fantasia International Film Festival, with release info coming soon.
