Bruised

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2:11

Bruised

R

2021

2h 12m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

51%

Tomatometer

91 Reviews

55%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Jackie Justice (Halle Berry) is a mixed martial arts fighter who leaves the sport in disgrace. Down on her luck and simmering with rage and regret years after her fight, she's coaxed into a brutal underground fight by her manager and boyfriend Desi (Adan Canto) and grabs the attention of a fight league promoter (Shamier Anderson) who promises Jackie a life back in the octagon. But the road to redemption becomes unexpectedly personal when Manny (Danny Boyd, Jr.) -- the son she gave up as an infant -- shows up at her doorstep. BRUISED marks the directorial debut of Academy Award winner Halle Berry and also stars Adriane Lenox, Sheila Atim, Valentina Shevchenko, and Stephen McKinley Henderson in a triumphant story of a fighter who reclaims her power, in and out of the ring, when everyone has counted her out.

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Critics Consensus

Bruised isn't as hard-hitting as its title might suggest, but Halle Berry impresses on either side of the camera in her directorial debut.

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Robert Levin

Newsday

Dec 31, 2021

2.5/4

Halle Berry shows real filmmaking talent, but there's too much going on throughout the movie, when the story demands a more consistently minimalist treatment.

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Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

Dec 4, 2021

4/5

Kick butt, break rules, and direct your first feature after 50? Maybe Berry could be the next Bond.

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Catey Sullivan

Chicago Reader

Dec 4, 2021

The end is fairly predictable. The way it gets there is decidedly not.

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Saibal Chatterjee

NDTV

Sep 27, 2023

Berry has built a thriving career around fractured women fighting to stay on their feet through thick and thin. Both as actor and director, she brings great heft to this story of a woman who chins up in the face of obstacles and keeps going.

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Common Sense Media

May 20, 2023

4/5

It has the familiar beats of many sports movies, but Berry's directorial debut looks below the surface to find an organic sense of life that's beaten and pummeled but also persistent and hopeful.

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Zoë Rose Bryant

Loud and Clear Reviews

Sep 1, 2022

2.5/5

Halle Berry brings her all to Bruised, but the film is too familiar thematically to earn the explosive emotional impact it desires.

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Marcus B

Nov 22, 2021

The movie is awesome, she directed that movie great! An showing how a person could fall an rise up an continue to follow her dream through life!! She should become a director! 😊

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Tasos L

@TasosLe May 18, 2026

I like watching Halle Berry kicking asses. I like watching her as a strong and fit woman.

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Beka W

@RT14648179 Jun 14, 2025

Halle Berry is a brilliant and talented Black woman with incredible abilities to showcase, but why not showcase the strength and focus of a black woman dating manager instead of zombie like who jumps when he calls? I understand the struggle to be shown but shes too fierce to not have a little of her flare. Overall, alot going on in film and not all connections were given throughout film.

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Carlos Taiti Y

@RT25138031 Jun 13, 2025

Filme: FERIDA Assistido: 13/6/25 Elenco: @halleberry @sheilaatim @adancanto @shamieranderson @a.lenoxzach Modelo: #esporte #drama Duração: 2h 18m Ano: 2020 Minha opinião: Berry com 58 anos, esta mandando muito bem. Um filme que retrata o drama daqueles que vem do subúrbio, de famílias desestruturadas, que tem relacionamentos doentios e tem filhos neste mesmo universo, e que o trauma vai passado de geração para geração. Seja nos relacionamentos, vícios, traumas e conflitos de relacionamento. Este é o filme que mostra a vida da lutadora de MMA Jackie (BErry) vive. E com seu parceiro Desi (canto) e tudo muda quando aparece um filho de Jackie que vivia com o pai. Depois de assassinado vem morar com ela. Porem com o convívio já era difícil com Desi, depois da vida da criança, tudo piorou. E antes que ele maltratasse a criança ela sai, vai morar com mãe, que não dura muitos dias e muda novamente para o apartamento da treinadora budda (Atim), com quem acaba tendo um relacionamento. Até quando chega o dia da luta pelo cinturão. Cenas muito bem construídas que pareceu real. Isto mostra quanto Berry treinou muito. Cenas bem filmadas, e sem pretenção, ela perde mas com a decisão dividia. O filme termina com ela reiniciando sua vida com seu filho. Com boa atuação dos atores e méritos de Berry. Um filme revelando o drama de várias famílias. Vale apena assistir? Sim. Boa atuação de Berry e como esta bem de forma, poderiam fazer um filme como Bailariana no universo John Wick para ela, contando sua estória. Nota: 8

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Greg A

@RT14903553 Aug 31, 2024

Forget what any critic says, watch this movie, its fantastic on so many levels, and I’m not a UFC octagon fighting fan what so ever!

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New W

@RT93437429 Aug 24, 2024

I’m always rooting for a Halle Berry movie. Bruised as a drama sport film is probably more drama than sport however as a drama film, it also delivers I was expecting more action with fight scenes, but the whole movie was a buildup to the one scene at the end, which delivered in my opinion, Halle Berry does deliver well in that motherhood type role I think the movie would’ve benefitted from more fight scenes and more action in the octagon but I could see movie lovers liking this film. MMA fans may not like it as much as they might be expecting more action with the film delivers.

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Halle Berry

Director

Halle Berry

Jackie Justice

Stephen Henderson

Pops

Adan Canto

Desi

Shamier Anderson

the encouraging MMA league owner

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Synopsis

Jackie Justice (Halle Berry) is a mixed martial arts fighter who leaves the sport in disgrace. Down on her luck and simmering with rage and regret years after her fight, she's coaxed into a brutal underground fight by her manager and boyfriend Desi (Adan Canto) and grabs the attention of a fight league promoter (Shamier Anderson) who promises Jackie a life back in the octagon. But the road to redemption becomes unexpectedly personal when Manny (Danny Boyd, Jr.) -- the son she gave up as an infant -- shows up at her doorstep. BRUISED marks the directorial debut of Academy Award winner Halle Berry and also stars Adriane Lenox, Sheila Atim, Valentina Shevchenko, and Stephen McKinley Henderson in a triumphant story of a fighter who reclaims her power, in and out of the ring, when everyone has counted her out.

Director: Halle Berry
Producer: Guymon Casady, Terry Dougas, Brad Feinstein, Linda Gottlieb, Gillian Hormel, Basil Iwanyk, Paris Kassidokostas-Latsis, Erica Lee
Screenwriter: Michelle Rosenfarb
Distributor: Netflix
Production Co: Romulus Entertainment, Aloe Entertainment, Thunder Road Pictures, Metrol Technology, Bohemia Media, Head Gear Films, Rhea Films (II)
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content/Nudity|Pervasive Language|Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 17, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 24, 2021
Runtime: 2h 12m

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