午后学校的露台上，名叫香奈的女生突然自杀身亡，在场的同学杏子（大岛优子饰），听到了香奈自杀时哼出的令人毛骨悚然的歌声。事件引起了媒体的骚动，三流杂志《月刊MASACA》的编辑长濑陆（松田龙平饰）和同时太一（伊势谷有介饰），经调查找到了事件的根源——曾经唱了十年前发行的流行歌曲《我的花》的人都自杀了。濑陆从香奈的同学那里得到香奈男朋友的线索，但赶到时他也割腕自杀。之后为了实验“传染歌”，太一带着一群女高中生唱《我的花》，结果太一在当晚便自杀了，第二天部分高中生也相继自杀。感到情况危急的濑陆，带着唱了传染歌的剩余人，向拥有灵异能力的方丈（阿部宽饰）求助…ddd

Constantlyonthehuntandsufferingfromhallucinationsthatdrivehisviolentnature,anunnamedmaniscapturingwomenandsavagelybeatingthemtodeath.Meanwhile,awomanisluringmenintoaviolentend,bywayofherknife.Drivenbythesameforcetomaketheoppositesexsuffer,thekillers’fatesintertwine.Thetwomustfaceoffinabattletothedeath,inwhichtheyareforcedtorevealthehorribletruthbehindtheiraddictiontomurder.                  ccc
                “Brutal”takesaninterestingapproachtoitsvisuals,drawingheavyinfluencefromWestern“Grindhouse”films,usingafiltertomakethefootageappeargrainy,damaged,andwithlightandcolorfluctuations.Unfortunately,thevisualstylingendsupfeelingmisguided,asotherthanapplyingthefilteritdoesnotimitateanyotheraspectsofthe“Grindhouse”genre.Despitetryingtodirtyupthefilm,itisapparentitwasshotondigital.Thecinematographyisalsoastepabovemost“Grindhouse”productions,withTakashiHiroseprovinghehastalentbehindthecamera.Exteriorshotstothosetakingplaceinsmallspacesareallcompetentlyframed,lit,andtransitionwell.Thedecisiontoaddaneffectontopoftheworkhurtsthefilm’simageryandevengivesasenseofdesperationtotrytocaptureacertaintypeofnostalgiawiththeaudience,insteadofrelyingonitsownstrengths.Itisunfortunatewhenonecreativechoicecanhurtaproductionsomuch.                  
                Thestoryof“Brutal”issimplebuteffective,itdoesattemptsomesortofsocialcommentaryabouttheviolentnatureofmenandwomen,butitdoesnotofferenoughdepthintothesubjecttojustifytheamountofviolenceondisplay.Thefilmdoesendonastrongnotewithaninterestingtwist,witharevealthatisboundtogrosssomeout,whilegivingothersachuckle.Inspiteofitssimplenature,thosewhoenjoyfilmsthatmakethemsomewhatuncomfortableandenjoythechallengeofgettingthroughsomeultra-violence,“Brutal”posesafunandentertainingchallengeinthatregard.

本作は日本各地で起きた村八分事件をもとに、実際に存在するという“村の掟”の数々から村社会の実態を描くスリラーccc