'Hail to the King, baby!' (If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor - Bruce Campbell)

Member Name: clownfoot

Product:	If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor - Bruce Campbell
Date:	07/05/08 (279 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Probably the best autobiography you've never read...

Disadvantages: ...unlikely to convince those that prefer reading about the Spice Girls or Jordan to give this a go!

IF CHINS COULD KILL: CONFESSIONS OF A B-MOVIE ACTOR

I know, I know. Most of you are thinking "who in the blue hell is Bruce Campbell?" Shame on you, if you are one of these poor degenerate saps; you are sorely missing out. For the few progressive individuals out there that know what I know, I expect you currently have thought bubbles sprouting from your eager minds in which the word 'Legend' is emblazoned in capitals and a rather large Tahoma font. Some would probably say that's a bit much for an actor who has appeared in real shit like Moontrap (awful), McHale's Navy (ugh) and Congo (dire), but that's all in the day job for possibly the world's most recognisable and lovable B-movie actor. Balancing rubbish films with the excesses of the finest trilogy known to man (The Evil Dead), one true cult movie (Bubba Ho-Tep) and the odd fleeting appearance in a big Sam Raimi movie (see all three Spiderman films), has created a mythical persona and a fan-base that rivals most A-listers. Besides, rather than having a membership with the rest of the freakazoids in Club Scientology, he's also a fairly affable, normal bloke.

Ahh, but how do we know that Sir Bruce of Campbell (to give him his full English title) is such a top bloke? Well, if his website, the awesome Evil Dead 2 director's commentary or the accounts of fans who have met him are anything to go by you really can't dispute. On top of this there's also 'If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor' (so called because of Bruce's rather elongated, square jaw that makes him instantly recognisable), Bruce's first and rather successful foray into book writing.

'Chins' is an excellent autobiographical account of Bruce's early foray into the perils of low-budget independent film-making, his decision to take acting seriously, the struggles and toil he has endeavoured to craft a living in the film and television industry, and the successes he has made as a result. Told with a sincerity not usually associated with the atypical film star and with Bruce's established wry humour and sarcasm, it forgoes Hollywood anecdotes for much more entertaining tales of his attempts to break into the business, despite not really being all that good at the acting lark.

First and foremost, this is a book that any fan of Bruce, Raimi or The Evil Dead will lap up. Starting with his youth and growing up in Michigan with his sibling rivals (or brothers to you and me) 'Chins' details his early love of play acting; how a concoction of like-minded individuals slowly came together to form a troop of super-8 filmmakers; his first meeting with the bane of his existence (Sam Raimi for the uninitiated); the creation of 'Within the Woods' - the prototype movie that decided they would venture into independent filmmaking; the horrible cold calling process and other ventures to raise the money to make a film; and the final, arduous on set and post-production travails that were undertaken to release 'The Evil Dead' (with added stick drawings courtesy of Bruce highlighting some of Raimi's most impressive camera set-ups).

Even then, however, there's something fresh and revealing to the beginning reader about the highs and lows of independent filmmaking that makes 'Chins' more than appealing. You really don't need to know much about Bruce or 'The Evil Dead' to get enjoyment from this read. The writing style is infectious, entertaining and, at times, hilariously deadpan and sardonic (especially when directed the way of the studios) making it a joyful adventure to follow as it revels in the intimacy of a 'diary of a nobody'. The inclusion of pictures from Bruce's early years, and the recent recollections of others (such as Raimi, Robert Tapert, Scott Spiegel, Josh Becker, etc) that shared these experiences make it ever more personal than most autobiographies. Indeed, one of the first things that strikes you is there is no way that these entertaining musings have been ghost written by anyone other than Bruce!

The second half of 'Chins' continues in much the same style, covering aspects of the next 20 years of his career, but remains ever interesting as Bruce forgoes going into great detail on his most obvious films (Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness) and instead gives equal weight to those projects and missed opportunities little known to even many of his fans. It makes for a gold mine of information. From his first experience of the studio system with 'Crimewave' where the studio insisted on Raimi providing a named actor over Bruce for the lead; to taking a sound job on Raimi's 'Darkman' to pay a few debts; to the two week all inclusive holiday that he was paid for whilst shooting his scenes for Congo in Costa Rica (one of the industries little perks); to plenty of detail on the never syndicated over here TV show 'The Adventures of Brisco County' - it makes for an entertaining and often laugh-out loud read throughout.

Then there are those 'did you know' titbits of trivia that enlighten 'Chins' further. For instance - did you know the only reason Bridget Fonda appears at the beginning of Army of Darkness is because she was a fan of the first two Evil Dead movies and asked to appear? And that Bruce was sneezing red snot for two weeks after Raimi almost drowned him in the bloodbath shot for Evil Dead 2? Or that Bruce was close to becoming more widely recognised than he is today, but for Billy Zane just beating him to the lead role of The Phantom? For the fan and the wondering transgressor alike, such details just make 'Chins' ever more readable and its hero ever more likable.

Indeed the distinct humility Bruce shows throughout and the level of intimacy he details in his career is something of a payback to the fans that have elevated his persona beyond the magnifying glass it was once viewed with. Intelligently and smartly written, without ever fawning into self-absorption or besmirching the fact he never quite made it into the big-time, Bruce identifies and respects his fans enough to give them a book they were all hoping for. 'Chins' is a delightfully laid-back and humourous account of life in the slow lane on perhaps the best actor you've never heard of and now can't wait to get to know better! It easily adds to the iconic status deservedly rewarded for the physical and mental kicking Raimi gave Bruce in Evil Dead 2 (for the benefit of the audience, of course), the best scene of self-mutilation ever shot, and the finest cameo ever put to screen (Darkman). Bruce Campbell, legend!


Overall - As Bruce suggests in Army of Darkness, 'Hail to the King, baby.' And really we just should, because Campbell is awesome. A great tale of a relative nobodies struggle through a tunnel of swamp-donkey's and jism monkey's to persevere as an actor in low-budget film and television, coming out clean and smelling of roses on the other side.


Where to buy? - 'If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor is currently available to buy from Amazon in hardback, although the £23.95 figure quoted is much more expensive than the £14.99 I paid for it a few years back. The paperback might be cheaper to get hold of (and includes an additional chapter from the hardcover edition), but it's not currently available directly from Amazon. It's a great book, but far too expensive at £23.95 - use other sources would be my advice.


Author: Bruce Campbell
Publisher: Saint Martin's Press Inc. (August 2002)
RRP: £17.99
Pages: 368 pages
ISBN: 978-0312291457


© clownfoot, May 2008.

Summary: The world's best B-Movie actor on his life and times in the industry.