Bruised

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.

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

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

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.