Broken
Directed by Simon Bayes/Adam Mason
Dimension Extreme


Despite a few blatant Saw-esque moments, Broken manages to be an entertaining albeit a bit sluggish horror film.

The movie starts with a woman buried alive in a wooden crate. She escapes only to be knocked unconscious by her captor. When she regains consciousness she is tied around her neck to a tree held up only by a wobbly foothold. I won't give away the rest of the scene but it is very graphic and very Saw influenced.

The basic premise of the movie is a maniac kidnaps woman and tests them to see what they can endure. They never really exploit the idea as well as they could though and they also never really explain the motivation behind it. The man has the woman do some very strange tasks like washing pots and maintaining a garden. It makes the middle of the film drag a little bit, but the beginning and end work well and have a much quicker pace. I think a happier ending would have been a bit less predictable. The twist right before the credits has been done to death, no pun intended of course.

The acting is quite good I found, especially given the small budget I assume. The killer played by Eric Colvin is adequately creepy buy he could have been a bit more menacing. You feel like he could intimidate the girls but they would have little trouble overpowering him. It is definitely a good performance though hinting at a similar feel to Michael Rooker in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. Nadja Brand plays Hope, a nice counterpoint as the victim. A powerful scream is an asset but she gives a layered and emotional performance. She manages to come across as fragile yet strong at the same time. I sometimes questioned her sympathy towards the killer at times, but of course that all changes at the end.

The gore effects, while not plentiful, are extremely well done. The woman in the opening scene opens a wound on her stomach in graphic detail and it looks amazing. Another agonizing scene shows a leg being broken in graphic detail. The violence may not be plentiful, but it certainly looks superb

Fortunately the name of the movie doesn't match the movie itself. Despite the slow moments, this is a creepy thriller with gut wrenching moments to spare. The Saw comparison is easy to spot at times, but it is easy to look past once you become engrossed in the film.

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