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The Broken [DVD] [2008]

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Director: Sean Ellis
Actors: Richard Jenkins, Lena Headey
Studio: Universal Pictures UK
Category: DVD

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Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars

8 reviews
Sales Rank: 8331

Format: PAL
Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region: 2
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 84 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6

EAN: 5050582603514
ASIN: B001TDKJYO

Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: April 6, 2009
Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days

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Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 1-5 of 8

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Doppelganger horror movie - Definitely not a "Lost Highway" clone May 12, 2009
pointone (Bournemouth UK)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

The Broken [DVD] [2008] br / br /For much of the film I was reminded of the hallucinatory "Lost Highway" but it never stacked up, although I could never make out where the director was leading me. br / br /However the revelations at the end of the film confirm what the director says, it is a traditional horror movie dealing with doppelgangers. br / br /The multiple doppelgangers are activated at the father's birthday party when the mirror breaks. br / br /After that the writer/Director Richard Jenkins plays a brilliant deception between the real Gina McVey (Lena Headley) and her doppelganger firmly planting all the wrong ideas in our heads, and we have to wait to the last few minutes to find out what has happened. br / br /This interpretation leads to a satisfactory ending as opposed to the "left hanging" problem of the hallucinatory theory. br / br /When reading up on doppelgangers I stumbled on a similar approach with a full synopsis of the plot (I obviously cannot disclose that here); if you are interested just go to Wikipedia and search for "The Broken (film)", but please see the movie first. br / br /It is a real pleasure to find such a stimulating screenplay that is so well directed, shot and acted. br /

5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant Brit Horror September 28, 2009
Mr. Jonathon T. Beckett (Dracula's Crypt)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

WARNING!!!MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!! br / br /I really can't believe some of the reviews I have read for this film(I'm not referring to reviews on this site by the way!). Looking for some hidden meaning, spouting intellectual tripe, when in fact what we have here is a superbly crafted, deliciously creepy horror film, nothing more, nothing less. br /Does anyone remember the episode from the series Hammer House Of Horror called 'The Two Faces Of Evil'?. In that episode, a family are terrorised by evil dopplegangers following a car accident. Or, for that matter, the 1970 Basil Dearden film 'The Man Who Haunted Himself' in which businessman Roger Moore finds that a double has taken his place and is slowly rubbing out his identity, following a car crash. Even, dare I say it the pod people of the various body snatcher movies. This film borrows, and pays homage to some elements of all these films, but in this film, something as mundane as a broken mirror at a family celebration allows the murderous doubles to gain entry into this world. br /London becomes a very menacing place in the hands of director Ellis, full of dark shadows and half seen horrors. The cast all do extremely well, especially Lena Headley who is a revalation as Gina. Although not overly horryfying, there is a careful, measured build up of tension and dread, that left me on the edge of my seat anyway. Yet another example of what a healthy state the British Horror film is currently in br /So please ignore the negative, self important comments from some other reviewers, and enjoy it for what it is. Highly recommended. 5 out of 5. br /The extras on the DVD are fine, but I would have liked a longer interview with Sean Ellis regarding the content of the film

4 out of 5 stars

Reminded me of Kafka/Philip K Dick brought to life March 28, 2009
alycat (Everywhere)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I thought this little British flim was brilliant. At first I thought it was going to be rubbish. Wasnt a big fan of Lena H whats her name as I thought she was really wooden in 300 however she kinda redeemed herself in this little low budget film br / br /If youve read any Kafka or Philip K Dick or know their themes you would pretty much get this movie straightaway. Its about how everyone's doppelganger who resides in a mirror world comes out to take the real person's identity instead. br / br /I likened it to Kafka because at the beginning when the lead female character is convinced her boyf's wierd, you get this horrid eerie feeling that everyones in on it including the psychiatric staff as they monitor leaving the building. the streets of london are eerily quiet, theres hardly any people. the people in the building where her brother lives is slowly taken over by these doppelgangers too (the chinese man and his 'odd' wife) br / br /The P K Dick feel kicks in when you realise that well.. i wont spoil it for you ..... br / br /I too was disappointed that there was no neat ending, it was all too openended, it was as if the director hadnt thought about how to end it at all or just to leave it rather hopeless which doesnt work too well in a film, cos this aint Bladerunner... br / br /The cinematography was excellent amazing camera angles, it really was a work of art well done, im not normally scared having watched horror since i was 10 but this was brilliant. esp liked the little homage scenes to other horror films re - obligatory death shower scene haha and the wide window shots amde me think of that certain lamplit scene from the exorcist... br / br /Nice i will look out for other stuff this director has done!

4 out of 5 stars

this is an EXPLANATION of what film is about... ( SEE FILM FIRST ) April 28, 2009
R. Gash
0 out of 5 found this review helpful

a good film it was. but it was a blatant copy of Lost Highway, in fact it was identically structured as Lost highway, both opening concept and closing scene.... as per LH in this film , the ONLY part of the film which portrays real life events is the opening 30 secs, up to the point when the camera pans upwards and into the sky, whilst them music peaks and then the scene goes black...... ( LH has the same structure, only the 1st 30secs or so are real ) .......... from then on, all the events we see are a reconstruction of real life events, replayed through Ginas tormented mind ( same as LH ) .......... the ending scene is almost exactly the same as LH , Gina is in the car and the flashing light at the back represents the fact her mind is re-adjusting itself to a new perception/reality.... in LH we see the character in the car also, but instead of the flashing light, the character is shaking its head into a blurried frenzy and also there are lights flashing upon it.......... so overall The Broken is a shameless homage to LH and thats not a bad thing... however where LH can be anaylsed and decyphered, The Broken does not seem to be offer any reason for the characters tormented mindset..... so a copycat nonetheless, but one where an underlining story seems to be apparent.

3 out of 5 stars

Not bad, plenty of suspense... May 21, 2009
Miss K (UK)
8 out of 8 found this review helpful

The film opens with central character Gina starting to notice things - it feels like something is not quite right. Then she has a car accident and it's after this that things start to get really eerie! Everyone of course dismisses it as a result of shock from the accident but we all know there's more to it than that... br / br /I won't give any more than this away! I think the film has really mixed reviews and I can understand why. It's a British film, low budget but well shot and stylish - it sets up the suspense well with its eerie dramatic score. It's shot in a dull, dreary colour palette (think Japanese horror films like The Ring and The Grudge) You feel like something is going to happen from the very beginning of the film - yes a lot of it is just the dramatic music building you up to expect something and in reality not a lot happens for the most part. br / br /Despite this, I wouldn't say I was disappointed with the film overall - I liked the way it had me constantly wondering and trying to figure things out. OK, so the plot is not exactly mind-blowing and this film isn't going to scare the living daylights out of you, but it's worth a watch if only for the suspense of it all. Overall I would say not one for hardcore horror fans as it's not particularly scary but a decent film that keeps you guessing until the end!

Showing reviews 1-5 of 8

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