Broken (2005)

Directed by: Alex Ferrari
Starring: Samantha Jane Polay, Paul Gordon, Derek Evans

Duncan: Look at those baby blues... I just had to see that for myself. And, now that I've seen it...

Watching Broken, the 15 minute writing and directoral debut by newcomer Alex Ferrari, you get the feeling that you've walked in on the final sequence in a really kickass movie. A girl named Bonnie (Samantha Jane Polay) is kidnapped from her house by a man named Duncan (Paul Gordon, another first-timer who seems to be right at home playing a sleazy bad guy) and taken to a warehouse filled with strangers that seem to know her, while just outside a man in black stealthily makes his way through the guards. While he does, Duncan launches into a mini Bond-villain expository monologue, that dances around the subject the viewer is asking himself, namely, What The Hell Is Going On Here?

Would you mess with this chick?

The first time I watched this short, I kept waiting for it to explain itself. Who is this girl, why does Duncan nab her, and who is the man lurking outside? I started to think I was figuring it out, but before I even realized it, the credits were rolling and I was utterly confused. I wasn't sure what I had seen, but I knew that at least the dialogue was crisp, the sets were stylish, and the violence... let's just say that when a 15 minute movie throws in multiple gunfights, girls double fisting pistols, shadowy assassins, massive head trauma and manages to include some level of plot (more on that later), I'm a happy movie nerd.


The entire thing just oozes with shots like this.

The movie's website (whatisbroken.com) plays up the fact that it contains over 100 FX shots and cost only $8000. I don't know about you, but I normally cringe when I hear a movie bragging about being an FX-fest. However, these fears are misplaced here. Ferrari uses the FX (which are amazingly good) in the way they're supposed to be used... as means to flesh out an already good story, not as the substance of the film itself.

And that's what really got me about his movie... Ferrari reveals more plot than may be evident at first. When I watched Broken a second time for the purposes of doing this review, I found that I was really getting into what was going on. I picked up on things that I hadn't noticed before, and found myself really having fun trying to come up with plausible backstories for Bonnie & Duncan. It's hard for a movie to not give everything away without frustrating it's audience (especially in America), but I think Ferrari has successfully walked that line. Broken is an exiting first look at a filmmaker who seems to have the knack of telling truly interesting stories.


Is it just me, or is Duncan one of the lost Baldwins?

Broken can be purchased from the official website whatisbroken.com. You can also check out the movie's awesome trailer, mini-documentary breakdowns on the movie's various FX shots, and much more. Give it a chance, and check it out.


- Micah

Want to share an opinion about this movie or review? To the forums!