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The Broken (2008)

Director: Sean Ellis

Time Out rating

Average user rating

10 reviews

Movie review

From Time Out London

As a former fashion photographer, it’s perhaps unsurprising that Sean Ellis is obsessed with surfaces: his disastrous debut feature, ‘Cashback’, was about a voyeuristic art student, while his sophomore effort, ‘The Broken’, centres on mirrors – a good metaphor for a film that is shiny and shallow.

Lena Headey plays Gina, a doctor who survives a car crash and begins to question the nature of her reality. An interesting enough premise, except that as Gina’s psychosis deepens the story reveals itself as just another badly thought out remake of an extremely well-worn horror classic. Ellis’s interest in imagery does produce some striking visuals – the slo-mo crash, some gorgeous aerial shots of London – and one supremely effective jolt. But such fleeting pleasures are undermined by an inane, directionless narrative, barely-even-one-dimensional characters and an overall sense of superficiality. ‘The Broken’ proves that Ellis has a promising future as a director – but only of commercials.

Author: Tom Huddleston

Time Out London Issue 2006, 29 Jan - 4 Feb. 2009

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User reviews of this film

critically acclaimed said...

Posted on Nov 24 2011 16:15 utter shite film, waste of time, bad story, disconnected, goes nowhere, ends unexplaining everything, only good thing were the camera angles and some fly over shots of london and the 2 girls were hot, part from that it was 1 of the worst movies I have ever seen. over and out.

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galensaysyes said...

Posted on Sep 12 2011 05:06 "'The Broken proves that Ellis has a promising future as a director – but only of commercials.' ISN'T THAT OFFENSIVE?" No, it's a clear (and seemingly accurate) description of the director's limitations.
"Thanks for supporting young film directors." This isn't the critic's job.
"maybe constructive criticism would have been better suited if he did not like the film." This isn't the critic's job, either.
"I think Mr Huddlestons comments are more of a personal nature." Only because he disliked the movie; if he'd liked it, that WOULDN'T be seen as being of a personal nature.
"you don't know what it means to be a good film critic." See comment immediately preceding.
"I am sure Sean Ellis has full UK, if not International support." Not judging by the reviews the film got.
"one narrow minded film critic who is in clear need of anger management." The review doesn't evince any anger, but some of the comments do.
"so just because the director's young he should get a free ride?" Exactly.
I don't know whether the director got his mates to post to the site, or he's posting himself under different names, or they're just film students who think films (i.e. the ones they imagine making some day) should be immune from criticism; but in any case I think this review is very generous, considering the static, derivative, and incoherent work under review: a tale told by an idiot, &c., signifying nothing.

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gina said...

Posted on Mar 02 2010 23:35 Genius movie. It is about incest but it's subtle in a film

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shannon said...

Posted on Jun 24 2009 01:44 this was a typical english film,no story line and just a load of random stuff put together to make a film,to be quite honest we should leave the film making to the americans, no ofence.

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Broke said...

Posted on Feb 03 2009 19:11 Honestly - the worst movie I've ever seen. Horribly slow, painfully dull and an ending that makes you want to scream at the screen... well done if you make it to the end. Half a dozen walked out of my screening...

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bob said...

Posted on Jan 29 2009 16:55 so just because the director's young he should get a free ride? remember citizen kane... the reviewer has a responsibility to warn his readers not to go and see this boring so-called 'horror' film

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Baptiste said...

Posted on Jan 28 2009 19:35 "The Broken proves that Ellis has a promising future as a director – but only of commercials."
ISN'T THAT OFFENSIVE?
Thanks for supporting young film directors.
And by the way, there's no shame to be a commercial director.

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BEN said...

Posted on Jan 28 2009 19:18 I think Mr Huddlestons comments are more of a personal nature .... maybe constructive criticism would have been better suited if he did not like the film.
I loved the film - thought it was beautifully shot. I am sure Sean Ellis has full UK, if not International support (excluding one narrow minded film critic who is in clear need of anger management......) Can't wait to see what he will do next :)

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Editor said...

Posted on Jan 28 2009 18:03 Baptiste - All comments are appreciated but we do have to remove the offensive ones.
Thanks

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Baptiste said...

Posted on Jan 28 2009 17:58 You can erase my previous comment, but still, Tom, you don't know what it means to be a good film critic...

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