I don’t know about you, but I always find that when it comes to watching movie trailers, it seems to spoil the film itself. Whether the film is something of a cinematic genius or not, trailers tend to either hype the film up or give something crucial away in those 2 or so minutes. Being a movie reviewer about to watch an unknown film, this can be quite critical when we begin to form our own opinion of a flick. So when I received the screener for the film Broken Horses, I sat down (pen and notebook in hand) and went in with an open mind. After viewing the film though, I decided to do a bit of research on the film and that was perhaps a big mistake on my part.
Written, directed, and produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Broken Horses is the first Hollywood movie by an Indian (which seems a bit overdue considering it is 2015). A remake of the 1989 film Parinda, Broken Horses takes us through the story of two brothers on completely different paths. The story opens up with the brothers being children and reveals that the oldest brother, Buddy, has a mental disability (or ‘slow’ as the other kids call him). After mourning the death of a family member, young Buddy gets pulled into a gun cartel and decides to quit school, leaving his younger brother Jacob to get an education and play the violin. We then fast forward 15 years and Jacob (Anton Yelchin) is about to get married to his beautiful girlfriend Vittoria (Maria Valverde) and has also just auditioned for the Symphony. Wanting his brother to be his best man, Jacob decides to head back down to the US/Mexico border where they grew up and ask his brother Buddy (Chris Marquette) in person. While there, he learns of Buddy’s involvement with Julius Hench (Vincent D’Onofrio), a man who controls one side of the cartel and who is disappointed with Buddy. It seems that Buddy has been thinking about quitting the business in order to spend some time with his brother in New York and Julius is none too happy about it. This begins a string of events in which Jacob becomes entangled in the violence, fearing for not only his life, but Buddy’s life as well.
I found the film to play out as if I was reading a book. A slow and steady paced storyline, Broken Horses creates an atmosphere of violent tension, which leaves the viewer wondering what will happen next. However, I decided after my first viewing to take a look at the trailer online and this was what led me to feel blase about the film. At 1 minute and 9 seconds, we only see a few scenes from the film (included the ending) and director James Cameron (Avatar) speaking quite highly of the film. I’m not sure what Mr. Cameron’s involvement was with the film, but his quote is also plastered on the movie poster, saying the film is “beautifully written, acted and imaged, this film wraps slowly around you like a king snake and squeezes” as well as an “artistic triumph.” Along with Mr. Cameron’s positive review, Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) stated he was “overwhelmed” by the film. This left me puzzled so I sat down and watched the film a second time.
I’m not denying the film isn’t good. The acting is terrific, which is what I would expect with such a talented and versatile cast. Anton Yelchin and Chris Marquette deliver solid performances, and Mr. D’Onofrio is fantastic in everything he is in. However, it’s the dialogue that gets me and really drags the film down. The writing is a little forced and there are some scenes which really don’t really add to the story that is unfolding in front of the viewer. These things bothered me a bit while watching the film for the first time, but after reading such high remarks by two extremely respected directors, I felt the film did not achieve (or deserves) such a high level of praise. Entertaining: yes. Worthy of any Oscar winner’s seal of approval: not really.
Recent Comments