Brokedown Palace (1999)

“That’s all freedom is… an illusion. ” – Alice Marano

Number of Times Seen – 1  (27 Mar 2014)

Brief Synopsis – Two teenagers on holiday in Thailand following High school graduation get more than they bargained for when they meet a mysterious Australian stranger during their trip.

My Take on it – I was intrigued when I heard about this movie and was eager to see Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale in this mysterious courtroom drama.

The first half of the movie was very good and I got enough of an impression as to who the girls were and why they were doing what they did, but the second half of the movie just fell off a cliff because it added so many unknown elements to the story that we as viewers were not even aware of.

These themes are not explained at all and even when the movie was over, it was mostly left completely open with the viewer not understanding what is the truth and what is not.

Both actresses showed even back then that they know how to act well and did a fine job, but the uneven script is what does this movie in.

I also found it a bit annoying when Bill Pullman (playing a lawyer) had to give speeches in Thai and the only explanation the viewer is given is by another actor paraphrasing what was going on in court.  I realize that this is done to show us that the girls had no clue as to what was happening, but it was still quite annoying.

Bottom Line – Good cast, but the second half of the movies falls flat and doesn’t deliver making the movie and its story very uneven.

Rating – BAFTA Worthy

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