The Broken (2008)

: Spoiled Spud

Directed by: Sean Ellis
Starring: Lena Headey, Ulrich Thomsen, Melvil Poupaud

Exploring the superstitious belief that broken mirrors bring bad luck sounds like a great concept for a suspense thriller. I had high hopes for this film, but it never delivers any truly scary moments, the classic, “jump out of your seat”, thrills. The music and the cinematography set you up, time and again, but then the scenes are anti-climactic. Some may find it edgy and artistic, but the lack of a cohesive story and one-dimensional characters made it impossible to have any real emotional response to the film. It initially feels Hitchcockian, but then wanders off into sci-fi territory and gets ridiculous. The twist ending is confusing and inconclusive, particularly because there is no real story in the first place. Any way you slice it, this potato just never comes to a boil.

-PotatoPatti