According to the advertising for Broken, this 15-minute short contains 100 special effects shots in less than 15-minutes. You'll have to take that as truth. There's no possible way to count them. Why? They're done so well, you cant even tell they're effects in the first place.
That's probably the best compliment you could give a summer blockbuster. To say that of an $8,000 short, it really hits home. Its main draw is an action sequence, effectively directed, if not a bit generic. Gunfire, a little hand-to-hand combat, and some fantastic gore separate it a little, but it's still not unlike action scenes you'll see elsewhere.
Then again, that's the point. Whereas Hollywood spends millions, Alex Ferrari proves it can be done cheaply and quickly. The budget hardly seems to constrain the vision at all.
There's enough material here for a full-length feature, and it really should be. The lead, played by Samantha Polay, is the centerpiece and she's surrounded by an interesting cast of characters. Unfortunately, as this is such a short piece, they never really evolve into anything but a body count. It could use an extra hour to flesh them out.
There are moments where it can be hard to follow. Likely due to the budget, some of the dialogue falls below the level of a whisper, basically becoming inaudible. Still, you'll have enough to go on for the eerie final moments, and the last shot is fantastic.
Broken is worth tracking down. If you were unaware of the statistics behind the film, you'll likely fail to grasp why it's special. It doesn't do things different from a basic action thriller; it just does them quicker, cheaper, and with an independent style.
Article comments
1 - Chris Beaumont
Glad to see you liked it.
I liked it too, I want to watch it a couple of more times before reviewing. I plan on putting my review up this weekend.
2 - Screen Rant
I watched it as well. I was impressed with what was accomplished with $8,000 but I didn't really like the actor chosen for the lead antagonist. It also seemed like it was lifted out of the middle of a larger story, since it didn't make much sense. Alex did explain that there was a larger story there but it wasn't shown due to the limitations of the production.
Vic
3 - Chris Beaumont
I did read that it is currently in development as a feature. Could be interesting....