By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1 cat
Director: Vidhu Vinod Chopra
Country: united_states
Year: 2015
Running time: 101
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2503954/combined
Kyle says: “The IMDB trivia section informs us that BROKEN HORSES is the first Hollywood film produced, directed, and written by an Indian, and that director James Cameron called it ‘an artistic triumph’ and director Alfonso Cuaron was ‘overwhelmed’ by the film. The interest suggested by the former is instantly mitigated by the warning implicit in the latter. When you read the location is the Mexican border and see a grizzled white guy with sunglasses, a ten-gallon hat, and a gun engaged in target practice, while his obviously developmentally challenged young son rattles on altruistically, can you honestly say you are shocked that one of them is shot dead within five minutes? If you cannot, you will probably be unfazed when a young son is handed a gun and a photograph of the alleged perpetrator, and upon orders by Vincent D’Onofrio, shoots the alleged perpetrator in the face, being then told, ‘Welcome to the family!’
“Eight years later, the younger brother has turned into a scruffy Anton Yelchin auditioning for the New York Philharmonic with a Paganini caprice, before returning to visit his mentally challenged older brother who has turned into Chris Marquette, still living in the same scary one-horse town. In short order, Jacob (Yelchin) visits a former friend who is legless due to the aforementioned Vincent D’Onofrio and a fast-moving train, and tangles with a murderer who fails to complete his assigned task. ‘There’s a lot of bad people out there, Jake, and somebody’s got to stop them’ says Buddy (Marquette), suddenly the poster boy for local mental health. In less than half an hour, I was yearning for the glacial pace and absurd logic of some of the recent NYFF screenings I had complained about, and bemoaning yet again having made the decision to watch a Chlotrudis-eligble title knowing nothing about it other than its Netflix availability. My bad.
“It gets worse. Jake is manipulated into his second murder, while ignoring phone messages from his fiancée that the Philharmonic needs an answer from him ASAP about the orchestra job he has been offered. After listening to one message, he tosses his cellphone into a bottle of water. There is a chapel scene that seems to be about gun running villain Julius (D’Onofrio) having an attack of guilt, but it makes no dramatic sense. An attempt to trap a telephone caller results in the vicious murder of the wrong person, although the corrupt police can identify where calls are made from and when they will be received. The fiancée in NYC shows up at the front door of Buddy’s home unannounced to find out why Jake has not answered her messages. And even though he explains the horrors that are taking place, she promises him everything will work out.
“There is a despicable scene between Julius and Buddy about ‘breaking’ a horse that was bitten by a rabid fox and had to be put down, which supposedly explains everything, in the process insulting mental health professionals and their clients, horses, foxes, and just about everybody in front of and behind the cameras, not to mention clueless audience members. Anton Yelchin is a hard-working and very busy actor in independent cinema, appearing in three additional current Chlotrudis-eligible titles — 5 TO 7, CYMBELINE, and BURYING THE EX. He needs to be more careful about the offers he accepts, and to take charge of his career, before it drowns in really bad movies, and he cannot remember how to do anything else. Unfortunately I am constantly proved wrong each time I write here that I have just seen the worst film of 2015. 1 cat (In the hope that actor Anton Yelchin will make better career choices in the future).
“Seen Saturday, October 17, 2015, on Netflix, New York.”