Broken, The (The Brøken) (Blu-ray) (2008)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	None
Rating
Year Of Production	2008
Running Time	88:00
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Sean Ellis
Studio Distributor	Icon Entertainment	Starring	Lena Headey Ulrich Thomsen Melvil Poupaud Michelle Duncan Asier Newman Richard Jenkins
Case	?
RPI	?	Music	Guy Farley

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 (4608Kb/s) English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (4608Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

   The Broken (also known as The Brøken due to a Scandinavian reference) is the latest release in the Insomnia horror range from Icon Entertainment. A straight-to-DVD release in this Region it is actually a clever, well-made genre film that will appeal to anyone that likes their horror creepy and unsettling rather than bathed in blood.

Gina McVey (300's Lena Headey) is a radiologist at a London hospital. Life isn't so bad. She has a father (Richard Jenkins) who is a bigwig at the US Embassy, a brother who is an up'n'coming artist and a good looking European boyfriend. A minor event at a surprise party for her father begins a descent into horror. The mirror in the dining room, for no reason, shatters.

The next day as she is leaving the hospital she sees a woman, identical to her, driving in an identical car. Following the woman she comes to an apartment where things get really weird. There is a picture of Gina and her father on the sideboard! Racing away from the apartment she is involved in a serious motor accident and gets a decent whack on the head.

Things start getting stranger after the accident. Her boyfriend is behaving differently, not evil, just cold and uncaring. She can't get over these terrible dreams of blood and death. The doctors at the hospital think she is suffering from a condition which causes her to believe that her loved ones have been replaced.

As the plot unfolds it becomes clear, well sort of, that there are doppelgangers loose in London and when you see a broken mirror its time to look out!

It is difficult to say too much more about the film without giving too much away. At 88 minutes it keeps to a single plot line and director Ellis (who won an Oscar for his short film Cashedback which he remade as a less successful feature) keeps the action ticking over. It is cut from the same cloth as classics like Invasion of the Body Snatchers and, except for one scene, he keeps the dread count high and the gore count low. The core horror experience lies in that feeling of vulnerability when those around you look the same but might be violent killers. The tension in the film is wondering where Gina's likeness is hiding (or is she hunting her?) and what she will do when the two meet.

Headey is good as the heroine under siege and Jenkins is his usual professional self as a father struggling to understand whether his daughter is onto something or simply on something! The film is tense and minimalist in its look and style and will keep fans of cerebral horror happy until the next Optimum release.

Video

    The Broken was shot on 35mm film and was shown in the cinema at a 2.35:1 aspect ratio. That ratio has been preserved for the Blu-ray release.

The use of the cinema aspect ratio was not a given. According to online sources the Region 1 DVD release begins in 2.35:1 then shifts to 1.78:1 after the credits. Most unsatisfactory.

The widescreen ratio is really appropriate in this film where the lead character spends so much time isolated in the frame. The suspense and horror in this film comes from the constant feeling that something bad is just about to happen.

London has never looked so cold, empty and uncaring than through cinematographer Angus Hudson's lens. The film has an intentionally desaturated look and the colours are stark. Lighting is moody and dim. I can't recall one scene that has bright clear lighting. The effect is that strong colours, particularly blood, stand out.

The transfer to Blu-ray appears to be of high quality. The film is placed on a single BD 25 but given that it is so short and the complete absence of extras the decision not to go with a dual layered Blu-ray doesn't seem to have caused any problems. Compression is not an issue. Flesh tones are accurate. The image is sharp and the blacks are deep and detailed. There is a slight grain which adds to the mood of the piece.

There are subtitles for the Hearing Impaired which give a good account of on-screen action.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

  The Broken features two High Definition soundtracks. Once again we have the benefit of a Dolby Digital True HD soundtrack(5.1) and the DTS Master Audio soundtrack. Both are uncompressed and both sound remarkably good.

This is a film that uses sound and the absence of it in equal measures for the creation of mood. The score by Guy Farley is very effective. He uses dissonance and crescendo effectively to match and complement the on-screen action. The sound department has worked overtime as well. So often the score is undercut by a subtle sound, such as a passing train or barking dogs that ramp up the tension. The silences are free of hiss.

Dialogue is clear and easy to hear although it should be said that this is not a dialogue heavy film.

Surround sound has been used to great effect with the noises and effects spread around the room. The sub-woofer cuts in from time to time but is otherwise a subtle presence.

The actors are in audio sync.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

There are no extras. In fact there are -1 extras as the two trailers preceding the film are unskippable meaning that you have to sit through 5 minutes of ads after already putting up with Blu-ray's long load time.

   This Blu-ray release is the first. The DVD release did not have any real extras so this Region is still the best.

   The Broken is a tense horror film that deserves a watch and even a purchase for those who like Lena Headey or can't get enough of the horror genre.

The Blu-ray is good looking and sounds excellent.

The only thing creepier than the film is the lack of extras. Have they been taken and replaced ... by nothing?!

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall