Broken

In-between stylish opening credits a woman awakes in a wooden box. Screaming for release, she finally makes her way out of her trap but is bludgeoned with a rifle butt before getting her bearings.

When she next awakes the woman is perched precariously on her tiptoes, on a loose log that threatens to roll away from her at any moment. A rope is tied around her neck, holding her up against a tree in the middle of a remote forest. One false step and she will hang herself.

It soon becomes clear that she has had a razor blade sewn into her stomach. If she can pick the fresh stitches loose and retrieve the blade, she can use it to cut through the rope and free herself.

This is achieved in unexpectedly graphic fashion - but alas, the woman chooses death when confronted by her gun-toting tormentor.

The action then shifts abruptly to hand-held footage of Hope (Nadja Brand, PREY; THE 13TH SIGN), a single mother speaking candidly to a blind date in a crowded wine bar. She returns home to relieve her babysitter and gushes with excitement over her first steps back into the dating game. Before she retires to bed, she checks up on Jennifer, her doted six-year-old daughter.

Then ... "Day 1". Wasting no time at all, BROKEN dispenses with extraneous characterisation and throws us straight into Hell by having Hope wake up in a small wooden box ...

Hope is released from her box and hung from a tree in much the same way that her predecessor was - only this time, Hope shows a strength and determination that her captor (Eric Colvin, DUST) holds a curious respect for. He keeps her as his chained slave, telling her to forget her past each time she begs him to tell her what he's done to her daughter.

But as the days pass by, signified by onscreen captions, Hope resigns herself to the fact that her daughter has been butchered and no longer feels the need to be subservient toward her tormentor - and so she begins to fight back.

Shown as part of Dead By Dawn 2006's all-nighter, BROKEN was a hit with all who saw it. I, unfortunately, was in the bar and missed it. I am a fool. I really wish I'd caught this on the big screen, with an audience.

It's unfair to give too much away. A basic premise such as above is more than enough. The cat-and-mouse power struggles between Hope and her unnamed kidnapper are ultimately what drive BROKEN through one devastating scene to the next. To say that BROKEN is bleak is an extreme understatement.

It's one of the most unrelentingly somber and unapologetic horror films in quite some time. And, in an age where everything else seems formulaic and afraid to cross the parameters of fair play, this comes as a huge breath of fresh air.

For one, the decision to keep footage of Hope's background to a bare minimum is an excellent one. We all know of the bond between a parent and their child - we don't need 30 minutes' worth of "setting the scene" to establish this, and directors Simon Boyes and Adam Mason (PREY; THE 13TH SIGN) are canny enough to realise this. Instead, the entire film is devoted to creating a relentless atmosphere of dread and tension.

It's impossible to discuss BROKEN without making mention of how brutal it frequently is. Although never gratuitous, it often shocks with scenes of raw, sudden violence that serve as constant reminders that this one is not playing by conventions - anything could happen.

Brand shines as Hope, giving her character a myriad of believable emotions and expressing the pain of a parent separated from their child with expert skill. Even a potentially clich�d scene where she attempts to use her sexuality to win over her captor works, thanks to the range of agonised expressions Brand uses to pull us into her character's confusion and despair.

Colvin is a little more uneven as the kidnapper. For the most part he's convincingly cold, but occasionally the dialogue he has to deliver doesn't ring true. It's a minor drawback though, and never threatens to dissipate the tension.

The location, in Cambridgeshire, is easy on the eye and kept to a simple single setting in anonymous woodlands. Cheap and effective. The film, shot on Beta SP, looks absolutely great. It's superbly shot throughout (you'd never guess it was digital for the most part). Mist rises from the soil, the sun peeks through branches, flowers glow with their colours amongst the greenery - all of which helps illustrate how the filmmakers have paid as much attention to the aesthetic of their film as well as the gore.

Well edited, expertly scored and paced meticulously (I feared to begin with that this was going to fall into the 'would've made a good short, but peters out' category), BROKEN is intelligent and sadistic - just what true horror fans need in 2006.

Looking for something negative to say, there isn't much to quibble over. I suppose a little more info on the allegedly true story the film purports to be based upon would have been nice, and I was curious as to how Hope's blouse ends up being brilliant white later in the film - despite being caked in blood earlier. I know the kidnapper washes it, but ... does he use Ariel?! It matters not.

I hate it when reviewers compare new horror films to the movies of the 1970s. And I cringe each time a film is cursed with the label of "Best Horror Film Of The Decade". But I'm going to go against my principals and use both of these plaudits on BROKEN - with minor caveats.

BROKEN is a contemporary film in look and benefits from this (it also reminded me of SCRAPBOOK in some ways - but don't be put off, it's much more polished and thankfully bereft of sexual violence) but it does have the feel of your typical downbeat 70s horror films. You know, those films that felt dangerous because you never knew where they were going to take you ... or how things were going to pan out?

And in my opinion BROKEN is the best British horror film of the decade so far. Which means it's better than DOG SOLDIERS, CRADLE OF FEAR, BOY EATS GIRL, DEAD MEAT, THE HOLE, URBAN GHOST STORY etc ... all of which isn't really saying much. But add 28 DAYS LATER and THE DESCENT to the equation, and I will gladly rate BROKEN above those too.

Whether BROKEN will find a Nationwide cinema distribution is debatable. On a technical level, it's more than good enough to play to packed cinemas. But I imagine it's too grim and too violent for the mainstream. Hopefully it will find an appreciative audience when it makes it's way onto DVD. Keep an eye out for it. It's superb.

Many thanks to forum member Stephen (Gunnar) for providing the screener disc (via director Adam Mason). I owe you both one!

Review by Stu Willis