Plot: What’s it about?
Tom (Jason London) is a wide-eyed, naive young man, who doesn’t know much about how people and the world really work. So when he gets a job working beside grizzled veteran ambulance driver Jimmy (Todd Field), his horizons are broadened, though maybe not for the better. Tom quickly learns how stressful and pressure filled his new profession is, and the many ways Jimmy uses to vent those work related frustrations. While things start off small, with Jimmy using the ambulance to purchase some drugs, the diversions are soon bigger and more dangerous, and Tom is slowly sucked into the abyss of Jimmy’s world. Whether Jimmy is smoking heroin, popping pills, ignoring ailing patients, drinking booze, or having orgies in the emergency vehicle, something unsafe and illegal is always happening with this pair. Let’s just say this ambulance is not the one you want coming to your house when you dial 9-1-1. Tom finds himself spiraling down a dangerous path, becoming just as irresponsible and addicted as Jimmy.
Now, I am going to skip the obvious comparisons to Bringing Out The Dead, and focus on this movie alone. While there are elements lacking with this film, overall this is a very well crafted black comedy, which presents a unique look at addiction and the wake of consequences it leaves behind. While there are some extremely humorous moments, the humor is very dark, so don’t expect a light hearted movie with some slapstick paramedics. The movie also revolves around drug use, so if that’s a theme you shy away from, you’ll want to keep the hell away from Broken Vessels. I made note of the whole anti-drug message and all, but the theme is not delivered in a manner where the filmmaker stuffs his beliefs down your throat. So while the message comes across, the method is not a sermon, so don’t worry about that. Overall, I think is a very solid debut feature film for Scott Ziehl, and I look forward to future projects involving him. I recommend this movie highly, but a rental is in order for first time viewers.
Broken Vessels is the first feature film directed by Scott Ziehl, who also produced and co-wrote the movie. Ziehl uses some very interesting location and lighting choices, which fuels the movie’s theme of recklessness. The cast features some established names, but mostly young and inexperienced actors. Jason London, who some of you might recognize as T.S. from Mallrats, gives one his better performances here, with yet another naive character that’s locked in a world of darkness. While London (Dazed and Confused, The Rage: Carrie 2) still has room for improvement, he displays some dramatic ability in Broken Vessels. Todd Field steals most of the show as the drug crazed Jimmy, turning in a rather haunting and humorous performance. Field (Twister, Eyes Wide Shut) is very impressive, and I feel his future entails some serious success. The supporting cast of Broken Vessels includes Susan Traylor (She’s So Lovely, Lord of Illusions), James Hong (McHale’s Navy, Tank Girl), Brent Fraser (Dark Side of Genius), and Roxana Zal (Shattered Spirits).
Video: How does it look?
Broken Vessels is presented in a 1.85:1 widescreen transfer, which is enhanced for widescreen televisions. The visuals of the film are quite varied, some are drenched in red, some are intentionally pitch black, but the image is always in the correct state. The colors are bright and vivid in some scenes, downplayed in others, but the intentional visual effect is retained throughout. As I mentioned, the contrast levels also very greatly, but the desired vision of the scenes is attained. The transfer is also free from all but the slightest compression errors.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is presented in “digitally enhanced stereo sound,” which means the surrounds are all but asleep on this one. But given this limited audio option, everything sounds as good as you could hope for, with no glaring problems. The music is electronica extreme, and never interferes with the effects or dialogue. The dialogue is crisp, with no volume or consistency issues.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The disc includes the trailer and talent files, as well as six bonus trailers for other A*PIX/Unapix releases.
