User Reviews

South Korean trademark genre "Revenge Thriller" is back with Jeong-ho Lee's "Broken" based on the novel by Japanese novelist Keigo Higashino.

A widowed father Lee Sang Hyeon (Jeong Jae Yeong) is seeking vengeance after her only daughter is raped and murdered. He is utterly disgruntled by ineptitude of police until he finds a clue about the murderers, he takes the law in his own hands and kills one of the murderers. Now he becomes a fugitive and detective Eok-Gwan (Lee Sung-Min) is in his pursuit. Broken is a carefully crafted film with gloomy and revolting notions. It raises questions about juvenile felony and adult crimes. It rather blemishes of Korean law regarding juvenile delinquency. Is it veracious to kill minors who are involved in heinous crimes because Korean Law does not have a rigorous imprisonment system of minors? We can hear a lot of conversations in the movie regarding the moral or ethical verdict.

"Broken" unveils many contemporary concerns: adolescent bullying in schools, teenage prostitution and incompetent judiciary system. Jeong-ho Lee makes you embroil up with the characters and their dilemma is felt in every manner. The begrimed mood goes very well with immaculate cinematography.

The actors are perfect in their roles; every character has been played with utmost solemnity. Lee Sang Hyeon gives a stunning performance as a devastated and unforgiving father.

"Broken" is a thoughtful look at vehemence and violence with use of definitive elements of film-making.

My Vote 7.5/10

This movie was a bit stale for me. The constant focus on the emotionally dark, bleak and nasty parts of the world when involving the loss of a loved one is getting a bit old. Especially when it comes to Korean films, which focuses on the dark side of things in a lot of cases. Watching this movie was like watching a rehash of other Korean movies that deals with vengeance and the loss of a loved one. It has been done so many times, I lost count of it. And there is almost nothing that makes this one stand out from the rest. Yes, I did have empathy towards the father that lost his daughter to sadistic teenagers. And yes, I did like the message about how messed up it is how certain criminals will get off with basically a tap on the wrist. Also how it gives a message about teenage deliquency. However not only did movie started to get really tedious, it really seemed to drag like really bad after the first 1 and 30 minutes. It's like they were trying really hard to make this movie at least 2 hours long (which is not a good thing). Again the directing is well done and it does get emotional near the end because of the sense of empathy you will feel towards the father of this story. But it all seemed so rehashed and narrow.

6.5/10

Pretty darn good. I thought the acting in this was great. I loved all the rain and snow scenes. The were shot nicely and really created a somber atmosphere. The lead male gave a moving performance. His portrait of grief, shock and somber irrationality really pulled me into his character. The story was solid enough to keep me engaged and I am glad I came across it.

South Korean films are renowned for their unpredictability. 'Broken' is no exception.

We never know when we'll see someone for the last time, and this film brings this fact across very effectively. The film also illustrates the sick world of abduction for the sake of Internet porn, and sex slaves. Jae-yeong Jeong is excellent as a father who wants to revenge his daughter's death. How far would you go for revenge? There's a fine line between vengeance and becoming just another criminal. Even the cops here are divided: should they protect the scumbags against the father, who is taking justice into his own hands, or is he actually doing them a favor by hunting them down? The film explores so many different avenues here - from the father's perspective, as well as the police, and the general public.

'Broken' has a very clever script that hits us with surprise upon surprise. The ending is not what I expected, but then again, this is Korean cinema.

Story, Character, Scene everything is so good...but in the end of the movie....i was so disappointed.....movie was good but storytelling is not good

I was very skeptical at first, but after reading the synopsis of the movie I decided to give it a shot. I was well rewarded for that decision. As a father with a daughter who is the love of my life, I found the story line very appealing and riveting. The acting was superb. I identified with what the father was going through after his daughter's death and actually believe that I would seek out my own personal justice too. All of the actors were great. I was very surprised at the level of entertainment that this movie provided. I never left my seat for the entire movie. I hope to see more entertaining movies such as this one in the future. I highly recommend that you sit down and watch this movie. You won't be disappointed.

It is not as good as like other Korean movies. The story is pretty straightforward. The father is taking revenge for killing her daughter by hauting them down. Acting of the main lead is really appreciatable but story didn't work for me.

Movie: Broken (18)

Rating: 4.75/5

The film is as good as most South Korean films are. But what makes it different from usual revenge films is the treatment and portrayal of emotions. In the beginning you might feel the film is like usual revenge films but as it proceeds with the storytelling, you find it is NOT. Jung Jae-young, who left me highly impressed in CONFESSION OF MURDER, does another great job here as he's highly impressive in the act he delivers. He's the soul of the film and he fully realizes it.

The film has great visuals at the same time. The thrills work big time, and the action sequences impress. The editing is excellent, as the film never bores. The message delivered by the film is felt well. Kudos to the director for portraying the brutal reality of the society well.

BROKEN is a film which not only entertains, but also leaves you broken especially towards the end.

But a bit too over dramatic , however the plot , writing, etc are all good

8/10.