I miss fast-paced thrillers like Fractured. This is a movie that’s not going to win any awards or blow you away. However, it will keep your attention for ninety minutes and that’s what really matters. More importantly, the storytelling was more or less on-point from start to finish. This means that it won’t leave you wondering what the fuck did you just watch. However, I must admit that the replay value is practically zero. This is quite strange since this is a Brad Anderson movie. He’s the guy behind one of my favorite movies The Machinist as well as several solid thrillers and horrors like Session 9 and Transsiberian.
Simple and straightforward, Fractured is driven by Sam Worthington’s committed performance. He carried this movie on his broad shoulders making us empathize with his character. His performance coupled with an intriguing story pushes the viewer to play one of the more entertaining games you can play while watching a movie. And that’s a “what would you do in this situation game”. Additionally, you will constantly be trying to figure out what the fuck is going on and who’s crazy here. It reminded me of Breakdown starring Kurt Russel, a 1997 thriller with a similar atmosphere. Or better yet, Flightplan that features a very similar story.
Ray Monroe is driving his wife Joanne and their daughter Peri home after visiting Joanne’s parents. However, things are about to take a turn for the worse when Peri falls and breaks her arm. Ray rushes her to the nearby hospital but this is where the real nightmare begins.
Featuring slick cinematography and excellent camerawork, Fractured is a real eye-candy. Granted, the story is a bit familiar and has a couple of twists that don’t make any sense. This is not a masterpiece with an authentic and intelligent story. You will have to suspend your beliefs a bit and just go with the flow. I also think they could’ve used the hospital environment better but what’s done is done. At least hospitals have this inherently uneasy vibe about them.
Finally, if you’re looking for movies like Fractured, I recommend you take a look at Run and Unhinged. I also should not forget to mention Burn starring Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Josh Hutcherson. These are all movies released in the last few years but if you want something really intense and a bit older check out Coma from 1978. It’s fucking delicious!
Director: Brad Anderson
Writer: Alan B. McElroy
Cast: Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Lucy Capri, Adjoa Andoh, Stephen Tobolowsky, Stephanie Sy
Fun Facts: One of the four films made by Netflix for 2019 Halloween. Some of the 4 films include Rattlesnake, Eli, and In the Tall Grass.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4332232/
