Following on the heels of last year's "Return to Paradise" and similarly reminiscent of the Oscar winning "Midnight Express" comes 20th Century Fox's release of "Brokedown Paradise." Before you roll your eyes and exclaim, "Not another friends get busted on drug charges in a foreign country movie," you might be enticed to know that its director previously helmed the disturbing and riveting rape drama, "The Accused" (for which lead actress Jodie Foster won an Oscar).
Thus, the question that obviously follows is whether this film from director Jonathan Kaplan ("Unlawful Entry," "Bad Girls") will garner critical acclaim and perhaps some nomination(s) of its own, or if it will disappear as fast from theaters as did that 1998 Vince Vaughn/Joaquin Phoenix film (that grossed only a bit more than $8 million domestically).
Despite the inherently powerful, if somewhat tired premise, the film never manages to take off as a riveting courtroom drama, a harrowing prison story, or even a good character study of teens and what constitutes friendship between them.
Designed to appeal to teens enamored with lead actress Claire Danes, the film simply skirts along all of the above issues to such little effect that it could have been called "Thai Express Lite." Apparently named for the rundown prison in which the girls find themselves -- prisoners seem to have a thing for giving places of incarceration nicknames such as "The Rock," "The Hanoi Hilton," etc... -- and despite the presence of cockroaches, a belligerent inmate (there's always at least one in every prison) and having their long, flowing locks cut short, the two girls here just don't seem to have it that bad.
Other than facing a thirty-three-year sentence (okay, that's bad), they get plenty of time outdoors, only experience one brief beating, and heck, even get to smoke a joint in the prison yard in front of everyone without any repercussions. Perhaps those stringent Eastern countries have double standards for male and female prisoners, but the girls' imprisonment seems more like a teen-based, MTV fantasy about such a place instead of the truly harrowing experience it probably would be.
That's not to say, though, that the two young actresses who play the leads don't try to emote such hardship and terror through their behavior and facial expressions. As the two once bubbly teens- turned jailbirds, both Claire Danes ("The Mod Squad," "The Rainmaker") and Kate Beckinsale ("The Last Days of Disco," "Shooting Fish") deliver decent performances, but are saddled with a mediocre script by first time screenwriter David Arata (who works from a story he developed with fellow first timer Adam Fields).
As such, the girls initially have the "But we're Americans" defense, but that soon segues into the far important debate/near catfight regarding whether Alice also slept with the guy who set them up. While I recognize the teen angst and jealousy that's preprogrammed in their hormone-laden brains, I kept waiting and wishing for anyone to remind them that a) the guy ruined their lives and b) that they'd both be in the midst of menopause and their would-be suitor in his sixties or seventies by the time they were freed.
Kaplan and company do miss what could have given their relationship a bit more zing, and that's introducing more doubt in both the girls and the audience's mind about whether one or both of them might actually be guilty of the crime. With such a wild card thrown in, the tension between the two and its effect on their chances of getting out could have been more satisfyingly tangible, but alas, it wasn't to be.
The more satisfying part of the story concerns the legal maneuvers and investigation carried out by their lawyers, effectively played by Bill Pullman ("Lake Placid," "The Zero Effect") and Jacqueline Kim ("Volcano," "Disclosure"). Although their part of the story doesn't offer many surprises and pretty much follows the standard "get 'em out of jail" tactics, at least it works better and is more intriguing than the "girls in a foreign prison" moments.
Even so, the film offers nothing particularly new to this sort of story, and clearly nothing as troubling and/or thought provoking as in "Return to Paradise" (that dealt with whether a friend would go back to serve time to save his imprisoned friend from being executed). While that film was far from perfect, at least it had some discussion generating substance to it. Of course this one might have teens arguing about whether Claire or Kate looks better with their new, cropped "do" or what group sings the pop songs that play over the prison scenes (as occurs in all prison movies, right?).
With a last-minute tactic that may moisten the eyes of some emotional viewers but will evoke the gag reflex in most everyone else and particularly with jaded critics, the film ends on what's supposed to be a happy, but also tragic and moving final note. Had more prior depth or compassion for the characters been present, such an ending could have been far more powerful.
As it stands, it feels too contrived -- and nearly hokey -- for its own good. Not horrible, but far from good or proving there was any reason to revisit this sort of story, "Brokedown Palace" rates as just a 4 out of 10.
![[Screen It]](https://www.screenit.com/images/screenit_subscriber_logo.jpg){kind=logo}
![[Around the World in 80 Days]](https://www.screenit.com/images/posters/movies/around_the_world_in_80_days_2022_small.jpg)
![[Family Camp]](https://www.screenit.com/images/posters/movies/family_camp_small.jpg)
![[Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness]](https://www.screenit.com/images/posters/movies/doctor_strange_in_the_multiverse_of_madness_small.jpg)