Broken Horses review :
I was a school kid when 'Parinda' released. I vividly recollect sneaking in to the theatre with a friend to watch the 'A' rated film and getting blown away by its powerful narrative, solid performance from its cast especially Nana Patekar and then relatively unknown director Vidhu Vinod Chopra at his best. Today as I watched 'Broken Horses', which is Chopra's Hollywood adaptation of 'Parinda', with exactly 5 other people in a cineplex, I actually relived my childhood memories.
Broken Horses has practically the same plot albeit with a Mexican setting. So you have a ranch with a horse and an abandoned movie theatre as a backdrop for retelling the violent story of two brothers treading the wrong path in life and eventually paying the price for it. Chopra is an ace technician and the film has some excellent cinematography by Tom Stern. The landscape shots of the ranch and west side are marvellous.
The acting department ain't bad but doesn't come anywhere close to its Indian counterparts. Chris Marquette and Anton Yelchin are passable as the brothers at crossroads. Vincent D'onofrio as the antagonist isn't half as menacing as Nana Patekar in the hindi original. Maria Valvende gets just 3 scenes but leaves a mark due to her pretty face. Wouldn't even compare her to our Madhuri though! :)
I was also a tad disappointed with the reworked climax which drops the aesthetically shot love making scene and the immediate shocking blood bath the original film had. To compensate, the opening sequence and a conversation over dining table are engaging.
Overall, Broken Horses looks like a dumbed down diluted copy of the original Hindi classic. Wish Vidhu Vinod Chopra had chosen an original story for his Hollywood debut. He has made a fine start in Westland no doubt, but we know the guy is capable of much better!
Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.
I was a school kid when 'Parinda' released. I vividly recollect sneaking in to the theatre with a friend to watch the 'A' rated film and getting blown away by its powerful narrative, solid performance from its cast especially Nana Patekar and then relatively unknown director Vidhu Vinod Chopra at his best. Today as I watched 'Broken Horses', which is Chopra's Hollywood adaptation of 'Parinda', with exactly 5 other people in a cineplex, I actually relived my childhood memories.
Broken Horses has practically the same plot albeit with a Mexican setting. So you have a ranch with a horse and an abandoned movie theatre as a backdrop for retelling the violent story of two brothers treading the wrong path in life and eventually paying the price for it. Chopra is an ace technician and the film has some excellent cinematography by Tom Stern. The landscape shots of the ranch and west side are marvellous.
The acting department ain't bad but doesn't come anywhere close to its Indian counterparts. Chris Marquette and Anton Yelchin are passable as the brothers at crossroads. Vincent D'onofrio as the antagonist isn't half as menacing as Nana Patekar in the hindi original. Maria Valvende gets just 3 scenes but leaves a mark due to her pretty face. Wouldn't even compare her to our Madhuri though! :)
I was also a tad disappointed with the reworked climax which drops the aesthetically shot love making scene and the immediate shocking blood bath the original film had. To compensate, the opening sequence and a conversation over dining table are engaging.
Overall, Broken Horses looks like a dumbed down diluted copy of the original Hindi classic. Wish Vidhu Vinod Chopra had chosen an original story for his Hollywood debut. He has made a fine start in Westland no doubt, but we know the guy is capable of much better!
Regards, Sumeet Nadkarni.