Butterfly on a Wheel

"Lives will be broken"

2007 1h 35m EN

😐

6.4

MID

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★6.4TMDB · 587★6.6IMDB · 35,299

CrimeDramaThriller

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A sociopathic kidnapper methodically pushes a desperate pair of parents to their absolute breaking point.

“Lives will be broken”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Pierce Brosnan
Tom Ryan
Maria Bello
Abby Randall
Gerard Butler
Neil Randall
Emma Karwandy
Sophie Randall
Claudette Mink
Judy Ryan
Desiree Zurowski
Helen Schriver
Nicholas Lea
Jerry Crane
Peter Keleghan
Karl Granger

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mike Barker
Writers: William Morrissey
Languages: English
Countries: Canada, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 38% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mike Barker, shot by Ashley Rowe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Robert Duncan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Guy Bensley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello and Gerard Butler carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Lives will be broken".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mike Barker directs. Ashley Rowe behind the camera. Robert Duncan scores. Guy Bensley cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Canada, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 38% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 19 years ago.
3International production across 2 countries: Canada, United States of America.
4Directed by Mike Barker, shot by Ashley Rowe. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Robert Duncan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Guy Bensley shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Pierce Brosnan and Maria Bello and Gerard Butler carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Lives will be broken".
9IMDB entry: tt0489664 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Released under 20 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Ashley Rowe
Original score: Robert Duncan
Editing: Guy Bensley
Production design: Rob Gray
Costume design: John Bloomfield
Makeup / hair: James D. Brown
Runtime: 95 min · 1h 35m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $20,000,000
Box office: $7,650,000
Return: 38% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Butterfly on a Wheel (2007)
IMDB rating: 6.6/10 · 35,299 votes
MPAA: R

Also by

Mike Barker

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2019-11-09
★ 7/10
Never pick a fight with someone who's got nothing to lose. Butterfly on a Wheel (AKA: Shattered) is directed by Mike Barker and written by William Morrissey. It stars Pierce Brosnan, Maria Bello and Gerard Butler. Music is by Robert Duncan and cinematography by Ashley Rowe. Butler and Bello play a seemingly happily married couple who have an adorable young daughter into the fold. Enter a rather sinister Brosnan who announces he has kidnapped the daughter and requires the couple to do everything he asks. Pressure is on then!? Basically this is just real solid kidnap thriller film making, the kind that we were well served with back in the 1980s, and with that in mind this comes off like a throw back to that decade. Brosnan (how nice to see him doing a natural Irish brogue) grows ever more spiteful, while of course our handsome couple get more frantic. But naturally there's a mystery going on here, we are left in no doubt about that there is something lurking beyond the edges of the frames. To which the inevitable twist, on which the whole pic's very being depends upon, will either make or break how you ultimately feel about the piece as a whole. I liked it. 7/10

Production companies