Brokedown Palace

"Their graduation present was a trip to paradise, but they never thought they would land in hell."

1999 1h 40m EN

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 419

DramaThrillerMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Best friends Alice and Darlene take a trip to Thailand after graduating high school. In Thailand, they meet a captivating Australian man, who calls himself Nick Parks. Darlene is particularly smitten with Nick and convinces Alice to take Nick up on his offer to treat the two of them to what amounts to a day trip to Hong Kong. In the airport, the girls are seized by the police and shocked to discover that one of their bags contains heroin.

“Their graduation present was a trip to paradise, but they never thought they would land in hell.”

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Cast

Claire Danes
Alice Marano
Kate Beckinsale
Darlene Davis
Bill Pullman
Hank Greene
Jacqueline Kim
Yon Greene
Lou Diamond Phillips
Roy Knox
Daniel Lapaine
Nick Parks
Tom Amandes
Doug Davis
Aimee Graham
Beth Ann Gardener

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jonathan Kaplan
Writers: Peg McClellan, David Arata, David Arata
Languages: English, Thai
Countries: 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 40% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

27 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Thai.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jonathan Kaplan, shot by Newton Thomas Sigel. 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 David Newman. 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 Curtiss Clayton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale and Bill Pullman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Their graduation present was a trip to paradise, but they never thought they would land in hell.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jonathan Kaplan directs. Newton Thomas Sigel behind the camera. David Newman scores. Curtiss Clayton cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Thai.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 40% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
227 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Thai.
4Directed by Jonathan Kaplan, shot by Newton Thomas Sigel. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by David Newman. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Curtiss Clayton shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale and Bill Pullman carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Their graduation present was a trip to paradise, but they never thought they would land in hell.".
9IMDB entry: tt0120620 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Newton Thomas Sigel
Original score: David Newman
Editing: Curtiss Clayton
Production design: James William Newport
Costume design: April Ferry
Makeup / hair: Felicity Bowring
VFX supervisor: Rich Thorne
Sound: Andy Nelson
Stunt coordinator: Kerrie Cullen
Runtime: 100 min · 1h 40m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $25,000,000
Box office: $10,115,013
Return: 40% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Brokedown Palace (1999)

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Jonathan Kaplan

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2014-07-18
★ 6/10
That's all freedom is... an illusion. Two carefree teenage girls are jailed in Thailand for allegedly smuggling Heroin while on vacation. It has become the stuff of reality nightmares, seemingly every year there is the reports of foreigners abroad caught smuggling drugs. Quite often the innocence is starkly protested, claims of being duped or threatened into being drug mules through customs borders. Brokedown Palace is an interpretation of one such instance. There's a viable complaint about the film that it condenses the harsh realities of the surroundings, this "Brokedown Palace" is not portrayed as the dirty hell holes they so often are in reality. This initially gives the film a sort of false feel, that we are being fed a watered down Hollywood production of something very serious. However, looking deeper into the picture as a character piece, Jonathan Kaplan's film beats a mighty heart and has brain staying power as well. Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale (both superb) are the two friends at the centre of this mystery. Story is more concerned with how their friendship copes under the trying circumstances. Through the initial shock of their situation, to the faux trial, the interactions with others and the relationship they have with their American lawyer, Hank the Yank (Bill Pullman). There's also the not small matter that one of the girls might actually be guilty as charged? Which really gives the piece an intriguing kick. Unfortunately it falls down in other areas. How come the girls are perfectly coiffured? Quite often splendidly attired in cosmetics? As Kaplan strains for authenticity in human interactions, he loses credibility elsewhere because these two girls look like actors who have had a "don't make me look ugly" clause inserted into their contracts. Ultimately when the story is dialled into the two girls and their friendship, Brokedown Palace hits the heights required, elsewhere it's a disappointment and it's not hard to understand why the two lead actresses practically disowned the film shortly after their publicity commitments were over. 6/10

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