Broken Vessels

Rating:
Summary: An Intense Drama About Drug Abuse
Review: 911...The Line Is Dead.

Beneath this slogan on the cover of the DVD, we have blood dripping. At a glance, it seems this is a horror movie related to some serial killer and 911. This is NOT the case.

This movie is about Jimmy and Tom. Jimmy is a trained paramedic and driver of an ambulance. No one wants to be his partner, until Tom comes along. Tom soon discovers what the problem is: Jimmy is into recreational drug use. Jimmy also uses the ambulance to visit his family, buy drugs and have sex.

Instead of finding another job, Tom decides to try to fit in with Jimmy and soon begins the recreational drug use. Tom gets kicked out of his apartment and ends up moving in with Jimmy. At this point the drug use becomes routine. Tom becomes unable to hold other friendships and even fails to start a relationship with a nurse who finds him attractive.

Jimmy controls Tom's drug use, to the extent that he tries to keep Tom from overdosing or abusing the stuff. Things began to fall apart when Jimmy's grandfather, an intravenous heroin user, dies. To cope with the pain, Jimmy begins taking heroin intravenously. And in his usual monkey-see monkey-do manner, so does Tom.

At this point, the joyride is headed to hell with a handbasket. Jimmy and Tom become increasingly irresponsible with their ambulance, began looking ill, and become unable to fund their habit.

They finally get caught trying to cheat the guys who sell them the drugs. These chaps fire a gunshot straight through Tom's hand. In an attempt to escape, Jimmy loses control of the ambulance and his life. Tom survives and recognizes he is a drug addict and needs help.

This is not a horror movie nor a thriller (the DVD box calls Broken Vessels an action/thriller). It is an intense drama which tells the story and effects of drug abuse. Todd Field and Jason London are brilliant in their portrayals of Jimmy and Tom, respectively. Both are worthy of Oscar nominations. In general, the movie excels in many areas, and benefits from a great script and competent direction.

Rating:
Summary: Gets Under Your Skin..and BITES You!
Review: Broken Vessels is well done, the acting is great. There are some scenes in the movie that are pretty much disturbing, for example, the scene of a drunk driver that kills a 10 year old boy and his mom, yet the scene is very powerful but its also sad..but its life, this movie is so realistic maybe thats why it won a couple of awards. Not recommended for anyone under 17 though, theres some strong sex content and violence. theres another movie similiar to BV called "Bringing Out The Dead" but I think BV is way better. buy this, or atleast rent it on a friday night you wont be sorry.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: First off I'm a big fan of Jason London. I've loved him since "Man On The Moon". I also love Todd Field, he is so talented. Then my fiance got a movie to watch (it was his turn to pick) and he got this movie called Broken Vessels. I had never heard of it and he was like "It's really good". We start watching the movie and I see the names Jason London and Todd Field on the screen. I was thinking, "what, how could I have missed this one." Anyways, it really was a good movie with some fun charectors. The people who say this movie is realistic are morons who are into the whole heroin chic thing. This movie centers around Tom a EMT from P.A. who moves to LOS ANGELOS NOT NEW YORK. He's trying to get away from his past and make a fresh start (why the hell would you move to L.A. to do that). Anyways, he gets a job riding along in an ambulance being partnered up with a Paramedic named Jimmy. Well, Jimmy is what you would call a functioning addict (because a lot of people who free base heroin have no problem functioning in society, this is were the so called "realism" is voided). Up until a certain point Tom has been painted as a goodie goodie kind of guy and he is, but he does have a past as I said. Jimmy introduces him into a world allowing him to embrace his old demons. You know, this movie was really funny. It was funny to see a guy smoke a balloon of heroin and then save a mans life (isn't it ironic, don't you think?). Jimmy's charector was wonderful, he was an out of control together guy who was heartless and caring. Now remember kids the moral of this story is that it's better to smoke heroin then shoot it. Jimmy and Tom learned this lesson the hard way. This movie is great, it's entertaining, funny, intense, and in your face. It is by no means realistic or set in New York and has nothing to do with "Bringing Out The Dead". Enjoy kids.

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: First off I'm a big fan of Jason London. I've loved him since "Man On The Moon". I also love Todd Field, he is so talented. Then my fiance got a movie to watch (it was his turn to pick) and he got this movie called Broken Vessels. I had never heard of it and he was like "It's really good". We start watching the movie and I see the names Jason London and Todd Field on the screen. I was thinking, "what, how could I have missed this one." Anyways, it really was a good movie with some fun charectors. The people who say this movie is realistic are morons who are into the whole heroin chic thing. This movie centers around Tom a EMT from P.A. who moves to LOS ANGELOS NOT NEW YORK. He's trying to get away from his past and make a fresh start (why the hell would you move to L.A. to do that). Anyways, he gets a job riding along in an ambulance being partnered up with a Paramedic named Jimmy. Well, Jimmy is what you would call a functioning addict (because a lot of people who free base heroin have no problem functioning in society, this is were the so called "realism" is voided). Up until a certain point Tom has been painted as a goodie goodie kind of guy and he is, but he does have a past as I said. Jimmy introduces him into a world allowing him to embrace his old demons. You know, this movie was really funny. It was funny to see a guy smoke a balloon of heroin and then save a mans life (isn't it ironic, don't you think?). Jimmy's charector was wonderful, he was an out of control together guy who was heartless and caring. Now remember kids the moral of this story is that it's better to smoke heroin then shoot it. Jimmy and Tom learned this lesson the hard way. This movie is great, it's entertaining, funny, intense, and in your face. It is by no means realistic or set in New York and has nothing to do with "Bringing Out The Dead". Enjoy kids.

Rating:
Summary: broken vessels
Review: Great movie. Plots are as real as it gets.

Rating:
Summary: Deeply Disturbing, yet moving movie
Review: I first saw this movie on cable, late one night when I was sick and couldn't sleep. I was not prepared for such a impactual movie, thinking, this plot has been done more than once now. I don't know how I missed this movie when it was first released, but I did and even though it has been on cable already, it is such a great movie I had to buy it on DVD, to watch it again and again. I know they say the movie was based on true events, however, some scenes seemed too far out to be real. Real or not, it packed a powerful message about drug abuse, and about being a follower and wanting to fit in. The main character is a young,naive man who moves to the Big Apple from a little small town in PA, and he gets a job as a paramedic. He is teamed up with the "Black Sheep" of the company (no one wants to be his partner) and as the "Black Sheep" character unfolds, you quickly find out why. He is a major drug user, totally unreliable and a extremely cynical person. His attitude is, he has seen it all and has done it all. Of course he immediately starts to educate his new partner on the ins and outs of live as a paramedic. Mainly he teaches him how not to work or care about your fellow man. Very disturbing for someone who is supposed to be helping people for a living. I will twice about the next paramedic I have to rely on:). Our shy, inexperienced hero (if you can call him that) from PA becomes totally mesmirized by his new partner and his wild,crazy,drug using lifestyle. This movie really shows you how one human being can be so easily influnced by another. And as these two go deeper and deeper into drug abuse, I felt myself being totally dragged into this world as if I was really there also. That is due to the great acting and the intensity of the story. It grabs you from the start and keeps you there to the end. If you like movies that don't sugar coat, is fast moving and very graphic, than this movie is for you. I personally love black comedies/intense dramas and I rate this movie to be one of the best of it's kind. Yes, the plot is familar and even some of the scenes may be familar, but the two stars really do such a believable job that the script starts to seems brand new. I found it totally captivating to watch how our hero starts to lose all his morals, goals and decency that he had, as the drugs, and his partners influence take over his whole life. I would highly recommend this movie if you can handle graphic scenes and the dark side of life. However, it is not for the weak or easlily offended and definitely not for the younger crowd. But I would recommend a parent watching this with a teenager that may be falling into a life of drugs. This movie may make someone think twice about going down that road. I also found the photography to be brilliant. I am not sure what the style of photography is called, but a lot of the scenes were shot very different than most of the movies on the market. Obviously, I am not professional critic, not knowing all the correct terminology to use to describe what I mean, but watch the movie for yourself and I think you will understand what I mean.

Highly enjoyable with a deep message. A must see film.

Rating:
Summary: correction
Review: I totaly agree with everybody elses opinion of this movie, but there needs to be a correction. Tom....the guy from PA he moves to L.A.,...not New York. They are paramedics in L.A. County. Bringing out the Dead was in N.Y.

Rating:
Summary: A movie which gets under your skin and stays there
Review: It is for good reason this little-known indie flick was a favorite in film festivals, nominated and won quite a bit of awards. On one level, it's about a man from Pennsylvania, new to the field of Paramedics, who finally lands a job in New York, and is hooked up with a partner, a veteran of the ambulance force. The vet, however, hardly does much work; rather, he goes through his job with heavy drug use, while the new kid, admiring the vet, gets drawn into his world, crumbling his own life. The universal theme of drugs and its negative effects is in play here. However, what sets this film apart from other anti-drug films are the habits by the vet. We put our trust in the medical community to take care of us, and rely on them to save our lives. However, the veteran's audacious habits show the contrary. One scene shows him looking around and stealing things from an elderly couple's home while the new kid is distracting the couple. Another scene shows him using a defibrillator on a patient because he won't shut up. The film even showcases on the police force, which features a disturbing scene not unlike the Rodney King beatings. Some watching the film will say "That will never happen in real life", but once the credits roll after "Broken Vessels", you can't help but think if these events really do take place or not. "Broken Vessels" gets under your skin, and stays there forever. You'll never look at paramedics the same way again.

Rating:
Summary: EMT's get trashed
Review: This is a cool movie about these two ambulence drivers and one totally corrupts the other. When they get a 9-11 call to save an old lady, one guy helps whilst the other guy robs her house. Pretty good movie if youre into heroin junkie movies and you like to see two people get trashed. I totally recommend this film.

Rating:
Summary: EMT's get trashed
Review: This is a cool movie about these two ambulence drivers and one totally corrupts the other. When they get a 9-11 call to save an old lady, one guy helps whilst the other guy robs her house. Pretty good movie if youre into heroin junkie movies and you like to see two people get trashed. I totally recommend this film.