Broken (1993)

Sadly Over-hyped

One of my all time favorites.

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

I've seen this film via clips on Youtube and I have to say, it grossed the crap out of me. I didn't know whether to scream or cry.It perfectly suits the "Ultra-fast chunk of death" that is the album Broken. Its filled with grotesque images of torture,murder and necrophilia (dead people sex. in case you didn't know.). Whatever was going through Reznor's head at the time of recording comes out in this violent snuff film that makes Saw look like a Disney movie.Its on you tube a lot, thats the easiest way to see it, though with horrible quality. Try and find it on peer to peer sites or NIN fan sites. REZNOR, PLEASE RELEASE THE DAMN THING!!

From the minds of two industrial music pioneers (musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, and director Peter Christopherson of Coil and Throbbing Gristle) comes a perfect example of the blurring line between art and pornography. A film-short that is both celebrated and reviled for its style and content, "Broken" is one of the most shocking pieces of film ever to be unreleased. Mistaken as a snuff film by some (Reznor is no stranger to this...footage from the "Down In It" video caused some controversy some time before this film), "Broken" is a visual companion to what was arguably Reznor's most tortured and angst-ridden album. It tells the story of a man who randomly kidnaps another man for the purpose of torture and murder. He pulls the victim's teeth out, forces him to drink lighter fluid, slashes him, disembowels him, sodomizes him, all the while forcing this poor soul to watch Nine Inch Nails videos. The thing that gives this film away as a work of fiction is the style. The scenes of the killer being executed, the police finding his hideout and sifting through the remains of his past victims, and the NIN videos themselves...all done very professionally in contrast to the grainy, distorted video of the torture scenes. Not only that, but Reznor's and Christopherson's penchant for low-frequency industrial noise and sound manipulation is very present (just listen to the low-static hum that intros the whole film...very Coil, very NIN). When taking these qualities into consideration, it's easy to tell that the film is elaborate fiction. However, the film does capture a gritty realism that provides much in the way of shock value. We never see too much of the torture, just enough to know what's being done, and what we don't know is implied...subliminal horror at its best. Also, this does well to hide what are probably some very high-quality special effects, given a sense of truth by the poor video. The NIN videos are fairly violent as well. From the vinyl bodybag being drowned by fluid from the sewage pipes to the band clip of "Wish" (which oddly mirrors The Scorpions' "Rock You Like a Hurricane" video) to the mechanical torture slave of "Happiness in Slavery" (played by the dear-departed Bob Flanagan), they are a perfect mirror to the angry industrial thrash of the album. All in all, the film plays on the ultimate possibilities for an album of this level of rage. People who enjoy this film for the technical qualities are most likely able to detach themselves from the disturbing content, while people who do enjoy it for the content are simply perverts. Never was a case of art vs. pornography so clear than with NIN's "Broken." Whether it is beautiful or disgusting or both, kudos to Trent Reznor and Peter Christopherson and all at the NIN camp for making such a twisted and uniquely putrid visual work.

As a NIN fan, I found this little film very enjoyable but disappointing on the violence factor. The Happiness in Slavery video and the end were pretty good, but could have been way more disgusting and disturbing. Everyone is raving like its the sickest thing ever made. Hey maybe I just have a stronger stomach ^_^Worth finding. Movie: 7/10 Would be 10/10 if they spared a little extra fake blood oozing everywhere and thrown in some more sexual imagery.

After I saw NIN's two tape set "Closure", and listened to their music, I became a fan of NIN(Nine Inch Nails). After viewing almost all of their videos(including the almost unwatchable "Happiness in Slavery"), I came across "Broken", a 20 minute music video compilation that included a couple of the videos from the tape set and a new, too graphic to be released one. To me, it was the last video left, and I had to see it. Trent Reznor's demented, yet artistic genius is fully captured within the 20 minutes of music and really graphic violence and gore. I rented "Faces of Death" some time ago, and found myself laughing at how stupid it was. It was so obviously fake and it failed to have any emotional effect on me whatsoever. Movies with gore or violence fail to deeply disturb me, although they can bother me a little. "Broken" on the other hand, has some of the most shocking footage that I think I've ever seen. It didn't bother me a whole lot, since I already saw "Happiness in Slavery", and since it was "so bad that it was never released", I had an idea of what to expect, which prepared me for it I guess. I won't go into the details of what's in the movie, only that it's not for the faint hearted. Trent Reznor's dark vision is designed to disturb and shock, yet it has a strange kinetic effect when combined with the music. I thought it was silly to not release it, since they already released "Happiness in Slavery" on tape. "Broken" can't be any worse, since it has "Wish" and "Happiness in Slavery" in it. However, it is bootlegged and is available on the internet, which is where I saw it, so it's not totally out of reach. This is definitely for die hard NIN fans and for people who want something that will truly shock them for the first time in their lives.