Holding on to horses
Ervell E. Menezes
Reworking elements of his 1989 gangster saga Parinda in a contemporary English language, Vidhu Vinod Chopra makes a rocky drama in Broken Horses.
The overwrought tale of two orphaned brothers and their violent hometown reunion (after eight years) fails to evince the viewer on crucial levels (including plotting and dialogue) and ends up, where it has always threatened to be, in the twilight zone.
The local crime kingpin Julius Hench (Vincent Onafrio) fears losing his hit-man Buddy (Chris Marquette) to his younger brother Jake (Anton Yelchin) whom Buddy has promised a ranch with white horses and a quiet life together.
Actually, Jake a concert musician, is cleverer of the two and their dad has told him to look after his 'slow Buddy' before he is shot dead. It is the underworld involved as the story is against the backdrop of the drug mafia on the Mexican border.
To further complicate matters there is a legless Ignacio (Sean-Patrick Henry) holed out in a dingy house with a fire to keep him warm as he pays for his crime.
Jake is getting ready to marry his sweetheart Vittorio (Maria Velverde) when the planned reunion takes place.
Chopra has too much on his plate but he tries to make the most of it. Tom Stern's caressing camerawork tends to lose out in the bargain. Vincent D'Onaffrio in the lead role hams his way around but Maria Velverde is easy on the eye and also has an agenda. So does Broken Horses.
