Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- tense
- melancholic
- claustrophobic
- serious movie night
- travel thriller double feature
What critics said
Critics generally found the film emotionally effective because of Claire Danes's performance and its friendship-centered prison drama, while considering the screenplay less complex and compelling than its premise warranted.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alice and Darlene are arrested, tried, and imprisoned in Thailand after being accused of drug smuggling.
Alice and Darlene's friendship is placed under sustained pressure by their conviction and imprisonment.
The Thai prison environment and the girls' restricted legal and physical circumstances drive the film's atmosphere.
The protagonists' post-graduation vacation and lack of awareness of local legal risks contribute to their predicament.
Films like Brokedown Palace, and why
Return to Paradise
shared wrongful-imprisonment drama, Southeast Asian setting, and moral pressure on young travelers
Midnight Express
shared international drug-smuggling accusation, foreign legal system, and tense prison drama
In the Name of the Father
shared women-in-prison setting, friendship under extreme institutional pressure, and bleak injustice
Movie Details
- Director
- Jonathan Kaplan
- Release Date
- 1999-08-13
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (419)
Cast
- Claire Danes
- Kate Beckinsale
- Bill Pullman
- Jacqueline Kim
- Lou Diamond Phillips
- Daniel Lapaine
- Tom Amandes
- Aimee Graham
- John Doe
- Lim Kay Tong
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Brokedown Palace about?
- Two American teenagers on a celebratory trip to Thailand face decades in prison after a stranger turns their vacation into an alleged drug-smuggling crime.
- What is Brokedown Palace like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Brokedown Palace as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Brokedown Palace violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Brokedown Palace as mild.
- What did critics think of Brokedown Palace?
- Critics generally found the film emotionally effective because of Claire Danes's performance and its friendship-centered prison drama, while considering the screenplay less complex and compelling than its premise warranted.
- Which films are like Brokedown Palace?
- Films with a similar feel include Return to Paradise, Midnight Express, and In the Name of the Father.
- How long is Brokedown Palace?
- Brokedown Palace runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Brokedown Palace?
- In United States, Brokedown Palace is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
