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| Shattered | 
| Director: Mike Barker
Actors: Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler, Maria Bello, Claudette Mink
Studio: Lions Gate
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $1.30
You Save: $13.68 (91%)
New (41) from $7.38
Avg. Customer Rating:  49 reviews
Sales Rank: 5815
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Running Time: 95 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: LGED22259D
UPC: 031398222590
EAN: 0031398222590
ASIN: B000WP07F6
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Release Date: December 25, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: former rental with center label and minimal rotations. boxart in great shape also.
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| Customer Reviews:
Brilliant February 4, 2008
A superb acting from Bronsan,Butler,and Bello..the movie keeps you guessing till the end..a really enjoyable albeit nerve wracking type of movie:)
 Not bad, but brought down by too many cliches January 31, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Going into Shattered I wasn't sure what to expect since the movie went direct to video. Just because a movie is DTV doesn't mean its bad there are many reasons for that; It could be the studio doesn't have the money to give a theatrical run or it could also be a movie that is tough to market it could be a great movie, but doesn't have mass appeal and than there is because the movie just isn't very good.
Seeing the cast list I should have known better; Maria Bello is an actress I quite like, while she may not be a household name she is well known enough not to go DTV and with Gerard Butler quite popular right now and of course Pierce Brosnan I should have known there was a reason this went DTV in the States when it has 3 known actors. But I still gave the movie a chance.
As a whole Shattered is by no means a bad movie. It's well acted and mostly well made, but what does this movie in is the cliches. That is the biggest problem here. Writer William Morrissey writes the standard suspense/thriller. A man takes a couple hostage and if they don't do what he says their daughter dies. That is one of the most over-used plots in not just film, but TV as well. How many times have we seen that concept done with a family member in danger? Of course there comes a point when one of the characters goes against the villain and he gives them another chance. The villain messes with his hostages and proceeds to shatter their lives.
Again we have seen this done so many times and done better for that matter. The audience is almost always one step ahead and you'll figure out most of the plot twists before they happen and that is pretty much never a good thing. William Morrissey doesn't write a bad script, just one that is very cliched. Sometimes the movie can still be a fun ride, but not this time.
Director Mike Barker doesn't do a bad job, but more often than not his scenes lack any real suspense or tension. In fairness the script was very cliched so there is only so much he could do, but even the directing is by the books. All his scenes seem like a rehash of other movies and he never really tries to mix things up. Shattered wasn't a badly directed movie, but again it was just too by the book. There was a couple of fairly decent suspense moments, but not enough to really make this movie anything, but about average.
About the only time Shattered does actually work well is the final act; there was some decent suspense and there is a pretty decent twist. First off you know Tom Ryan played by Pierce Brosnan has some kind of connection to the people he's messing with. That was the only thing I didn't figure out. The twist is hardly original, but it works well, but it's not that good a twist to salvage this movie.
Brosnan though gives an excellent and even creepy performance to bad he was stuck in such a cliched movie. Gerard Butler as Neil Randall also gives a good, but typical performance and the problem was he wasn't all that likeable and becomes even less likeable in the final act. Actually when the final act rolls around you might find yourself rooting for Brosnan's character rather than Butler's. Maria Bello delivers an excellent performance, but her role was just too typical for this type of movie. But Bello, handles the role well and is a much underrated actress.
Like I said the biggest problem with Shattered is that it plays out exactly like every single suspense/thriller out there. It takes a very cliched plot and never once offers us anything different. The final act though does offer a decent twist that if you pay close attention you might just be able to figure out. But the motive was a little extreme for what happened, but it does sort of work and makes Shattered a little better, but a good final act that still has some cliches cannot save a movie filled with them.
Despite my 2-star rating Shattered is by no means a bad movie; like I said it just suffers way too much from the been there, done that. Sometimes that can work well, but not in this case. Despite 2-stars, Shattered isn't bad, but due to the cliches I had to deduct a star. This movie has gotten mixed reaction and I can understand why some people like it, but when all is said and done the lack of originality did it in for me.
 BUTTERFLY ON A WHEEL January 30, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
That's the original title and I have no idea why they changed it to "SHATTERED" for American audiences.
In any event, this is a first class thriller.
Great acting, directing, editing, and writing.
Some great "red herrings".
You'll never guess the final.
It's a lot of fun.
Even the commentary.
Go for it.
 truly horrible January 27, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
The irony of this feminist screed seems to be completely lost on the writer - namely, that the plot only works because the thoroughly whipped and wimpy Gerald Butler character never disobeys his wife (the ultimate Mary Sue character) at any point. This truly is an example of idiot-plotting, where the only thing holding the thin premise together is that Butler never makes any decisions that would have brought the whole thing to a screeching halt (eg, check the gun, have the police check your bank records and videocams for proof of what you're saying, etc). There are also numerous "cheat" scenes whose inclusion only makes sense as a way of misdirecting. This whole "something is not as it seems" feeling, where what is NOT shown has a way of implying a reason for its absense) has been done well (as in the Sixth Sense), but certainly not in this feminist tirade. From the moment the wife (Mary Sue Butler) starts whining, you pretty much know where the writer's sympathies are and what's going to happen, just as from the moment the Perfect Marriage is shown and told at us over and over you know, as surely as Butler is a wheeling-and-dealing businessman, where that premise is going. One is left at the end with, "Gee, why would an ordinary guy ever cheat on a wonderful woman like that?" Are we supposed to feel sorry at what he retains and what he loses at the end?
 And the moral is... January 24, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was really excited by the cast for this picture. It was in and out of the theater so quickly I didn't have a chance to see it or hear about it at all. The story is supposed to be suspense. But I was not glued to the edge of my seat for this one. I didn't feel any danger and I really didn't like the characters. The movie would have gotten 2 stars but at least there was a decent twist at the end. Watch "The Game" with Michael Douglas for a similar film of much greater quality.
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