Truly Dreadful Film

Excellent, a Must See

Your blood may run cold, but you now find yourself pinioned to the story.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Judith Merrick (Greta Scacchi) survives a car crash but her husband Dan Merrick (Tom Berenger) suffered facial trauma and amnesia. They try to go on but he can't remember their lives together from before. He finds evidence of her cheating on him with Jack Stanton which was gathered by private investigator Gus Klein (Bob Hoskins). Gus checks the accident and finds discrepancies. Dan's business partner Jeb Scott (Corbin Bernsen) is not happy with his work. Jenny (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer) is his wife. Suspicion rises that Judith had tried to kill Dan.It's an intriguing mystery although I don't like the constant micro-flashbacks. This reminds me of an old Hitchcock mystery with less style. Some of the shooting style is fairly old school and they use too much fog. The deliberate style is too noticeable. I stayed with the story with all the twists and then there is the one gigantic twist ending. It's too unlikely to work. The way to make the story work better is for Dan to have some facial disfigurements. It's just so unreal that it makes the movie feels like it's cheating.

Shattered is the kind of film that is implausible but entertaining if you don't expect cinematic art. It is certainly no more or less plausible than many Hitchcockian conceits. I mean...sure...the idea of the car being driven through the hairpin curve guardrail giving us a protagonist with complete amnesia rebuilding his life of wealth and women is implausible but...c'mon...Jimmy Stewart having Vertigo and winding up in the same situation isn't on a par? The dialogue is way better than most films. I can't speak about the male leads as I am hetero but the women are worth the ride.Bob Hoskins is entertaining but he is more of a side character who facilitates a story about deceitful characters re-emerging after a life changing event. Just who do you trust?

A very clever plot makes this old fashioned thriller a winner, even though Wolfgang Petersen did not work it fantastically. The director uses shock rather than subtlety, which I feel would have suited the movie better.There are no outstanding performances. Bob Hoskins is likable, although he tries a little hard, attempting to make more of his limited role. Tom Berenger and Greta Schacchi do no more than act out their parts. "Shattered's" only real plus is the storyline, adapted from Richard Neely's novel by Neely and director Petersen. The very alert may figure out what is going on, but if you can't, it's fun trying.Friday, February 28, 1992 - Village Centre Melbourne

Wolfgang Petersen (Poseidon & the Neverending Story)'s Neo Noir starring Tom Berenger, Bob Hoskins, and Greta Scacchi about a West Coast developer who has amnesia after a car accident and begins to suspect his wife of treachery.This begins in a pretty mundane way. It runs like any one of thousands of films of the early 1990's, and there doesn't appear to be anything special about it until you get a little bit of the way into it. Roughly one third through, you begin to see the subtle idiosyncrasies of this work, and soon, you are wholly absorbed.This features some great intrigues, a nice well paced plot, and a really twisty ending. Dialog delivery isn't as bad as you might expect, and the story itself steals the show. Camera angles are a bit odd at times, but nothing like some of those 1970's flicks! All in all, though it was done as recently as 1991, it is horribly dated but I was still completely entertained by this film, and while it's not Friday-Saturday night quality, it makes for a great Saturday or Sunday afternoon diversion.It rates a 7.6/10 from...the Fiend :.