Broken Vessels (1998)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Scott Ziehl

Writers:

David Baer (writer)
John McMahon (writer)

Release Date:

29 July 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Over the edge and out of control.

Plot:

A young Pennsylvania man moves to Los Angeles to begin work for an ambulance service. There he is teamed...

Plot Keywords:

Los Angeles Storm Drain | Katana Sword | Independent Film

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Todd Field	...	Jimmy
Jason London	...	Tom
Roxana Zal	...	Elizabeth
Susan Traylor	...	Susy
James Hong	...	Mr. Chen
Patrick Cranshaw	...	Gramps
Brent David Fraser	...	Jed
Stephanie Feury	...	Jill
Dave Neilson	...	Rick
William Smith	...	Bo
Charlie Spradling	...	Ginger (as Charley Spradling London)
Ashlie Rhey	...	Karen
Rodrigo Castillo	...	Oscar
David Baer	...	Bob
Al Israel	...	Detective McMahon

MPAA:

Rated R for strong and continuous drug use, language, sexuality and violence.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

France:-16 | UK:18 | USA:R | Australia:MA (cable rating)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Ziehl & Zal

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the scene where they're taking a boy who was in critical condition to the hospital. Tom is in the back with the boy and Jimmy is driving. In real life situations, Jimmy who is a Paramedic should have been in the back, being it was a Advance Life Support situation. Tom who is a E.M.T-Basic should have been driving.

Quotes:

Jimmy: I like coke...you like coke? Yeah, things go better with coke.

Movie Connections:

References "The Beverly Hillbillies" (1962)

Soundtrack:

Grass Skirt Girl Ditty

Once Seen, Never Forget

This is a film that once seen, the viewer will never forget. I'm at a loss for the low score here at IMDb. The performances are riveting and the depiction of generational drug abuse is something of which to take notice.

Those that think this dumps on the EMT profession, need to get real. What? You think that there are no abusers in this field of work? In fact, the one time I had to ride in a "bus," the EMT was starting an IV and I said "you guys haven't been cruising the park before coming here, have you?" He started laughing and told me how much he loved this film.

Of course, these guys could have been in any profession, but the superior irony would have been lost. This is one drug film I can recommend without hesitation, as it is chilling and stark. It in no way "glamorizes" drug use or the culture.