Broken Vessels (1998)

A young Pennsylvania man moves to Los Angeles to begin work for an ambulance service. There he is teamed with a supremely confident vet who seemingly has gone through a large number of ... See full summary »

Director:

Scott Ziehl

Writers:

David Baer, Brent David Fraser (voice over co-writer),

Stars:

Todd Field, Jason London, Roxana Zal

1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

A young Pennsylvania man moves to Los Angeles to begin work for an ambulance service. There he is teamed with a supremely confident vet who seemingly has gone through a large number of partners. Initially the novice is awed by the more experienced man's capabilities to deal with the high pressure situations they encounter. However, gradually he discovers that all is not as it seems. While the vet is ice on the surface, he actually gets through the ordeals by heavy drug use and avoids commitments. Soon the younger man finds himself pulled into the same world and has to decide what direction he wants to take.

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Plot Keywords:

los angeles storm drain | katana sword | independent film

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Taglines:

They're an accident waiting to happen.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Highland Crest Pictures Zeitgeist Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dérapages

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,722 (USA) (2 July 1999)

Gross:

$13,493 (USA) (13 August 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ziehl & Zal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Tom and Jimmy respond to the car accident, Jimmy shocks one of the victims with a defibrillator but doesn't press the "shock" buttons on the paddles.

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Quotes

Tom: We're the devil, we're the devil, we're evil, we're evil, we're evil, god, we're evil!
Jimmy: Yeah, we're the devil. Shut up!

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Connections

References The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)

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Soundtracks

"Hands"
Written & Performed by Bill Laswell, Lori Carson

User Reviews

A Remarkable Film

I just saw this film on cable. It's fantastic. Why was it not in theaters? Jason London and Todd Field are amazing together. Scott Ziehl certainly has a future as a filmmaker. I guess it's true that great films are discovered as "Cable Classics." The fact that Broken Vessels is so superior to Bringing Up The Dead, and did still not get released, says alot about the state of independent film. I missed the first few minutes and so I stopped by my local BlockBuster to see if a copy was in. They never heard of it. Remember this film is only three years old. Anyway, finally I tracked it down at my local specialty store. My God, the art work on the cover was enough to make me sick. It looked like some perverse horror film. The company that distributed this film are IDIOTS!!!