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Broken Vessels ()


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This shocking and unnerving drama chronicles the lives of two emergency medical technicians (EMTs) whose thrill in life saving is surpassed only by their destructive and all-too-frequent thirst for another kind of rush, heroin.

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Cast

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Jimmy
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Tom
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Elizabeth
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Susy
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Mr. Chen
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Gramps
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Jed
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Jill
Dave Neilson ...
Rick
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Bo
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Ginger (as Charley Spradling London)
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Karen
Roger Castillo ...
Oscar (as Rodrigo Castillo)
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Bob
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Detective McMahon
Bobby Harwell ...
Detective Baer
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Crazy Sword Man / Ricky
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Mr. Chen's Secretary (as Rose Marie)
Rose Powell ...
Earl's Wife
Rita Solomon ...
Waitress
Herman Solomon ...
Gambler
Robert Kropp ...
Earl
Justin Herwick ...
Mike
Gerald Lee ...
Lance
Vidette Schine ...
Lawyer
John McMahon ...
Scotty
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Self
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Porn Star Marcia Gray (as Marcia Gray)
Chris Gallivan ...
Raver
Jenny White Buffalo Clay ...
Raver
Solo Scott ...
Crackhouse
Ron Lunceford ...
Crackhouse
Craig Alsop ...
Crackhouse
Lisa Warsniak ...
Crackhouse
Joey Gold ...
Crackhouse
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Cop
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Cop
Allen Deeker ...
Cop
John Lutz ...
Cop
Chris Coronado ...
Cop
Tim Barker ...
Cop
Michael Bondi ...
Cop
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Cop
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Cop
Denny Holmes ...
Cop
Gerald Dailey ...
Cop
Art Acevebo ...
Cop
Keith Zubulevich ...
Cop
Thurn Hoffman ...
Cop (as Thurn)
John Hughes ...
Cop
Peter Kejmar ...
Cop
Steve Jack ...
Cop
Dolores Anderson ...
Mother of Crazy Man
Lisa Davies ...
Hooker
Eugene Pagano ...
Bartender
Alfred Pagano ...
Bartender
Kevin O'Connell ...
Fire Captain
Barbara Volz ...
Firefighter
Joseph Ortiz ...
Firefighter
Evelyn Jensen ...
Medic
Jeff Rogers ...
Medic
Eric Avery ...
Medic
Randy Plaice ...
Medic
Chris Jones ...
Medic
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Drug Dealer (as Kevin Brown)
George Gunderson ...
Chester
Ben Liou ...
Drowning Victim
Juan Morales ...
Best Man
Fernando Manzanilla ...
Groom
Shawna L. Brown ...
Bride
Frank Bustamante ...
Groomsman
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Bridesmaid
Porfirio Córdova ...
Father
Mary Sears ...
Onlooker
Nancy Ziehl ...
Onlooker
Marguerite Bonner ...
Onlooker
Juan Velasques ...
Onlooker
Frances Anthony ...
Onlooker
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Onlooker
Alma Freeman ...
Onlooker
Jimmy Galicia ...
Onlooker
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Onlooker
Jose Bala ...
Onlooker
Aurelio Barraza ...
Onlooker
Lupe Medina ...
Onlooker
Miguel Loza ...
Onlooker
Fermín Bueno ...
Onlooker
Luís Silva ...
Onlooker
Gilberto Labiada ...
Onlooker
Maria Del Carmen ...
Onlooker
Betty Leo ...
Old Folks Home
Susan Robars ...
Old Folks Home
Cathleen O'Shea ...
Old Folks Home
Reta Leon ...
Old Folks Home
Leon Fogel ...
Wedding Party
Silvia Pelajo ...
Wedding Party
Elan Benshimon ...
Wedding Party
Sharon Benshimon ...
Wedding Party
Carlos Augulo ...
Wedding Party
Karen Fogel ...
Wedding Party
Natalie Barajas ...
Wedding Party
Jim Czarnecki ...
Bob's Friend
Gerlene Collings ...
Accident Victim #1
David Ziehl ...
Accident Victim #1
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Drunk Driver
Ismael Cruz ...
Gang Member
Jose Leon ...
Gang Member
Jose Luna ...
Gang Member
Bill Garcia ...
Gang Member
Ismael D. Perez ...
Gang Member
Warren Longsworth ...
Gang Member
Lemmy Price ...
Gang Member
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Michael
Vera Duffy ...
Goth girl
Mary Lopez ...
Onlooker (as Mary Lopez)
Jim Murrell ...
Old Folks Home (as Jnim Murrell)
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Rick

Directed by

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Scott Ziehl

Written by

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David Baer ... (writer) &
John McMahon ... (writer) &
Scott Ziehl ... (writer)
 
Brent David Fraser ... (contributing writer)
 
Brent David Fraser ... (voice over co-writer)
 
Mike Machanska ... () (uncredited)

Produced by

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David Baer ... co-producer
Todd Field ... co-producer
Robyn Knoll ... co-producer
Vidette Schine ... associate producer
John Sjogren ... associate producer
Roxana Zal ... producer
Scott Ziehl ... producer

Music by

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Martin Blasick
Todd Field
Brent David Fraser
Bill Laswell

Cinematography by

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Antonio Calvache

Editing by

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Chris Figler
David Moritz

Editorial Department

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Bill Mochon ... color timer
Gabriela Tollman ... assistant editor

Casting By

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Robyn Knoll

Production Design by

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Roger Castillo ... (as Rodrigo Castillo)

Art Direction by

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Kristen Gilmartin

Costume Design by

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Roseanne Fiedler

Makeup Department

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Joanne Cervelli ... makeup artist
Myles O'Reilly ... key makeup artist

Production Management

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Vidette Schine ... unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Anthony Carregal ... assistant director
Hayley Collings ... assistant director
Stacey Kalkowski ... first assistant director
Ron Lunceford ... assistant director

Sound Department

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Scott Brewster ... adr editor / adr recordist
Heather Douglas ... foley artist
Vince Garcia ... sound mixer
Michael L. Hicks ... adr editor / adr mixer
Barry Keys ... foley mixer / sound effects editor
Ben Liou ... cable person
Michael Lyle ... foley artist / sound effects editor
Yael Shpiller ... sound coordinator
Christian Taylor ... sound effects editor
Clive Taylor ... re-recording mixer / sound designer / supervising sound editor
Lydian Tone ... foley supervisor / sound effects editor

Special Effects by

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Mathew Reilly ... special effects

Visual Effects by

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Tony Barraza ... digital artist
Jeffrey Castel De Oro ... digital compositor
Christopher Dusendschon ... in-show optical process and effects compositor: THDX (uncredited)

Stunts

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Sean P. Donahue ... stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department

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Richard Nasworthy ... best boy grip
Barry Norwood ... first assistant camera
Julio Ribeyro ... gaffer
Selvyn Price ... second assistant camera (uncredited)

Music Department

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Steven 'Lance' Carter ... musician: drums (as Lance Carter)
Bill Laswell ... music arranger / music producer / musician: basses, guitars, keyboards, samples and percussion
Tracy McKnight ... music supervisor
Robert Musso ... music mixer / music programmer / music recording engineer / musician: guitars
Robert Oriol ... musician: counter bass
Nicky Skopelitis ... musician: guitars

Additional Crew

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Laura Eriksen ... production assistant
Bonnie Foley ... production coordinator
Shawna James ... production assistant
Berkley Johnson ... intern
Ben Liou ... assistant: Mr. Field
Tom Parker ... production assistant
James Pereyra ... producer apprentice
Jeff Rogers ... paramedic consultant
Mike Tristano ... weapons

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

From writer/director Scott Ziehl comes the shocking and unnerving drama Broken Vessels. The film chronicles the lives of two emergency medical technicians (EMTs) whose thrill in life saving is surpassed only by their destructive and all-too-frequent thirst for another kind of rush, heroin. This potentially lethal combination is pushed to its limit as the pair embark on a hellish journey through an underworld of drugs, theft and ultra-deviance. It is this paradox which lies at the center of "Broken Vessels" and serves to dismantle an established and sacred faith in the last of our modern-day saviors. Tom (Jason London), a fresh-faced med school graduate from Back East, lands a paramedic job with an ambulance company in Los Angeles. He is partnered with the cunning Jimmy (Todd Field), a veteran ambulance driver who has gone through partners like needles. For Jimmy, the job is a series of bribes and tricks of the trade. He thrives on the violence and brutality he witnesses daily and augments them with drugs, alcohol and sex. Soon after beginning work, Tom fumbles on an emergency call, and Jimmy easily covers for him. A trust is established, and the two quickly become close. Before he knows it, Tom begins to looks at Jimmy as a kind of mentor, an adrenaline guru/junkie who teaches him how to score, scam and get high. The two quickly descend into series of dangerous drug deals, thefts, and excesses that lead them down a path of slow self-immolation punctuated by quick but lethal rushes. For Tom, the move to LA was supposed to be a new start. Haunted by a drunk-driving accident in which he killed a child, Tom is burdened by the weight of his life and finds a kind of nihilistic freedom in his new life with Jimmy. With a kind of Kurtzian abandon, Jimmy wields his power over Tom and is able to easily seduce him into his twisted and degenerative life in the ambulance and on the streets. The two emerge as a warped dynamic duo, a crusading pair of reckless pranksters in whose hands are trusted the lives of unwitting citizens and victims. Written by Anonymous

Plot Keywords
Taglines 911 ... the line is dead. See more »
Genres
Parents Guide Add content advisory for parents »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Ground Zero (United States)
  • Dérapages (France)
  • Más allá del límite (Spain)
  • Por la puerta falsa (Mexico)
  • Ρημαγμένα κορμιά (Greece)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 90 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $600,000 (estimated)
Opening Weekend United States $3,722, 04 Jul 1999

Did You Know?

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Trivia Valeria Hernandez's debut. See more »
Goofs 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. See more »
Movie Connections References The Beverly Hillbillies (1962). See more »
Soundtracks Hands See more »
Quotes Jimmy: I like coke...you like coke? Yeah, things go better with coke.
See more »

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