Brokedown Palace
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| Brokedown Palace | |
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 Brokedown Palace film poster |
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| Directed by | Jonathan Kaplan |
| Produced by | Adam Fields |
| Written by | Adam Fields, David Arata |
| Starring | Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | 13 August 1999 |
| Running time | 100 min |
| Language | English, Thai |
| IMDb profile | |
Brokedown Palace is an American film directed by Jonathan Kaplan and starring Claire Danes and Kate Beckinsale. A soundtrack album, Brokedown Palace: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, accompanied the film's August 1999 U.S. release (see 1999 in film).
- Tagline: They were willing to go anywhere for the perfect summer. Until a stranger changed everything.
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[edit] Plot
Lifelong best friends Alice Marano (Danes) and Darlene Davis (Beckinsale), change their pre-college summer vacation destination from Hawaii to Thailand at Alice's insistence. While there, they meet a captivating Australian man, Nick Parks (Daniel Lapaine), who befriends them and invites them along with him to Hong Kong. However, the girls are found with large amounts of heroin at Bangkok International Airport while preparing to board their plane, and are quickly arrested for drug smuggling.
The story takes an abrupt turn as the girls find themselves sentenced to lengthy terms (33 years, plus fifteen for an escape attempt) in a grim Thai women's prison, called the Brokedown Palace by its inmates. During the first several months of their incarceration, the girls accuse each other of attempting to smuggle the heroin, possibly at the behest of Parks. While Alice and Darlene's friendship falls apart, the facts surrounding what really happened become increasingly muddled and distorted by corrupt Thai politicians, and the girls become less and less likely to be found innocent and released.
Alice and Darlene eventually turn to an American attorney in Thailand, "Yankee" Hank Greene (Pullman), in hopes that he can free them. Despite valiant efforts, Greene is beaten by the Thai legal system at every turn, and the girls' sentences remain. At the last minute, however, Alice - unable to bear the sight of her best friend suffering in prison any longer - proposes a deal with their judge to serve both girls' sentences in exchange for Darlene's release. The judge agrees to this deal. The movie leaves an open question as to whether or not Alice was originally responsible for the drugs in the luggage bags, as well as what become of Parks. (Although it is hinted that the corrupt Thai police and military killed Parks when Hank is told "there is no more young man").
Because it presents a critical view of the Thai legal system, Brokedown Palace was filmed mostly in the Philippines. However some panoramas and views were filmed in Bangkok.
[edit] Cast
- Claire Danes – Alice Marano
- Kate Beckinsale – Darlene Davis
- Bill Pullman – 'Yankee' Hank Greene
- Jacqueline Kim – Yon Greene
- Lou Diamond Phillips – Roy Knox
- Daniel Lapaine – Nick Parks
- Tom Amandes – Doug Davis
[edit] Trivia
- Claire Danes was banned from the Philippines due to derogatory comments about the government and the country itself.
- Reese Witherspoon turned down the role of "Alice Marano" due to personal issues with the theme of the plot.
- Jennifer Love Hewitt auditioned and won the role of "Darlene Davis" but she ended up not being able to take the part due to scheduling conflicts. The role then fell to the runner-up for the part, Kate Beckinsdale.
[edit] Similarities to other films
The movie Return to Paradise was released at around the same time as Brokedown Palace, and is noted for being similar, in that it also concerns a young American trapped in a Southeast Asian legal system, and difficult choices that must be made by that traveler's traveling companions.
