Broken Swords: The Last in Line

source: Broken Swords: The Last in Line

I'm not entirely sure exactly what I just watched LOL... The entire movie takes place in a dilapidated barn, you never see the actors adversaries who keep attacking the barn, and killing off the members one by one with arrows coming through the windows. The acting was pretty good, and the set was excellent for an old barn, but I'm just not sure what the plot was supposed to be? They are fighting someone, who we have no idea, what do they look like? Who are they? Where did they come from? It was pretty much like watching a bunch of people inside an old barn, With medieval garb, talking 20th century military lingo! I made it through the whole movie but it was a struggle believe me... Maybe you'll get more out of it than I did... I sure hope so because I didn't come away with a warm fuzzy feeling LOL. I gave it a 3 simply for the cool Set, acting and Wardrobe.

Ignore the reviews giving it a 10 from people obviously involved with the production. Is this movie better than Citizen Kane? Gone With the Wind? Psycho? I think not. In fact, it's not better than the Super 8 movie I shot for a 6th grade project. Those people should be ashamed of themselves, It's an insult to great movies and it's embarrassing that they would give this movie at 10.

I don't mind no budget. I do mind no entertainment. The screenplay is terrible. The poor actors had no chemistry and that is due to the travesty of a a script. We're meant to feel the tension of the characters' plight but we're thrown into their stories after the battles have taken place. The lion's share of the movie is just characters talking to one another- as the actors wrestle to give their wildly under developed characters' personalities. The characters bicker and threaten one another and use "military" jargon the screenwriter took from watching war flicks and not from experience. The film tries to capture some heartfelt emotional connections a few times but because we have no investment in the characters nor have we seen what they went through, and the dialogue is so poorly written, it falls flat. The slim amount of action amounts to the occasional arrow through a window. There isn't even an establishing shot of the location the characters are in. Other than one sad computer animated giant trudging in the distance, we don't see any enemies. With ten minutes left and the promise by the group's leader that they would battle their way out of the "barn" location, I figured we were due to see some action, but a fade to white followed by the end title dashed those hopes. Watch if you want to joke with your friends or if you need some background noise while doing something else. My personal recommendation is to give this one a pass altogether.

I'm confused. How could anyone rate this movie higher than a 2 at the most. I gave it about 30 minutes and ejected! Now l have to try and find a way to get my 30 minutes back. Terrible.

I like low budget independent movies particularly when they have at least one of the following components: good acting, decent special effects, clear storyline, effective plot/character development, or any coherent purpose of any kind. This has zero of those components and spurred me to reset my never used password to warn you that if you spend 98 minutes of your life watching this "movie" you will be left angry, confused, and disappointed. Disappointed like every father of everyone associated with the production of this atrocity. Seriously , it is that bad. I could go into detail on everything wrong with it but it's just a waste of more time. Do not watch this unless you harbor a deep, dark, massive amount of self hatred.

The set-up is pretty simple: A group of soliders has decided to take shelter in a house and is preparing for a suicide run. The neat part is that they have access to D&D-style magic. For those expecting wall-to-wall action, this is not the movie for you. This basically how a group of soldiers with a little extra magic would act: They would bind their wounds, defend their shelter, and prepare for the next battle. In that regard it's a great movie. There are some really fun parts, there's some decent storytelling, and it's interesting to watch.

Despite being dark and bloody this script is really funny! It brings a humble humanity to each character and allows you to care about everyone involved in their adventure. Many characters stand out like Judge and the main captain dude. But 2 of my favorites are the nobleman/prince guy and the assassin woman with the creepy neck scar and weird distorted voice. They are both bunk mates and it makes sense that they are also lovers. Lo and behold, they also have a sex scene. No surprise. I'd ship them too. They bicker like an old couple as well. Perfect match imho

Atmospheric. Simple story. Great characterization. For an indie film fantastic production values (costumes, sets, props, make up were all amazing). slow burn story, not an action film, character studies. Actors across the board were just great, with a lot of laughs, hard stuff, tension and grit. The world created was also compelling and while it would've been nice to see more of the outside and more of the world described it might have to wait for a sequel to do that with more of a budget. Well done. Since it is non-rated some key things: language is rough and at times crude, like soldiers. One sex scene. No nudity. The violence is more PG.

I haven't seen him before so I'm guessing this is his debut feature. Director is Michael Babbitt. I tip my hat to him. He did a good job. I see this director continuing to do well should he get with the right studio.