User reviews

this film came out about the same time as "bringing out the dead". with all due respect to Martin and Nick-this is the movie they could have made if hollywood hadn't warped the way a story is told. style over substance. with that said-this is a tough film to watch. the performances are dead solid perfect. the voice over is a difficult device to pull off and it doesn't always work here, but... there was a truth that i wanted to watch play out.

I came out of Broken Vessels feeling like I was 19 again, like nothing mattered except the next rush. The passing cars with their people going home from work, and the rest of the pedestrian surroundings, meant nothing to me. Which is very similar to the two main characters in this movie. This film is a raw, intense trip, shot all over the gritty side of L.A. I grew up here, and the film is true to the city, at least this perspective of it. The major flaw in Broken Vessels is that there was no universal theme, no message it delivered. The movie didn't seem to be *about* anything other than its own story. But the visual and emotional experience I got while viewing the film, in large part due to excellent directing by Scott Ziehl and acting by Todd Field, was well worth the price of admission.

This is a neat little movie with a lot of energy and control - it's not overly flashy or gimmicky and doesn't indulge in excessive Tarantino-aping; the Field character is truly sleazy, but the movie keeps everything within plausible limits of degradation and loss of control, so that his pull on London is easy to understand without losing moral perspective. It's a two-hander at heart, but through various secondary characters - especially Field's Gramps, a hopeless drug addict - it manages to carve out a plausible broader social base (even if you wonder how the guys ever manage to get through any of their shifts intact). Some of the specific exposition is tedious, or overly familiar and dutiful, or just marginally amusing, but the meat of it lies simply in colourful incident, and in that regard it has real panache and sense of character.

After Having huge expectations for Scorcese's "Bringing Out The Dead" I was somewhat disappointed. But where the hell did BROKEN VESSELS come from? This film is everything the other one promised to deliver but didn't. My brother sent me a DVD saying "This is the best Indie film of the year." The art work on the cover was dreadful. It looked like a stupid B horror film. The back of the thing had some awards listed and kudos for the actors. I watched it last night. What a ride! Who is Scott Ziehl? Who is Susan Traylor? And who is Todd Field? Field should have been nominated for this performance. I can only guess that the film went straight to video. Too bad more people won't see it. The film accurately depicted the decline of two young men into self delusion and drug abuse. Far better (dare I say) than "Trainspotting."

I felt that this movie is well made. It is hardcore and in your face about the seriouse issues that it deals with. It doesn't exploit them or make fun. It has humor in the right places, not in the wrong places. The acting is great and the production is good to. Definitely a good movie. ***

In my job as a guitar teacher, I come in contact with many kids who are at the place in their lives where they are very impressionable and often have a glamorized view of drug use. I have shown this movie to several kids as an example of how drug abuse can get out of control in a hurry and ruin lives. I point out that the main character, Tom, had no intention of becoming an addict, but before he knew it, he had become one, and it was a short ride to hell from there. This movie makes this point without seeming like a health class documentary. The kids I've shown it too seemed to get the message. I give this movie a high rating, if for no other reason, because it helps me to possibly save the kids from becoming what I myself had once been.

"Broken Vessels" tells of a rookie EMT who teams up with an experienced and opportunistic partner who makes his own rules of how to paramedic in the streets of Los Angeles. A journeyman film at best, "BV" is not so much a story as it is a low credibility exposition of the more unusual and peculiar situations paramedics might encounter. Works better as an action flick than a drama.

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.

This movie is garbage. All this is about is drug use. This is not a EMT/ Paramedic movie. This is a drug movie right there with Spun, Requiem for a Dream. Depressing as all hell, unrealistic & sick. Can't believe I was hoping for a true ems movie. Guess they don't exist since this & Bringing Out the Dead trash the profession. Already bad enough being the most hard-working, underpaid, underappreciated, most stressful, physically & mentally taxing profession in the country. Why make it worse with drugs when the job has enough misery on it's own? At the same time, people who do this job know it's difficult & our proud of what they have gave and still give. -Paramedic (who stopped drinking and doing drugs many, many years ago)

I was floored by this movie. Having spent seven years in various Washington state prisons alongside the disenfranchised casualties of the idiotic and doomed "war on drugs",I am no stranger to the deleterious effects of drug abuse and I thought this movie was one of the very few anti-drug movies that really got the message across without preaching or appearing to glamorize drugs. Jason London quite impressed me with his portrayal of a small town innocent corrupted by big city vices. But the film belongs to Todd Field; he gives an Oscar-worthy performance.This is a classic, really. Right up there with Dugstore Cowboy.

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!!!

OK, the story here is some kind of cliche, but it is shot with style and also shows some good acting performances. It has some parralels with Trainspotting. The soundtrack is fantastic, also the photography. There is a bit of disappointment that such good elements are not used in more remarkable way. This movie really deserved better screenplay. Nonetheless, it is an event to watch. Strongly recommended.

This movie blew me away! I saw it without much expectation, but to my surprise, this one is really brilliant!

Scott Ziehl successfully directed this masterpiece, turning an ordinary theme into a brilliant movie about life and death. He showed the human side of those ambulance drivers flawlessly.

Jason London is brilliant as Tom. He successfully acted out the various state of his alter ego's throughout the movie. It's amazing how he transformed himself from a cheerful person to a depressed one.

How could this one miss the Oscar nomination? Anyone can answer that?

Had no idea what this film was going to present itself as, and was quite surprised by the great acting of rather unknown actors who were all fantastic in every way. Todd Field, (Jimmy) is an experienced Ambulance Drive & so called medic who comes to the aid of all kinds of horrible situations and even an old man who needs a fix daily. Jimmy shows the ropes to Jason London, (Tom), who is from Pa. and has some experience at being a Paramedic; the two of them make for an interesting team who break every rule in the book and still manage to do their jobs. A crazy wild chick named Susan Taylor, (Susy) "Man of God",'05, gets interested in Jimmy & Tom and shares her deep dark secrets, besides showing off her hot body in a bikini. If you ever need an Ambulance Driver or Medic, just hope and pray you never get a pair like Jimmy & Tom !

A riveting story that hooks you in early and drives you right into the ground with the characters.

I caught it on cable, loved it, a must see if you know the world and I do having grown up in LA, u know these people are the real thing, they're out there folks, just hope they're not EMT drivers when you need em!

Field and London are amazing and it's sad to hear the problems London has had with drug addictions of late. Guess this character became a little too close to home for him.

So much better then the Cage flick, not even close.

Enjoy!

this movie surprised me a lot. it was located in the horror section of a video store, and despite how the cover looks, it is not a horror movie. instead it is a movie that deals with drugs. fans of "trainspotting" will enjoy this movie a lot. it has some similarities with "Bringing Out the Dead".

it has a great story and the crazy crankhead lady gives an outstanding performance. this movie is recommended!!!

mat "drumladdy" (the hot carls)

This is a great film. I first watched it back in high school, and it kept me engaged the entire way through. For being a lower budget film, the acting performances are solid all around. And you have a few veteran actors (James Hong) dropping in as well. The plot is well fleshed out, and represents the terrible reality of drug abuse.

Tom is a young paramedic who travels to the west coast to start a new job. But it becomes clear that he's also escaping a shameful part of his past. His partner Jimmy shows him the ropes of the career, and also helps him navigate his social life. Gradually, Jimmy's true nature comes out, and Tom gets sucked in to the same world of drug use. As Tom's life begins to fall apart, He also faces several ethical dilemmas, which force him to question himself and Jimmy. But can he do the right thing? And can he face the demons of his past, that he never truly confronted?

This films also accurately portrays the lies that addicts tell themselves and those around them. I've never been an addict myself, but I have it in my family. This film well shows how it's easy to lie to yourself, and then cross a line you didn't believe you would. But then cross another line, and rinse and repeat. It portrays how people WANT to believe in the good nature of their friends and/or family who are trapped in that world, and how far they will go to maintain that lie.

Broken Vessels is a very entertaining film. Very harrowing, very haunting. But I promise you won't be disappointed. It's just a shame that it's so hard to find. I can only ever watch it on the DVD that I bought years ago. It doesn't appear to be on any streaming platform. But if you get a hold of it, check it out.