The Broken Key (2017) User Reviews

Vapid

[Snootz · 2/10 · 22 May 2018]

The average rating of 4.x on this movie is generous. The writing is as bad as the written movie summary. The acting is non-existent, as the roles require nothing in this area. The story line is vaporous and plot non-existent.

The only positive point of this movie is rather good CGI... but these days such can be cranked out of someone's home computer using Blender, and gets no stars from me in the light of everything else in the film.

It is reasonable to assume most viewers will find this an incredibly long 2 hours. This movie just drags on, more so than most movies we've seen of this kind. It's not just bad, it's slow and bad.

Rutger Hauer seems to have a knack for choosing the worst roles these days. He brings his usual stoic half-humor to the role, but even that can't raise this film above 2 stars for me. This is definitely a "pass it by" film, with the non-audience better off for choosing to do so.

This is Beyond merely Bad

[skip-98756 · 1/10 · 26 May 2018]

The other reviewers are too kind to this truly painful to watch extravaganza that drags on and on yet goes nowhere..The acting is like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard and the music score drones on neverendingly at levels that Almost drown out the dialogue...If I had to find anything in this movie to redeem it,one would struggle.. Even on fastforward this one is hard to stomach...You have been warned..

This film should carry a government health warning about how bad (for you) it is!

[csharpforevermore · 1/10 · 29 May 2018]

This film just doesn't make sense. The dialogue, when not inaudible due to the musical score making unheard, is just nonsense. Coupling terrible directing and odious scripts means that I really could not make any sense of what characters were feeling.

For example, character voices cry out top volume in fear as soon as another new character enters focus despite being unknown to the protagonist and seconds before launching into a terribly choreographed fight scene.

Most of the actors are examples of once great actors who now are too tired to give a good interpretation of the script. No surprise to see the terribly depressing form of Michael Madsen there. I expected to see him with another washed-up actor of Tim Sizemore, but he manages to butcher the scenes enough on his own.

Another reviewer wrote about how this film is like nails down a blackboard. I think this is an apt description of scenes that jump around like some Junior film student's project made using home video segments rather than having a set and crew along with others who should have pulled together the show into some kind of discernible storyline or plot. Instead this film is honestly one of the worst ones I have ever seen.

If you want more evidence for how bad this film is, then consider this. My friends are all avid movie watchers. We've all sat through some turkeys in our time, but this was the first film we have ever watched that caused several caffeinated and sugar-high adults to fall asleep during watching it. We've NEVER done that before or since this movie.

Nice shot, horrible acting, horrible sound

[johan-83-77031 · 2/10 · 23 May 2018]

The shots are so nice, the plot has possibilities. But the movie lacks direction, refinement, and certainly money. All the sound is post-synced. The music sounds like a compilation of classical music which starts at the beginning of the film, never is muted, and then the voiceovers are completely out of sync. Even Rutger Hauer has a foreign accent!

Horrible, had to stop after 25 minutes.

Probably the worst movie ever made... that nobody has seen!

[bellino-angelo2014 · 1/10 · 26 February 2023]

THE BROKEN KEY has an abysmaly bad reputation. It has an appalling score of 2,3 but still 416 ratings so, it will never make the Bottom 100 (the list of the worst rated and reviewed movies of all time that have at least 10,000 ratings). And, despite the poster features all the known names the lead is played by an unknown that has never made movies before and is known only in Italy (where I live) for having appeared in a trashy reality TV show that is followed by rotten-brained people. So why I saw it? Well, from time to time I love to find and watch movies with notoriously bad reputations. But this... it was too much, and according to most of the reviews I am one of the very few that had the guts of seeing it to the very end! Now I can discuss it.

It begins with very overlong credits where the italian names are put first, then we see the Pyramid of Giza and the on-screen text says 'Egypt, tomorrow' and we then move to Rome and it says 'Rome, 2033 AD'. We then see Hiram Abif (Franco Nero, the father of director Louis Nero) having a swim and then has problems (considering that Nero was 75 when he did this, it's no surprise) and has to be taken on surface. We are then introduced to our lead Arthur J Adams (Andrea Cocco) that meets scientist Adrian Moonlight (Rutger Hauer) and is tasked of finding the broken key and open a mysterious gate. Arthur goes, and his mission will go not without meeting various characters and bizarre situations. First he goes to a class held by writer Tullio De Marco (Michael Madsen) about the importance of paper, and after only 2 minutes of screen time we see Tullio hanging from a bridge. Second, he goes to count Rosebud (Christopher Lambert) that is an expert on the female body that has spme sort of metamorphosis where he becomes older and is then nowhere to be seen. Third, he goes to an abbey where Father Hugo (William Baldwin) tells Arthur about all the secrets of the text, and it's then shot by some marauders. After lots of padding Arthur will meet the older woman (Geraldine Chaplin) that will give him the Broken Key for opening the Zimurg Corporation, but I think nobody would see it.

To saying that THE BROKEN KEY is bad is certainly an understatement. The sets are great but the acting by the lead so heavy and the known names appear for just a few minutes and then they are nowhere to be seen, and you might think that with such respected names it would have been at least a decent viewing experience but nope, they put lots of unnecessary padding that made the movie last 2 hours and 15 minutes of absolute nonsense. The more the time passes the more you are bound to leave it, and I think I should deserve a medal for having seeing it to the very end! And the music is not only forgettable, but jarring as most of the other problems of the movie.

Overall, a movie so bad that it makes you ask why it was even made in the first place, but as it was over, I could see why it will always miss being in the Bottom 100... I am probably the only one who dared to finish it! If someone you know recommends it to you... run! Even for gluttons for punishments like me (that I had to take this task on my shoulders) is like a ride to the dark world. And don't say I didn't warn you!

Something is Definitely Broken

[snoopypuppeh · 1/10 · 14 February 2019]

After 2hrs of watching this movie, I've discovered that the "Secret for eternal life on Earth" is to not watch this movie!

While the CGI is plentiful, the plot is non-existent. It's like they tried to commingle the 'The Celestine Prophecy' with 'The Da Vinci Code' and ended up with mud pie... it's a great big mess of nothing. You can't even look to the dialogue for help, because at times it doesn't even appear to be coming from the actor's lips, giving the impression the movie is dubbed, which it isn't.

If you absolutely have to watch this film, curl up with a good book and let it play in the background. At least then you will have done something worthwhile with your time, otherwise, you can get more entertainment out of watching 'The Tigger Movie'.

Just disappointing

[xerodroid · 2/10 · 23 May 2018]

Apparently having a great cast doesn't make for a great movie, this movie sadly proves why these movie greats of yesterday are no longer. I guess if you are out of the limelight for too long you lose your skill and this movie just proves it! Giving it two stars is more than it deserves.

SO MANY GREAT STARS

[jfh_dragonfly · 1/10 · 5 July 2019]

Never have so many great actors been so betrayed as by this insipid, plotless movie.

???

[tchristophermiller · 1/10 · 28 December 2022]

Even MST3K would be taxed to call this stinker. Like watching a train wreck in slow motion, it suckers you in to its' cinematic horror. Someone needed a loss on the books for some reason...

The positive reasons to watch are the staggered appearances of many a fine cast member throughout the scenes that are in no way connected or artistically unified. It is as if watching scores of different directors and producers in one sitting, without being at a film festival of shorts. Should any detect a story within the script, don't spoil it for me. I shall be blissfully ignorant. I was stunned to read the IMDB synopsis, as I detected no such elements other than a name dropped here or there.

Da Vinci Code effort to somehow link Dante and Bosch and deadly sins and Turin statuary, and a miserable failure at doing so.

This is like in the movie, "The Producers"

[rsvp321 · 4 June 2018]

I believe that this movie was made so bloody awful on purpose, and it *is* so bad that it's actually funny, like in The Producers.

It's like when you wake up and you remember your dream - flows illogically from one scene and action to another unrelated scene and action, and so on. This is one weird movie!

Yes, so bad it's funny...but not funny enough to ignore these reviews and watch it!

So much potential

[brent-fontes · 2/10 · 6 December 2018]

Wow this is painful. I thought the movie was dubbed in English at first, because the voice acting is so stiff and monotone. The music is so obnoxious. It's so overdramatic and it often overpowers the dialogue. The story is rather disjointed, I'm hoping it was more due to poor editing, but I doubt it. Maybe they were trying to go for some kind of experimental style? I'm giving it a two as the production value for the sets and special effects were high. Unfortunately it just can't make up for the rest.

Innovative film!

[francescocartosio · 10/10 · 12 June 2018]

"The Broken Key" is not easy to understand, but its message makes you think about the future. The biggest pro of this film is the international cast, full of famous actors. The main locations, Turin, is amazingly pictured and many beautiful places have a fundamental role in the plot.

Sci-fi Turin

[zerutituli · 7/10 · 11 February 2020]

Great cast in this italian sci-fi movie that uses Turin as background for a misterious and breathtaking story. The city is naturally a perfect location and the acting is good thanks to actors such as Rutger Hauer and Michael Madsen

Sounds

[mvwf-910-734195 · 1/10 · 21 June 2018]

I had to give up watching this film after 15 minutes, simply because it was impossible to follow what was going on due to the high volume of the music, which was more in the fore ground than the back ground.

Adding My Twopenneth Worth to Balance the Ridiculous 10/10s

[GilesEnsor · 1/10 · 2 July 2018]

Well, I feel somewhat heroic in the fact that I lasted longer than some but, as with all the other realistic reviews, this was truly horrendous, and I love movies like Sharknado, so I don't exactly have high standards.

The acting was terrible, the script was complete nonsense, the music destroyed almost everything, and it just made no sense.

Normally, I would add something like, "Watch it for the laughs", but it was not even possible to laugh at how terrible it was; it was just that bad.

Do not believe any rating above 2

[I_should_be_reading_a_book · 1/10 · 18 February 2022]

I was forewarned so I cannot cry foul, tried to watch it anyway because of the great cast. Unbelievable, they somehow must be obliged to the writer?director?

Painful to watch, I ended fast forwarding the last 45 minutes just to reach the idiotic conclusion, and that just because I'm a sucker for sci-fi.

Acting is ridiculously bad, coming from a cast that usually performs very finely. Some of the carboard acting and hollow dialogs cannot be attributed solely to inept direction and a lousy script. It's like they did it on purpose --perhaps their arms were twisted to participate and they were paying old favors to somebebody?

Direction and edition is beyond nonexistant.

Don't be lured into watching it. You will regret it!

PS, I had labeled it a 2, because of some redeeming photography, CGI and beautiful locations but the bloated scores above that point must be counterweighted, the current 2.8 average is1/higher than it deserves (1.5?)

Ungodly

[HughBennie-777 · 25 May 2019]

Endless. An agony to watch. A patchwork quilt screenplay requires one character after another to help further a plot about ancient Egyptian cults and Turin, Italy in the year 2030. For an incomprehensible 2 hours. Archeologist Andrea Coco looks miserable throughout while searching through the cool character actors (Rutger Hauer, Michael Madsen, Geraldine Chaplin, Christopher Lambert) on the movie's guest list. And the whole cast is dubbed with wretchedly mixed sound. The insistent, pompous scoring doesn't help, and as events take place, there is less and less suspense to any of it. The plot is enough to confuse/bore even hardened followers of this genre.

Best thing to do, in order to amuse oneself during the movie's self-important exposition: say the movie's title out loud, wait several seconds, then let out an enormous wet bottom-burp strong enough to send ripples through both butt cheeks.

Then do it again.

Butlers wander around confused

[mike-c-b · 1/10 · 13 August 2022]

Whatever story there is isn't told because the actors don't act. - They stand still like butlers waiting for direction.

Everybody does the same "mysterious depression" act.

Names are not enough when the story and direction is poor story

[andreamartano · 1/10 · 23 June 2022]

Almost big names are not enough when the story is weak or not existent. VFX are school level not production level, acting is theatrical and stiff, dubbing is amateur, the fake future technology look is naive. I looked at it until the end captured by a rising sense of disbelief at how bad the movie is. I'm still asking myself how much money have been wasted and lost in this production and by which way a script like this had the green light and the money to go into production. I hope that all the people involved in directing and producing this movie won't be hired in any further project to avoid having more movies like this on the networks.

Sci-fi made in Italy

[fabioferrari-20408 · 10/10 · 13 June 2018]

One of the merits of "The Broken Key" is that it attempts to offer something new inside the Italian film industry, which delivers too many mediocre comedies and dramas. The choice of science fiction is exemplary. In fact, the movie is set in a fascinating not-so-distant future, inspired by some classics like "Blade Runner", "The Fifth Element" and "Brazil".

New visions of Italian cinema

[erikalillo · 10/10 · 12 June 2018]

If there's one thing that's missing a lot in the Italian film scene, this is science fiction. There are not many films that deal with this genre, even less those who manage to gain visibility. Therefore it is always nice to see some attempts to revive the sci-fi in our country. This is the case with The Broken Key.

Actually not so bad.

[ufficiothedrills · 8/10 · 4 February 2020]

Actually it's not so bad as the other reviewers say. The narrative plots are interesting and there is a high level cast. I think the idea of creating a futuristic atmosphere in the fascinating and mysterious Turin, which hosts many visual cues here enhanced by the director, is beautiful. I read that this film has a very low budget... reaching this level without the big Hollywood budgets is a great goal.

Finally the Italian Sci-Fi

[paolo-scacheri97 · 10/10 · 28 February 2020]

It's not easy find in the italian movie landscape a Sci-Fi movie, just only for this, this film should be watched and supported, but this movie astonish also for his good workmanship. In a world where the belief that millionaires budgets are needed to make this type of film The Broken Key is the proof that it's not true. The Vfx are made good, the photograpy remember other film of the same genre like Blade Runner and the Cast is full of talented Hollywood stars like Rutger Hauer, Michael Madsen and Christopher Lambert.

Amazing sci-fi movie

[iree_ · 8/10 · 28 February 2020]

The Broken Key is a beautiful sci-fi movie that shows a hypothetical Turin of the future with a futuristic atmosphere. Great cast and amazing visual effects in one of the most interesting Italian-sci-fi films.

Interesting italian Sci-fi.

[marcodp-40794 · 10/10 · 4 February 2020]

A beautiful dystopia, good acting, amazing visual effects. One of the most interesting italian movie of the year.