Butterfly on a Wheel

While there's little doubt that Shattered does suffer from its share of problems - ie its characters' actions are often dictated by plot rather than logic - the film is nevertheless a fairly effective little thriller that's backed by a blistering pace and a trio of expectedly strong performances. Gerard Butler and Maria Bello star as Neil and Abby, a happily-married couple whose placid existence is brutally interrupted after a sadistic psychopath (Pierce Brosnan's Tom) kidnaps their young daughter. Though it first appears as though he simply wants money (and lots of it), Tom eventually reveals a far more sinister plan for the couple - as he forces the two to jump through a series of arduous, increasingly embarrassing hoops. Director Mike Barker's sporadically ostentatious stylistic choices aside, Shattered generally comes off as a slick effort that works best during its more overtly thrillerish sequences - with Brosnan's electrifying performance certainly playing a key role in the movie's success. There's a genuinely unexpected twist regarding his character's motivations late in the picture, though it's the inclusion of a subsequent twist that leaves the movie with an exceedingly sour aftertaste ("absurd" is too mild a word to adequately describe it). Still, as disappointing as its conclusion may be, Shattered is nevertheless a mindlessly fun piece of work that's a must for fans of the three actors.

The only thing that saved this was [spoiler]the twist, because those cheating fuckers deserved it.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Before that, I was just massively bored and it took serious effort to pay attention. There was something about the way it was done that I just didn’t feel much of anything for the main characters, as I was probably supposed to.[/spoiler]

Literally only the last 10 minutes were good.