Brake (2012)

48% of critics liked it
(21 reviews)
54% of users liked it
(371 ratings)

Secret Service Agent Jeremy Reins (Stephen Dorff) is about to have a very bad day. He wakes up trapped in the dark, cramped trunk of a moving car with no recollection of how or why he's there. The only light comes from the blood-red digital numbers ticking away above his head that signify one… More Secret Service Agent Jeremy Reins (Stephen Dorff) is about to have a very bad day. He wakes up trapped in the dark, cramped trunk of a moving car with no recollection of how or why he's there. The only light comes from the blood-red digital numbers ticking away above his head that signify one thing..he's running out of time. As the captors reveal themselves and their motives while torturing their hostage mentally and physically, Jeremy realizes he is a pawn in their potentially catastrophic plot. He will not be set free until he gives up information about the President he's been trained not to reveal. -- (C) IFC

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Gabe Torres
Written By: Timothy Mannion
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Action & Adventure

In Theaters: Mar 23, 2012 Limited
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Sara Stewart, New York Post
The whole claustrophobic one-man show feels like we've been here before, and with better material.
Andrew Lapin, NPR
There are plenty of gripping moments, as well as a few silly ones - bees get involved at one point, presumably to please Wicker Man fans. And the ride as a whole is at the very least exciting to take part in.
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News
Talk about being boxed in: This thriller is half-"24," half-"Buried" and, despite a few twists, unable to move anywhere.
Robert Koehler, Variety
Brake may not be the kind of film that Dorff's thesp character in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere is pining for, but the actor fully commits to the arduous demands of the part.
Rex Reed, New York Observer
It is amazing how much hair-raising action and fluid movement this film captures in the confined interior of a car trunk, or how many mood shifts Mr. Dorff conveys in a performance that can only be called multi-dimensional.
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger
The situation itself is simply too absurd for us to accept, right from the start. And the more it goes on, the harder it is to stay onboard.
Paul Chambers, CNNRadio
Over 95% of "Brake" takes place in the trunk of a car. But, despite the confines or perhaps because of them, it's a decent enough thriller.
Betty Jo Tucker, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
In a movie like this, almost everything depends on the lead actor -- and Stephen Dorff does not disappoint. He turns in a splended 'confined' performance here.
Todd Jorgenson, Cinemalogue.com
There are simply too many manipulative gimmicks to generate any emotional investment in the outcome.
Brian Tallerico, HollywoodChicago.com
Dorff is stellar and the film builds some tension but a bit too much required suspension of disbelief, some plot holes, weak dialogue, and two increasingly silly twist endings ultimately sink the piece.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
an idea for a short extended far beyond its creative shelf life
Noel Murray, AV Club
Dorff and Torres make a lot out of very little, always keeping the audience aware of the larger world outside the small, dark space in which they've trapped us.
Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
Works as a budget suspense experience, reaching enough boiling points to entertain, but not enough to block out the ridiculous ending.
Michelle Orange, Movieline
If we're never drawn in far enough to wonder what we might do in a Plexiglass box at the end of the world, Dorff can sell stock action-hero lines with enough moody grit to hold our attention.
Sam Adams, Time Out New York
[Dorff] spends most of the movie confusing tough-guy stoicism with simple inertness, despite the occasional Jack Bauer-style yell.
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve
Stephen Dorff's energetic performance cannot compensate for the minimalism of the plot.
Andrew Schenker, Slant Magazine
Until its pair of ludicrous twist endings, which complicates its message and logistics in ways that make little sense, Gabe Torres's Brake plays like a more simplistic version of Buried tailored specifically to a hawkish right-wing crowd.