Movie

Brokedown Palace

1999 · 100 min

A tense, sorrowful descent into a foreign prison, anchored by a friendship that makes the injustice feel personal and devastating.

Directed by: Jonathan Kaplan
Genres: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Starring: Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman

Tagline: Their graduation present was a trip to paradise, but they never thought they would land in hell.
Overview: Best friends Alice and Darlene take a trip to Thailand after graduating high school. In Thailand, they meet a captivating Australian man, who calls himself Nick Parks. Darlene is particularly smitten with Nick and convinces Alice to take Nick up on his offer to treat the two of them to what amounts to a day trip to Hong Kong. In the airport, the girls are seized by the police and shocked to discover that one of their bags contains heroin.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: Brokedown Palace

Rent or buy in the UK

Apple TV Store
Amazon Video
Sky Store

More options Data from JustWatch

Directed by: Jonathan Kaplan
Genres: Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Starring: Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: darkstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 2 of 3
melancholicstrength 2 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: friendship
justice
isolation
guilt
survival
Places: prison
big city
Era: contemporary
Audience: adult
Form: None
Content intensity: Gore mild
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	3
Horror	2
Humour	2
Realism	7
Romance	2
Tension	6
Darkness	7
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	8

Titles like Brokedown Palace

Movie

The Shawshank Redemption

1994

A patient, deeply moving story of endurance and friendship that slowly builds to a cathartic, hopeful release.

Melancholic, earnest · about friendship and justice

Via: melancholic
earnest
friendship
justice
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 142 min

Details

The Shawshank RedemptionHidden from your suggestions.

TV series

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1999

A grim, methodical plunge into sexual violence and its aftermath, carried by dogged investigators and courtroom confrontations that leave a lingering heaviness.

Same director: Jonathan Kaplan · Dark, tense · about justice

Also: Same director: Jonathan Kaplan
Via: dark
tense
justice
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Seasons: 28

Details

Law & Order: Special Victims UnitHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Return to Paradise

1998

A slow, wrenching moral pressure-cooker that weighs friendship against self-preservation, leaving a lingering ache.

Dark, tense · about friendship and justice

Via: dark
tense
friendship
justice
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 109 min

Details

Return to ParadiseHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Thelma & Louise

1991

A liberating, funny, and ultimately heartbreaking ride that makes you cheer for two women on the run.

Tense, melancholic · about friendship and justice

Via: tense
melancholic
friendship
justice
Pacing: brisk
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 130 min

Details

Thelma & LouiseHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Miracle in Cell No. 7

2019

A heartfelt, tear-jerking story of love and injustice that balances warmth and sorrow, leaving you moved and uplifted.

Melancholic, earnest · about justice and isolation

Via: melancholic
earnest
justice
isolation
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 132 min

Details

Miracle in Cell No. 7Hidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Better Days

2019

A raw, emotionally draining watch that immerses you in the pain of bullying and the desperate need for protection.

Dark, tense · about justice and isolation

Via: dark
tense
justice
isolation
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 135 min

Details

Better DaysHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Promising Young Woman

2020

A stylish, slow-burning revenge thriller that balances dark humor with visceral tension and a deeply melancholic core.

Dark, tense · about friendship and justice

Via: dark
tense
friendship
justice
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 114 min

Details

Promising Young WomanHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

In the Name of the Father

1993

A harrowing, slow-burning true story that grips with quiet fury and leaves a heavy, lasting ache.

Tense, melancholic · about justice and guilt

Via: tense
melancholic
justice
guilt
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 133 min

Details

In the Name of the FatherHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

25th Hour

2002

A somber, reflective day-long descent into dread and regret, heavy with grief for a city and a life about to end.

Dark, tense · about friendship and guilt

Via: dark
tense
friendship
guilt
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 135 min

Details

25th HourHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Drive

2011

A stylish, brooding neo-noir that blends tender romance with shocking bursts of violence, demanding your full attention.

Same cinematographer: Newton Thomas Sigel · Dark, tense · about isolation

Also: Same cinematographer: Newton Thomas Sigel
Via: dark
tense
isolation
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 100 min

Details

DriveHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Mauritanian

2021

A sobering, slow-burning procedural that intercuts legal maneuvering with harrowing captivity, leaving a heavy sense of injustice and endurance.

Dark, tense · about justice and isolation

Via: dark
tense
justice
isolation
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 129 min

Details

The MauritanianHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Mother

2009

A quietly devastating descent into a mother's desperate love, blending mystery with moral horror and leaving a lingering unease.

Dark, tense · about justice and isolation

Via: dark
tense
justice
isolation
Pacing: measured
Attention: demanding
Runtime: 129 min

Details

MotherHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy

Apple TV Store
Amazon Video
Sky Store
YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres: drama, thriller, mystery
Directed by: Jonathan Kaplan
Written by: David Arata
Starring: Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman, Jacqueline Kim, Lou Diamond Phillips, Daniel Lapaine, Tom Amandes, Aimee Graham
Music: David Newman
Cinematography: Newton Thomas Sigel
Runtime: 100 min
Country: United States of America
Languages: English, Thai

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

Brokedown Palace

How it feels

More like this

Titles like Brokedown Palace

Where to watch in the UK

Details