I held out on this one for awhile until I heard an interview with the music's composer on the radio and it peaked my interest. I was frustrated with the contrived drama, but the premise of oblivious drug smuggling was interesting. The true story could have been better made, but the legal case was dumbed down when that was the only part that was interesting. Their suffering in jail was only of interest up to a point. RUS.

Best performance by Clair Daines. This movie was amazing. So amazing that Clair got banned from the Phillipines for complaining about the roaches, flies, hot weather and the nasty environment! I give her props for dealing with all that! The movie is incredible though!

Claire Danes gave this movie a life. Story about friendship and sacrafice! Great acting and great story, not like Midnight express with all the horror scenes in it. And the end is worth watching this movie....

Well acted and properly frustrating.

Claire Dane does an amazing job. The ending is amazing. A must see!

Who lets their teenage daughters go to "hawaii" by themselves? But these 2 girls get caught with smack at the Thailand airport and are stuck in prison. The crux is supposed to be Danes' gift to her friend at the end...but it doesn't hit like it should.

This is essentially a girl version of Midnight Express. Given that it's definitely a watchable drama-thriller; and the acting is good. This is one of movies that is average or just fine; but for some reason everyone, the audience, the critics, and the studios, just completely ripped it to shreds. It just rubbed everyone the wrong way, for some random reason, so everyone just eviscerated it, unfairly. Just the wrong movie at the wrong time; more unpopular than it is bad.

A movie that would have been better if the script was better.

I've seen this movie over 100x, never gets dull.

This was a movie I really enjoyed. I would have liked a happier ending though.

Besides the acting, everything else was less than average. The surrounding story was improbable & farfetched.

Sometimes, certain Critics rate movies according to their political leanings..I'm not sure what the hiccup was here, but they got it wrong..I don't understand exactly what they consider is not believable..two teenage girls defying their parents? The plight of drug mules? The Plot is plausible (those Critics need to get out from behind their Computers, watch something besides their own reflection, and/or open their blind eyes!). I've seen several documentaries about drug mules and decoys. It happens! Are the Critics offended for Thailand? When was the last time they stayed in a 1/2-1 Star Hotel? IN THE U.S., Orlando, even!, I had the experience of staying in a hotel JUST LIKE THE ONE they were in this movie..so get over it Darling critics..live Life from the point-of-view of the 14.5% of us who have to Vacay REALLY roughing it!

American female tourists are caught smuggling narcotics in this sappy law drama. The young girls spend years trying to get expedited back to the U.S. with no success. Danes does a good job with the material she's given while Beckinsale just puts her head down and plays the pessimist. It's basically a "Midnight Express " for the new generation who are too lazy to watch the 1978 classic instead of this nonsense.

Saw for approx. 3rd time last night,and it interested me enough to check out whether this,as was MIDNIGHT EXPRESS,based on a true story.

Brokedown Palace is an excellent drama about friendship, betrayal, and the dangers of traveling to a foreign country and trusting the wrong people. It also works tremendously well as a law and prison drama, on top of those other wonderful aspects. However, it is mostly remembered these days for the comments that Claire Danes made about the Phillipines (Where it was filmed) that got her and her films banned by the Filipino government. The story, while hilarious, sadly overshadows the terrific, underrated drama the interview was discussing. It's a shame, really, because this is a rather interesting and evocative drama that deserved a far better fate. The film focuses on two lifelong friends: Alice, the troublemaker, and Darlene, the shy good girl of sorts. After graduating from high school, the girls want to go an adventure of some sort, and while Hawaii was originally the choice, Alice convinces Darlene to take a trip to Thailand because it's cheaper and the prospects of traveling to a foreign country seem intriguing. While they tell their families that they're going to Hawaii, the girls embark on their journey to Thailand, uncertain of what is in store for them. The girls take some of the usual sight-seeing adventures, but they also get into some mischief by sneaking into a fancy hotel and ordering drinks on someone else's tab. When confronted by hotel staff about what they're doing, a man suddenly intervenes and says that the girls are with him, saving them from security. The man is a handsome Australian named Nick, who the girls immediately develop a crush on and are eager to hang out with him when given the chance, including sexual encounters - though neither girl knows the other has had sex with him. Nick then offers the girls a chance to go on a trip to Hong Kong with him as part of his business trips, which Darlene is excited about, while Alice is reluctant to go. After some convincing from Darlene, Alice decides to go along for the trip. However, while at the airport, the police show up and the two girls are arrested because it turns out their bags contained kilos of heroin, which is terrifying for the girls, not only because they are arrested for something they didn't do, but also the fact that many foreign countries have far harsher penalties for drug charges than the United States - and the girls are looking at decades of prison time. While the Thai authorities interrogate them, Darlene makes a fatal mistake of giving a statement that is written in Thai by a stenographer...and Darlene cannot read Thai. The written statement instead turns out to be a confession to the crime, further digging the girls into a law pitfall when they are convicted and given a prison sentence of more than 30 years. Desperate, the girls enlist the help of a lawyer, "Yankee Hank" Greene, an American living in Thailand and specializing in Thai law. He is their only hope for freedom in battling against the corrupt legal system, as their lives fall apart behind the terrifying prison walls and their friendship is tested to its limits. The story is quite engaging in a number of aspects. As a law and prison drama, it is engaging, and also quite harrowing when it wants to be as two girls are caught in the throes of a corrupt legal system and try to retain a semblance of sanity and hope in their dire circumstances. It also works as a friendship drama because it shows how far friendship can be pushed, but also how it can survive in even the worst of times, which leads to some rather heart-wrenching moments. It manages to be engaging, suspenseful, funny when it wants to be, and emotional as well. I'm not really familiar with Claire Danes, but I was impressed with her performance as Alice, the troublemaker. While she was a troublemaker, she was also a fun, sympathetic, and wonderful character. She successfully conveyed a wide variety of emotions for whatever scenario she was placed in, and the climax was nothing short of brilliance on her part, leading to the most heart-wrenching moment of the entire film. It was also interesting to see Kate Beckinsale in one of her earlier film roles before she became semi-famous with the Underworld series. Rather than playing an ass-kicking, super-serious vampire, here she is much more subdued in her performance as the timid, shy, naieve Darlene. Though subdued, her performance was terrific, and she could be rather harrowing when she wanted to be during some rather emotional conflicts between her and Danes' character. Bill Pullman as "Yankee Hank" was also a very good performance as he played a lawyer who while snide at times, was also sympathetic and rather amusing when he wanted to be. The film provides a variety of things that will please fans of dramas, which not only provide some rather interesting things for the brain to munch on intellectually, but also on an emotional level. It's engaging, harrowing, and very emotional as it unfolds its storyline intricately. While I wish the story had been fleshed out a little more, the film was never boring and I was riveted by what I watched. Brokedown Palace is a great, underrated drama, with great underrated performances. It's a real gem to find, and it's a shame that it was a flop with the critics and the box office because it offers so much to anyone who is willing to give it a try. If you enjoy a good drama. Brokedown Palace may offer something you'll enjoy.

there is nothing terribly disappointing about this movie. it would have been nice to have a book written with the characters with their earlier life and later life. the movie contains many unsettling truths about the world and the human condition. there is amazing redemption and character growth in this movie. it should have made more in the box office! if you look at everything that came out near that time, this poor movie did not stand a chance... just google "movies 1999" and you'll see what it was in competition with

Compelling story and very emotional performance by Claire Danes. Unfortunately, the film is very poorly directed and dull.

This is one those movies that kind of shows, that when you travel to different country you need to take repercussions. Very emotional movie I must say, plus it has that special bonding of real friendship. At the end, I understood why she put herself in that position.

She never knew. Darlene Davis is a good girl who generally only gets in trouble when she hangs out with her spare of the moment best friend, Alice Marano. They head on a vacation to Hawaii when Darlene meets a handsome guy on the beach who talks her into going on vacation with him to Thailand. Alice reluctantly goes only to support her friend, who has stuck her neck out for her plenty of times. When they arrive in Thailand, the police discover drugs on them and throw them into jail. The girls have no idea how the drugs got there, but they are in international hot water! "We're innocent, so there's nothing to worry about." Jonathan Kaplan, director of Unlawful Entry, Project X, The Accused, Love Field, Bad Girls, and episodes of ER, Law & Order, and Without a Trace, delivers Brokedown Palace. The storyline did have long lulls and some uneven acting, but the ultimately story and epic conclusion was masterful. The acting was fairly good and the cast includes Clair Danes, Kate Beckinsale, Bill Pullman, Lou Diamond Phillips, John Doe, and Aimee Graham. "It's a shitty, third world, joke!" Brokedown Palace is a movie I came across on Starz I believe while randomly flicking through the channels. I had never heard of this film with Danes and Beckinsale and thought it may be mildly entertaining. I actually ended up loving this film and even found myself thinking about it a few days later. I strongly recommend this film and it is borderline worth adding to your DVD collection. "You didn't sign anything, did you?" Grade: B

Despite a worthy attempt by the cast, this film lacks a versatile script and features bland dialogue that never creates any drama, but is rather nothing more than complaining and pettish pleaing.