44
Metascore
21 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70VarietyTodd McCarthyVarietyTodd McCarthyIt's close to a no-win situation dramatically, culturally and politically, and Kaplan deals with it plausibly enough by concentrating on the performances and the interior conflicts they reveal.
- 67Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment WeeklyIt's strangely enjoyable to see her(Danes) and Beckinsale busted on a bogus heroin-smuggling rap and thrown in the slammer with bad 'dos and no makeup.
- 50SalonStephanie ZacharekSalonStephanie ZacharekThe penalties for drug trafficking in Thailand are very, very stiff. If there were any justice in the world, the penalties for saddling fine actors with terrible dialogue would be even stiffer.
- 50San Francisco ExaminerWesley MorrisSan Francisco ExaminerWesley MorrisIts finest moments come in sequences such as Alice and Darlene's prison break and the girls' final wrenching plea for freedom.
- 50ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliWe're stuck with contrived plot contortions, dull interpersonal interaction, and unconvincing dialogue.
- 50San Francisco ChronicleBob GrahamSan Francisco ChronicleBob GrahamThe specifics of their predicament are well handled -- being thrown in a Third World prison may be every tourist's nightmare -- even if the movie eventually goes soft and squishy.
- 50The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThis is the kind of picture that is faux subtle when it should be bold, and really ham-handed when it should be delicate.
- 40Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasJust another lurid, contrived, xenophobic tale about Americans trapped in hideous foreign prisons.
- 30Village VoiceAmy TaubinVillage VoiceAmy TaubinPart cautionary tale, part moral-uplift saga, Brokedown Palace is as dull as it's absurd.
- 30The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe once-reliable Danes is a particular detriment, but it's really hard to care whether either character escapes from what looks like a really unappealing summer camp.