SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Siflutter It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

noname Both good and bad reviews make valid points. Plot-wise...Thismoviewill sometimes resemble'The Field" amovie I thinkis really wonderfulwith WilliamHarris, John Hurt, Sean Bean, Tom Berringer It'll take a while to see what I mean. Broken Fences is paced slowlyandit was difficult tosee the pont the first half hour...and then, to me,it became very predictable...still, I foundit engaging from the start. I still don't know what the dramatic opening shot exactluy refers to.I do think this is worth watching...especially if you have notseen the vastly superior 'The Field" which I'd bet thedirector offences studied acutely. On it's own...on the good side...the movie initially createws enough confusion that it kept my curiosity up...knowing it was gonna be a movie that revealed elements in it's future.Not great but not bad...worth looking at.

Jack Kass This gem of an indie is worth it for the fantastically vibrant cinematography alone. It was shot on location in Park County, Colorado (the real South Park) and offers a slice of rugged mountain life that still exists in all its beauty, hardship, and yes, tragedy. The film draws you in with its down home appeal of a young man rebuilding his life after a stint in prison, and his father who, mending his own fences, heroically tries to help his son. Soon the young mans troubles snowball, and the film that so easily charmed the viewer charts an unchangeable course for personal disaster. The suspense is genuine, and the ending is shocking and tragic in a wonderfully Shakespearean way. Among the themes richly woven into this tale are tragic fate, family obligations, and social justice. The story may seem a bit melodramatic, but it is a matter of style that hearkens back to the origins of the original westerns, and melodrama itself. Plus, you'd really be surprised to find how many families out there have similar stories to this one--and some even more shocking. If you are looking for a sugary sweet Hollywood ending here, move on. But keep in mind that Hollywood would never have the courage to make this film with this ending, which is what makes independent film so refreshing. And if you think the ending is overly harsh... ... you need to re-read your Shakespeare! The production values are low, but the themes and story telling rich, rewarding, and haunting... And again, the cinematography is beautiful!

edris_ne Broken Fences is one of those unique films that reminds us of some good old western films that are hardly made these days. It's a complete film that carries and holds all the ethics of film-making. Ian Van Sickle's amazing performance has added a different kind of flavor to the film. Likewise, Ryan I Parker's innocent acting craft has given the film an additional star. I loved this film and I not loved it for the reason that I'm a great film lover but mostly for the reason that it made me feel confident that good cinema and good filmmakers are still alive. Troy McGatlin must bring more films. Good cinema needs such filmmakers. The film is a winner and is worth watching, only if you are a lover of good films.

tdmjdm A lifetime of bad luck threatens a father and son's reunion, as old wounds resurface and new ones are opened in Broken Fences, Troy McGatlin's fusion of family drama and contemporary western.Joe Simmons (Jan Van Sickle) is a quiet and simple man who prefers to spend his days alone working on his ranch. He gets up at 5:00 a.m. and makes sure that the horses, cattle, and chickens are fed before he sits down to eat. Joe lives this life of solitude by choice, but we get a hint early on that Joe has cut himself off from the world a little too much. When he goes to the town's only store, he's surprised to find his friend no longer owns the place – and hasn't for quite some time. Joe might be a little bit lonely, but he's found his routine and he likes it just fine.But Joe's life of peace is unexpectedly disrupted when he gets a phone call from his estranged son Dylan, who informs him that he was recently paroled from jail and is looking for a place to stay. Though it's only hinted at, it's clear that Joe and Dylan have a long tumultuous history, and Joe is originally unwilling to take him in, even temporarily. But Joe's won't let his boy live on the streets, and he soon finds himself outside the jail, collecting his son.Dylan promises his father that he's a changed man, and it's easy to believe him. He speaks softly, works hard, and the only time he gets a fiery look in his eye is when he fervently tells his father that he'll never go back to prison again. Dylan has a host of skeletons in his closet, but maybe undeservedly so. He's a simple-minded boy who seems to be followed by a host of bad luck. A traumatizing incident in Dylan's teenage years left him emotionally scarred and in the company of a few bad seeds. Dylan was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it ended up costing him 6 years of his life behind bars.Even though Dylan promises he's turned a new leaf, things are uneasy between the two from the very beginning. They eat in silence, work in silence, and spend time on opposite ends of the ranch. But Joe senses a change in Dylan that he can't deny – maybe his son really has turned his life around. In their first candid moment, Dylan convinces Joe to ask a local shopkeeper out on a date. Things between the two men seem to be getting better, until Dylan's streak of bad luck and bad behavior catches up to him. From there, the story unfolds in unexpected directions until the shocking third act that you won't see coming.Broken Fences carefully explores this relationship between father and son without resorting to clichés. It never asks the audience an obvious question, only to respond with an even more obvious answer. McGatlin has crafted a fine little film that will engage you and challenge you until the end. And what an end it is.