Brake is very similar to "Buried" (which I also loved). It follows the story of a CIA agent who finds himself trapped in the trunk of a car by terrorists and interrogated in order for him to give away the location of a secret bunker where the president hides during a crisis. As the entire US crumbles around him, he does everything he can to save himself, his family, and his country, all within the confines of a glass box, literally. This movie was suspenseful, tense, and very visceral. The psychological tension raised to an insane degree, and the whole movie feels like one giant "Saw" trap, but instead of just being mindless gore and torture, there is actually a strong story and solid pacing. While the main character in Brake may not be as like-able or relatable as Paul Conroy in "Buried", the twists and turns make the story much more engaging. "Buried" felt as if the whole movie was one big scene, while Brake is more broken up into segments. I cannot rave enough about the pacing, each scene is either interesting and suspenseful or tense and psychologically challenging. Never once was I bored or simply waiting for the next scene, I was constantly kept in the moment as if I, myself, were in the same situation the character was in. The only negative factor that compromises the quality of the film was the ending. Without spoiling anything, the ending was stupid and made no sense. Some could argue it was clever and "original", but I found it pretentious and completely ludicrous. So much so that if I were ever to watch the film again, I would probably pause it about five minutes before the credits roll to spare myself the disappointing flaw in an otherwise great suspense/thriller. However, aside from the awful ending, Brake is still a very good film and definitely worth watching.

At first, I thought I'd want to see this film as another take on the topic covered in recent films (Antoine Fuqua's "Olympus has Fallen" and Roland Emmerich's "White House Down". As I watched the film at home, my wife looked up from the book she was reading and made two comments during the course of the film:***SPOILER FOLLOWS*** (from here throughout) (Her comment, early on in the movie) "I hope this whole movie doesn't take place in the trunk of a car." Her intuition was right on the money...This is not a film for the claustrophobic. As one bad thing after another happened to the main character, she said (later on in the movie),"This has to be the most depressing movie you have ever seen. I knew he wasn't getting out."My wife was right in finding the film to be predictable in that respect. Now, I know I should have followed the sage advice of the Sidney Deane character (played by Wesley Snipes) in "White Man Can't Jump" when he tells Billy Hoyle (Woody Harrelson):"Billy, I have four words for you: 'Listen to the Woman'".Actually, there is a curious parallel between the two movies in that a loser struggles against his fate, almost surmounts his tragic flaw, and winds up in the end...losing. (Both losers are gamblers! Gamblers Anonymous take note--your services are needed.) At least in "White Man Can't Jump" the loser is not handing over the White House and the US President to a gang of terrorists/mercenaries which will lead to the inevitable fall of the US government. But why would the Secret Service entrust the most important secret of the government to a gambler loser? When you're the Secret Service, surely you have the means to discover that your most important agent has a gambling addiction, not to mention that his wife has been paid by mercenary terrorists... Come on!I was finally reminded of Cecil B. DeMille's classic 1949 film, "Samson and Delilah." Crucial point: The woman he loved betrays him, causing his inevitable downfall. The difference is that Samson commits a final heroic act. He regains his strength and, with no hope of escape, buries his enemies with him under a pile of rubble. (The ending of Samson and Delilah is not for the claustrophobic either). In "Brake" the main character is puny and weak--a loser--the villains are strong, powerful, and hold all the aces. So, in "Brake", evil triumphs over good (the premise of most horror stories), but it's the winning over insurmountable odds that provides the "feel good" to action movies. It's like, IF at the end of "Die Hard" the hero John McClane (played by Bruce Willis) gets thrown off the building by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) and falls to his death in a 70 foot drop--instead of the other way around. At least there won't be a "Brake 2." (Thank God!)

This was a surprising film in the sense that it was one that I had not heard of but came across on a movie channel. I began watching it and was hooked within minutes. Considering it was just one actor in a very restricted space, this movie held my attention throughout. I would say however that this was to do with the acting of the very under-rated Stephen Dorff rather than the particular plot. In regards to the plot, it was one of those 'could have been great' rather than was great as it was predictable in the sense that the holes were too obvious to conceal the ending. This was a disappointment as with a few subtle changes this could have been a fantastic movie. I am pleased however that I finally saw Dorff in a role where he actually gets the chance to showcase his acting abilities. I would recommend this film but it is not one I would watch again.

This distinguishable idea was used before and that is why the wow! effect is smaller; the backgrounds are different, but there are lots of similar features: mobile phone calls, hope vs. despair via events outside, new sudden twists, the fate of the leading character etc. However, Stephen Dorff is stronger and more versatile actor than Ryan Reynolds.I have heard that many did not like the ending scenes - but I did not mind; in my opinion, it would have been more shallow if the pre-ending scenes had taken the form of the final solution. However, it remained unclear to me who was involved with whom etc.A catchy thriller if you like movies with solo performances in a limited space.