Shattered Review: Not Even John Malkovich Can Save Predictable Thriller
Over the past few years, most erotic thrillers have faired poorly among critics and audiences, the predominant reasons being the lack of a compelling storyline, misaligned elements, and the regurgitation of tropes that have been done to death. Luis Prieto’s Shattered does not attempt to instill plausibility or ingenuity into its plot, ending up with an overly-long film that fails the core elements of its genre in that it's neither erotic or thrilling. Shattered is a poorly-acted home invasion tale with laughably predictable twists, amping thorough frustration in viewers by dragging on to no end.
Shattered opens with aloof mobile tech millionaire Chris Decker (Cameron Monaghan), who has just undergone a divorce and lives apart from his wife and child, for reasons undisclosed. After his wife urges him to move on, Chris encounters model Sky (Lilly Krug) during an after-hours grocery shopping outing, who does not want to return home and deal with her “crazy” roommate. Chris offers Sky to come home with him — which seems hugely out of character, as the film vehemently establishes how paranoid he is about home security and strangers in his space — and she accepts. The two bond on a superficial level, followed by a one-night stand before Sky leaves the following morning. Intrigued by her, Chris surprises Sky at work and asks her out on a date. However, there is trouble in paradise when a mugger shatters Chris’ leg that same night, while Sky is with him, and the latter immediately takes on the role of nurse/caretaker.
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The manner in which these events unravel makes it painfully obvious that Chris’ injury was an orchestrated move by Sky, and that she harbors malevolent
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