• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Movie Review – Shattered (2022)

June 13, 2024 by Robert Kojder

Shattered, 2022.

Directed by Luis Prieto.
Starring Cameron Monaghan, Lilly Krug, Frank Grillo, Sasha Luss, Ash Santos, Ridely Asha Bateman, Dat Phan, James C. Burns, and John Malkovich.

SYNOPSIS:

As lonely tech millionaire Chris encounters charming  Sky, passion grows between them. When he’s injured, she quickly steps in as his nurse, but Sky’s odd behavior makes Chris suspect that she has more sinister intentions.

Shattered features Cameron Monaghan as a mobile app guru who made a fortune selling rights to one centered on home security. It’s also brought up that this fascination with home security is connected to a dodgy upbringing, but that’s about as far as director Luis Prieto and screenwriter David Loughery go when it comes to layering anything going on in this clichéd and formulaic erotic thriller.

Shattered is first and foremost schlock, sometimes entertaining while building to a reasonably engaging middle act before sinking itself by introducing more characters and dragging itself on longer than it should.

Cameron Monaghan’s Chris Decker is freshly divorced and a bit bored and lonely. While grocery shopping past midnight, he encounters a former model named Sky (Lilly Krug) who doesn’t want to return to the motel dealing with her aggressive roommate. She comes over to his house, they have a bonding session that culminates with some sexual intimacy, and needless to say, he begins to get attached.

Following another date of sorts, Chris is attacked while walking to the car and left with a shattered leg. Let’s just say it’s a little too suspicious how quickly and willing Sky is to become Chris’ personal caretaker.

The key to momentarily grabbing and maintaining attention comes from the script’s good sense not to hold onto the obvious plot twist until the ending, choosing to make the revelation early on. With that out of the way, there are potentially endless directions to go next.

To the filmmakers’ credit, they do have some wild card motivations for a hilariously perverted landlord played by John Malkovich. And while I do enjoy just about any Frank Grillo appearance, his character arrives not only to reinforce how cliché all of this is but adds nothing to the story while taking away from a juicy psychopathic turn from newcomer Lilly Krug.

Shattered works best when it’s a tense free-for-all regarding the riches inside the luxurious home, doubling as the torture porn love child of Misery and Me Before You. Unfortunately, some characters burst onto the scene trying to make a sociopolitical point that not only doesn’t belong in a movie that so evidently isn’t suited for topical commentary, but even has another character respond to spare him that bullshit.

If only Shattered was leaner and meaner with a greater understanding of where its twisted joy comes from rather than crippling itself just as it’s starting to pick up. Ironically, its greatest crime is giving Sky another partner in crime when Lilly Krug is chewing up the scenery fine by herself.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

 

Filed Under: Movies, Reviews, Robert Kojder Tagged With: Ash Santos, Cameron Monaghan, Dat Phan, Frank Grillo, James C. Burns, John Malkovich, Lilly Krug, Luis Prieto, Ridely Asha Bateman, Sasha Luss, Shattered

About Robert Kojder

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor.

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

The Essential Richard Norton Movies

Ten Action Sequels The World Needs To See

The Must-See Movies of 2015

All This Has Happened Before: Remembering Battlestar Galactica

10 Great Forgotten Gems of the 1980s

The Best UK Video Nasties Of All Time

7 Mad Movie Doctors Who Deserve More Recognition

7 Underrated World War II Romance Movies

10 Great Forgotten Movie Gems Worth Seeking Out

Ten Essential Films of the 1950s

Top Stories:

Harry Potter TV series begins production, shares first look at Harry and Hagrid

Movie Review – Eddington (2025)

Comic Book Review – Star Trek: Red Shirts #1

Movie Review – Saint Clare (2025)

18 Incredible 21st Century Films You May Have Missed

Feel the Heat: 10 Uncomfortably Hot and Sweaty Films

10 Great 1980s Sci-Fi Adventure Movies

James Gunn’s Superman soars with $217 million worldwide box office opening

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

The Most Shocking Movies of the 1970s

What If? Five Marvel Movies That Were Almost Made

Action Movies Blessed with Stunning Cinematography

Ten Essential Films of the 1940s

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket