Tod im Spiegel

A suspenseful movie about a horrible car accident in which a couple : Tom Berenguer, Greta Scacchi are seriously wounded. The husband : Tom Berenger is totally disfigured and is undergone a risked operation to remake his face. Once he's healed he suffers amnesia and doesn't remember his past, exception for brief visons of strange incidents from his previous existence. That's why he hires a Private Inspector : Bob Hoskins to find out causes of the car crash, resulting in a surprising conclusion.

Exciting thrller with suspense, intrigue, twists and turns. It is an Hitchockian thriller with several plot twists, red herrings and predictable final. We're extremely interested in the twisted events and the main question is to solve what really happened at the fateful day of the terrible accident and about a surprising killing. Main starring Tom Berenguer and Greta Scacchi give acceptable interpretations, furthermore they perform some strong and hot love scenes . They are well accompanied by a good support cast such as Joanna Whalley Kilmer, Corbin Bernsen, Theodore Bikel, Bob Hoskins, among others.

It displays an attractive and thrilling musical score by Alan Silvestri. As well as adequate and atmospheric cinematography by Laszlo Kovacs. The motion picture was well directed by Wolfgang Petersen. This good director from his first big success, : Das Boot has made several blockbusters and big hits such as The Neverending story, Enemy mine, Open Fire, Outbreak, Air Force One, Troy, though Poseidon was a real flop. Rating : 6.5/10 .The flick will appeal to Tom Berenguer fans.

Dan Merrick (Tom Berenger) and his wife Judith (Greta Scacchi) are involved in a car wreck that leaves Judith with only a scratch but Dan in critical condition that involves restructuring his face to look as much as possible like the old face. Dan has one other serious problem, the shock has left him with amnesia. He tries to put his life back together with the help of his wife but nothing seems real. In trying to piece together his former existence, he tracks down all types of hunches and leads that take him nowhere. Then one day he comes across a strange bill for $7,000 from a pet shop. When he investigates further he discovers that the pet shop owner, Gus Klein (Bob Hoskins), moonlights as a private eye. Gus tells him all kinds of strange happenings including a story about his wife's lover. He also learns that his business partner's wife Jenny Scott (Joanne Whalley) is much closer to him than he wants her to be. As Gus and Dan search for clues, they find more than either one bargained for. The ending is a grabber. The viewer won't be disappointed.

Director Wolfgang Petersen of "Das Boot" fame directs with a flair for action and suspense. There is a wild car chase toward the end of the movie that really delivers the goods. Though Petersen's film (which he wrote based on a novel) may not exactly be film noir, it shares several elements in common with that genre including two femme fatales. There is also symbolic use of natural forces such as the pounding of the waves against the shore to enhance portions of the script, which may or may not have been inspired by the 1942 film noir picture "Street of Chance."

All the acting is above average, but the standout performance is by Bob Hoskins as the PI who loves animals. There are also bits of humor from a pet shop employee, Sadie (Jedda Jones), over the phone when called asking for Gus.

The feel of this film rings of a late 1970's early 1980's action-drama TV show, like "Hart to Hart", "Charlie's Angels", or even "Dallas", particularly because of the location shots and the music. The scenes alternate between million-dollar mansions, ritzy hotels, billion-dollar corporations, and rural locales. And the lush strings always emerge when the characters are driving through some mountainous areas. I kept thinking that Jaclyn Smith would turn up at any moment.

The opening premise is quite a stretch: Tom Berenger as Dan Merrick survives after having plunged about 6000 feet off the road in his car. It's a miracle that his legs didn't end up in the glove compartment. Despite being more or less still intact, Merrick's face has been crushed into hamburger, and he can't remember who he is or what happened to him after he awakens from a coma. His wife Judith (Greta Scacchi) is only a little scratched up after the ordeal. She nurses him back to health and tries to help put the puzzle pieces back into his "shattered" memory.

He finds out he's a rich commercial real estate developer with a house with its own zip code. His office at the TransAmerica building in San Francisco is bigger than the average person's apartment. And he has a beautiful secretary who must have just finished a stint as a cover model for Vogue. And his colleague is the kind of guy who uses the old "two shooter" gesture while saying "We'll do lunch." That would be a nightmare!

But other pieces do not come together so easily, like why, before the accident, did he hire a private investigator (Bob Hoskins) who fronts as a pet store owner? And why did this guy's invoice end up at the development company? At one point, he thought he had bought $7000 worth of pets! (With that kind of money he could have gotten the equivalent of Magnum PI.)

The film becomes a kind of noir mystery in which Merrick tries to put the pieces of his life back into perspective all the while trying to figure who he can trust. Although some of the writing and circumstances were a little hard to swallow, the movie sort of gets better as it goes along. And a great performance by Berenger holds the story together more or less. At every moment, despite its short-comings, you want to find out what happens next. And a dynamite ending that is worth the wait and the price of admission, $5 for the DVD at Fry's.

With a maze of plot twists and surprises, "Shattered" is one heck of a guesser.

The plot follows Dan Merrick (Tom Berenger) after a horrifying car accident. He suffers from amnesia, and must piece his life together post-accident. As he learns more and more about his past, his life spins out of control, leaving the most horrifying revelation for the end.

"Shattered" is carefully constructed and directed by Wolfgang Peterson. His cast really brings this one together, with great performances by Berenger and Bob Hoskins. It is simply impossible to guess the events in this film as you are watching it, and it is best to go into it knowing as little as possible.

"Shattered" is an excellent effort and film that has been wrongly ignored over the years since its release. This is a great rental for a cold and rainy Saturday night.

Grade: A

Petersen's skillful direction and a cleverly constructed script combine to make this a thoroughly entertaining and absorbing thriller. On the first viewing, you're likely to dismiss the shocking and unpredictable ending as "far-fetched" and "unbelievable" (at least that's what I did), but see it again and you'll realize that the story DOES stand up to scrutiny; there are no scenes that cheat the viewer here. Bob Hoskins steals the show as the likable private detective. And overall, this a movie worth seeing. (**1/2)