Brokedown Palace

Brokedown Palace follows two American friends, Alice Marano and Darlene Davis, who travel to Thailand after finishing high school. There they meet a charismatic Australian named Nick Parks, and Darlene in particular is drawn to him. He persuades the pair to take a short trip to Hong Kong. At the airport, police stop the two women and find heroin in one of their bags, turning their holiday into a legal nightmare in which they face a long prison sentence. Back in the United States, a lawyer working in Thailand takes up their case.

The film was directed by Jonathan Kaplan, his ninth feature and the one that followed Bad Girls in 1994. David Arata wrote the screenplay, and Adam Fields and Lope V. Juban Jr. produced it for 20th Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures and related production companies. Claire Danes plays Alice and Kate Beckinsale plays Darlene, with Bill Pullman as Hank Greene, Jacqueline Kim as Yon Greene, Lou Diamond Phillips as Roy Knox and Daniel Lapaine as Nick Parks. The credited cast numbers 28 and the crew 108.

Released in August 1999, the film runs 100 minutes and mixes drama, mystery and thriller elements. Made for about 25 million dollars, it took roughly 10 million dollars worldwide, a modest return. Audiences give it moderate marks: 6.4 out of 10 on IMDb from around 25,000 votes and 6.5 out of 10 on TMDB from over 400 votes, while critics were less favourable at 4.9 out of 10 across 35 reviews.