WFG RATING: A-

A Rising Tiger Films production. Directed, written, and edited by Leroy Nguyen. Produced by Leroy Nguyen and Kizzle. Cinematography by Alex Au.

Stars Leory Nguyen, Samuel Joon Lee, Jackie SJ Kim, Travis Davis, Gene Rush, and Alex Au.

Three childhood friends’ lives are turned upside down in this action-packed drama from indie filmmaker Leroy Nguyen.

At one point of their lives, Sonny, Winston, and James were inseparable. However, as time went on, they have taken different paths to life. Sonny served a six-month prison sentence after working as a low-level hoodlum. Upon his release, he learns James’ martial arts school is not doing well and he owes a major debt. He soon learns the one he must pay is none other than Winston.

Tensions begin to grow between James and Winston. For James, it means his once strong bond with Winston is at risk of being irrecoverably broken. For Winston, it’s all about business. Sonny attempts numerous times to ease the tension and find a peaceful solution for the three to stick to their one-time friendship. However, Winston brings in a new enforcer from a local mob gang to ensure James pays the debt and now, Sonny finds himself choosing between the two friends.

You must hand it to filmmaker Leroy Nguyen, who attempts not to just make a film with martial arts in it but brings a story that leads to the action. In this case, his character of Sonny ends up serving as a middleman between his two childhood friends.  We see through flashback footage in the form of a VHS style video how strong their bond once was.

Samuel Joon Lee is quite good as James, the martial arts teacher who is struggling so bad that his attempts to keep things afloat are futile. It gets to a point where it even begins to affect the relationship not only with his friends, but that with his sister Liz, played by Jackie SJ Kim. As for Travis Davis, he tries to be the nice guy but, in his mind, time is money and brings a sense of viciousness as Winston, the loan shark who expects James to pay back the money for the school.

There is a dark horse in the form of Tony Mo, a street enforcer known for his unarmed skills. Played by cinematographer Alex Au, we see Tony decked out in street gear, a hat, and a mask. However, when necessary, Tony will unleash his fury on those who get in his way. He becomes Winston’s muscle when James keeps being unable to pay the debt and thus, must be taught a lesson even if it means breaking the once formidable bond of friendship.

Nguyen, along with Lee and Davis, served as the action team on the film and the fights look pretty good. Utilizing a style of fighting akin to kickboxing, a little MMA, and even some great use of the environment, the three leads along with Au, Kim, and Gene Rush (as Winston’s second enforcer) have quite a final action set piece full of realistic combat and stunts that end in a finale that is quite unexpected.

The Brokenhearted is quite a tale of a once strong bond broken by greed and determination with Nguyen showing his abilities both behind and in front of the camera as the one who finds himself attempting to be the peacemaker only to be forced into a decision he may or may not regret later. Some good action scenes along with a pretty good story makes this indie martial arts drama to checkout.