Broke Review: Wyatt Russell Delivers His Best Performance So Far in Carlyle Eubank’s Gritty Rodeo Drama
Fresh off Thunderbolts*‘s critically acclaimed mainstream success, Wyatt Russell goes indie in Broke, reportedly a passion project for the actor and a co-producer for the western drama. A movie about the bronc riding sport, Carlyle Eubank’s promising directorial debut doesn’t hit the subject right away from the opening frame, veering off course with a scene of True Brandywine (Wyatt Russell) waking up in the freezing Montana landscape caked in thick snow. He looks haggard, and his weary, bearded appearance immediately reminds me of his dad in The Thing over forty years ago.
Except that Wyatt Russell here is not trapped in the harsh weather with shape-shifting alien parasites lurking around, but rather looking lost. Why he is here in the first place isn’t revealed as the movie wants us to stay invested in True’s journey through Eubank’s flashback-heavy storytelling that connects between the past and present. We learn that True is a bareback bronc rider, and props to Eubank for capturing both the visual intensity and beauty of the rodeo sport as the former tries to hang on to the bucking horse in front of the enthusiastic crowds.
His rodeo career comes with a price, notably his flagging physical health status, as he tends to throw up and suffers from headaches. He relies heavily on popping pills to get by. Back home, his dad, George (a perfectly grizzled Dennis Quaid), used to be a bronc rider himself but has now retired. He doesn’t feel particularly supportive of his son’s career in rodeo since he hardly sees a promising future in it. He worries about his son’s career and financial stability — something that True has grown tired of his dad’s constant nagging about his life choice.
True also loves to doodle on paper and napkins, showcasing his artistic talent that his mother (Mary McDonnell) even displays on the fridge. But True just sketches them as a hobby rather than trying to make money out of it. He has a younger brother named Caleb (Johnny Berchtold), who loves to play video games and read books about zombies. Despite their differences in terms of interest, Eubank does a good job establishing the sibling dynamics between Russell and Berchtold, even when their scenes spending time together are limited to a few scenes.
Broke equally finds time for True, getting involved in a meet-cute romance with a beautiful blonde girl named Ali (a lovely Auden Thornton). The introduction of her character thankfully isn’t a mere love interest, thanks to her immediate chemistry with Russell’s True and how their course of relationship is effectively developed throughout the movie.
The underlying story about a man’s struggle navigating through his journey of life, love and career is nothing new. It’s a familiar path that we have seen in countless movies — rodeo sport or not — in the past, but what elevates Broke as an above-average effort is Russell’s committed performance. He’s giving his all, inhabiting the role of a persistent bronc rider who remains dedicated to the rodeo sport, despite his disagreeable dad not sharing his sentiment.
His sustained injury threatens to ruin his rodeo career may have impacted him personally and professionally. And yet, he never gives up, but Eubank’s screenplay also raises tough questions about how far one can go if it’s nearing the dead end and the only way out is embracing the inevitable change. This brings us to the present-day situation, which is eventually answered as the story progresses.
While Wyatt Russell’s breakthrough role came after he portrayed the John Walker/U.S. Agent role in the Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, before his character got a big screen treatment in Thunderbolts*, Broke takes his acting prowess to the next level. It was easily his best performance I’ve seen so far. Not to forget, Carlyle Eubank, and if his surname sounds familiar, that’s because he’s the brother of William of 2014’s The Signal fame, in which he also co-wrote the screenplay.
