Broke – Film Review

Between this and the very recently released Thunderbolts*, this is shaping up to be quite a fantastic year for actor Wyatt Russell, who had an unfortunately weak year previously. Even though I personally had a lot of fun with Night Swim, it failed to connect with most audiences. But his portrayal of John Walker in the aforementioned MCU blockbuster signifies a huge turn for him as a leading man, and Broke further proves that he’s a great talent to look out for.

Writer-director Carlyle Eubank delivers a meditative and melancholic western drama that trades in the sprawling iconography of cowboy myth for something far more intimate and cerebral. Centering on a former bronc rider named True Brandywine (Russell) whose prime is long behind him, the film explores the fragile intersection of identity, masculinity, injury, and failure. With a poignant performance from Russell and a solid supporting cast led by Dennis Quaid and Mary McDonnell, Broke ultimately stakes its claim as a haunting if uneven meditation on what’s lost when a man’s body fails before his spirit does.

Set in the frigid outskirts of Wyoming during the tail end of rodeo season, Broke quickly establishes its primary conflict—not just man versus nature, but man versus the nature within himself. True Brandywine, once a celebrated name on the bronc riding circuit, now rides with the unspoken fear that every buck could be his last. His body is battered, his mind clouded by signs of possible CTE, and a violent blizzard bearing down on the region only heightens the sense of looming catastrophe. The cold, both literal and figurative, permeates nearly every frame.

Eubank’s direction is sparse and meditative. Much like The Rider by Chloé Zhao, Broke leans into long silences, allowing the empty landscapes and the quiet despair of its characters to speak volumes. Eubank, who previously co-wrote the sci-fi thriller The Signal, shows a surprising restraint here, favoring introspective realism over dramatized narrative turns. The cinematography by Charlie Sarroff deserves particular praise for capturing both the grandeur and desolation of the open plains, often contrasting True’s internal isolation with the external vastness around him.

As mentioned before, Russell’s portrayal of True Brandywine is the film’s anchor. There’s a wounded physicality to his performance that feels lived-in and authentic. He limps, winces, and grimaces through pain not just in his body but in his memories, and Russell wisely doesn’t play the role for overt sympathy. True isn’t always likable—he’s stubborn, emotionally withdrawn, and occasionally harsh—but he is heartbreakingly human. You see the toll years of rodeo riding, physical trauma, and family expectation have taken on him. Russell sure does like to play characters who are extremely flawed, and I think that’s so refreshing to see.

True’s relationship with his father George (Dennis Quaid) adds emotional texture to the film. Quaid, playing against his usual charm, gives George a hard edge—a former rodeo star himself, George is both proud of and bitter toward his son’s faltering career. The generational divide, intensified by unspoken regrets and the toxic notion of what it means to be a “real man,” simmers between them.

If there’s one aspect of Broke that could’ve used some more work, it’s the pacing. In particular, the first act can feel meandering, with multiple scenes lingering too long without deepening the emotional stakes. Some secondary characters—especially fellow rodeo competitors and locals—feel underwritten, existing more as symbolic placeholders than dynamic figures. And while the film’s somber tone is largely effective, it occasionally borders on self-seriousness, missing opportunities for moments of levity or emotional variation.

The dialogue, too, occasionally leans into heavy-handedness. While Eubank crafts some powerful exchanges—especially between True and George—other moments feel overly scripted or thematically obvious, spelling out truths the audience has already intuited.

Broke is a thoughtful and emotionally resonant western drama that succeeds more often than it stumbles. It’s a film deeply interested in what lies beneath the surface of rugged exteriors—be they landscape or personality. Carlyle Eubank proves himself a director with a sensitive eye for character, and Wyatt Russell delivers arguably the most mature performance of his career to date. While the film’s slow burn and heavy tone may not appeal to all viewers, those willing to ride alongside True Brandywine through the storm will find a quiet power in his story of reckoning.

Like its protagonist, Broke may not win the rodeo anymore, but it earns respect by staying in the saddle a little longer than expected.