Forgotten R-Rated 2019 Thriller With Mind-Blowing Plot Twists is a Hit on Netflix

Summary

• In 2019, a psychological thriller was released on Netflix that everyone quickly forgot about.
• Five years later, users of the service have rediscovered this movie.
• In their opinion, it contains one of the best twists in the history of cinema.

We all love quality plot twists. Whether it's the final revelation in Orson Welles' Citizen Kane, the maddening discovery faced by the protagonist in Oldboy, the terrifying box in David Fincher's Seven, or the sheer shock faced by Nick and the audience in Gone Girl, twists have always been one of the best artistic devices in film and television, providing an opportunity to revisit, analyze, and deepen our understanding of our favorite movies and shows.

But arguably the best genre with the wildest twists has always been the thriller. Luckily, if you're a fan of the genre, one of the best sources for such movies and TV shows is Netflix. From series based on Harlan Coben novels to the cult classic Wild Things, the streaming service can impress even the pickiest of viewers.

And now, Netflix users have pulled from the abyss of oblivion the psychological thriller released on the service in 2019, which, according to viewers, contains one of the most astonishing plot twists of all time.

Let's find out what the movie is about and whether it's worth watching.

What Is This Movie?

If you're looking for something truly mind-blowing, your best bet is probably the films of Brad Anderson, known for the psychological horror Session 9 and the cult psychological thriller The Machinist. In 2019, after premiering at Fantastic Fest, Netflix's library has been updated with his new feature movie, which is also set in the psychological thriller genre.

The movie in question is called Fractured, directed by Alan B. McElroy (Halloween 4, Wrong Turn, The Night Shift). It stars Sam Worthington, Lily Rabe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Adjoa Andoh and Lucy Capri.

The plot begins with a young couple and their daughter returning home after Thanksgiving. However, during one of the stops, the girl, looking for her compact mirror, is startled by a stray dog and accidentally falls into a hole. While trying to help her, the father himself hurts his head, forcing the family to go to the nearest hospital.

When the father wakes up with his forehead stitched up, he is confronted with the fact that his wife and daughter are missing, and the hospital staff seem to deny that anyone else was with him from the beginning. Believing that the doctors have conspired against his family to harvest their organs, the protagonist tries to find out the whereabouts of his loved ones at any cost.

But that's where the crazy plot twist comes in that stunned the audience. Which, of course, we will not name, so as not to spoil the impression of the movie! Suffice it to say that it has to do with the protagonist's distorted perception of reality.

What Are Critics and Audiences Saying About It?

Unfortunately, despite Brad Anderson's pop culture clout and a very talented cast, Fractured failed to impress critics and casual viewers upon its release. On Rotten Tomatoes, for example, it has a 53% approval rating from audiences and a slightly higher 57% from critics.

The unreliable narrator is already a very hackneyed trope in filmmaking, so in order for the plot not to be clichéd, the writers really have to try to make such a trope feel fresh. Unfortunately, in the case of Fractured, according to many reviewers, they failed to do so, as the plot turned out to be rather predictable.

And yet, according to some, this Netflix original thriller turned out to be a pretty good whodunit story, full of brutality and suspense. So, if you are a fan of great plot twists, we definitely recommend you to watch Fractured.