Neil Breen, the independent American filmmaker and actor, is popular for his peculiar filmmaking. He has written, directed, produced, and starred in six theatrical feature films to date and has garnered a following that likes his low budget but interesting films. Breen usually uses stock footage in his films, and it’s been going on ever since he started producing the films.
The latest movie from Neil Breen, Cade: The Tortured Crossing, was released last year, and it sincerely looks like the 1980s full-motion video (FMV) game because of how much it relies on Shutterstock images for the backdrops. Fans are both awestruck and genuinely curious to figure out how he is able to do it time and time again.
Neil Breen’s Latest Movie Closely Resembles an FMV Game
Breen’s latest film, Cade: The Tortured Crossing, is a sci-fi psychological thriller and was released in February 2023. The film’s story follows an identical twin named Cade, who takes control of a mysterious psychiatric hospital and trains patients to become mystical warriors and save humanity.
This movie was made entirely with the use of Shutterstock images for backgrounds shared by a user on X/Twitter. Whether it’s the interiors of the mental hospital, the courtroom, corporate offices, or the exterior, such as a garden or alley, it’s all stock footage. Most of the things seen in the films are in the stock footage, other than a few items that are important for the scene.
Neil Breen's new movie was made entirely with Shutterstock images for backgrounds.
In short, he's created the best worst-looking 90's FMV game of all time. pic.twitter.com/mf4ODqGhni
— Alex Kain (@tdcpresents) March 28, 2024
All this makes the film look like a FMV game that was popular during the 1980s and 1990s. Full-motion video is one of the most distinctive styles used for video games, where instead of using CGI, animation, sprites, and 3D models for graphics and narration, pre-recorded footage is used in cutscenes or as an alternative for graphics.
The filmmaking style of Neil Breen makes this latest film look weirdly and hilariously close to a full-motion video game due to the use of stock image backgrounds. People are baffled with how Breen pulls it off and why he does it, with one person calling this film “the best, worst-looking 90’s FMV game of all time.”
Reactions to Stock Image Backgrounds in Neil Breen’s Cade: The Tortured Crossing
Some people have reacted to the film Cade: The Tortured Crossing and have called the film “contactless shadows, cinematically baffling!” with one person describing Neil’s whole filmmaking career as filled with baffling choices. Some have also appreciated Neil for his dedication to his passion despite the lack of resources and for doing what he wants and loves to do.
his artistic vision transcends the technical limitations
— Panos Karabelas (@panoskarabelas1) March 28, 2024
One person said that Neil’s “artistic vision transcends the technical limitations,” while another called the film full of “cutscenes” from one of EA‘s canceled Command & Conquer games. Some also inquired about how they could get the movies, with one person saying that they wanted to watch them, but they were “super expensive.”
One person made fun of Neil, saying that the cast of the film is “hilarious” as he plays both of the only named characters in the film, the twins Cade and Cade Altrair. What are your thoughts about Neil’s films? Let us know in the comments.
