Butterfly on a Wheel
| Butterfly on a Wheel | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Mike Barker |
| Written by | William Morrissey |
| Produced by | William Vince William Morrissey Pierce Brosnan |
| Starring | Pierce Brosnan Maria Bello Gerard Butler |
| Cinematography | Ashley Rowe |
| Edited by | Guy Bensley Bill Sheppard |
| Music by | Robert Duncan |
Production companies | Irish DreamTime Infinity Features |
| Distributed by | Icon Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 91 minutes |
| Countries | Canada United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
Butterfly on a Wheel (US: Shattered) is a 2007 thriller film directed by Mike Barker, co-produced and written by William Morrissey. A British-Canadian joint production, it stars Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler, and Maria Bello. The film's title is an allusion to a line of Alexander Pope's poem "Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot": "Who breaks a butterfly upon a wheel?" The line is usually interpreted as questioning why someone would put great effort into achieving something minor or unimportant, or who would punish a minor offender with a disproportional punishment.