Reminiscent of Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon, Breaking (formerly titled 892) revolves around an attempted bank “heist” with atypical motivations behind it. Based on a true story from 2017, John Boyega plays an ex-marine who walks into an Atlanta area bank and informing the staff that he has a bomb. While nearly all of the drama unfolds within the bank, the story’s resonance comes from the revelations of the reason behind his attempted robbery. Michael K. Williams is excellent in his final on screen appearance. His role feels unfortunately limited, though, as his character never seems to have an impact on the story in any kind of meaningful way. Even if you don’t know the true story behind the film, there…

"What do I need to do to get the attention I need right now?!?"

Breaking is based on a true story about Brian Brown-Easley, a lance corporal marine who survived two highly hostile tours (Iraq & Kuwait) only to be pushed to his breaking point by the deadly pestilence of systemic neglect on the home front.

Brian is a victim of one of many bureaucratic disgraces that threaten [the coveted facade of] American Democracy, & stories like his rarely get the spotlight. This movie is about the day that Brian Brown-Easley set out to change that.

This utterly impassioned premise & the powerhouse performances are undeniably A+, & the standouts of this production. It's unclear if this was one of or THE last performance…

Sundance 2022 — Film #1

First film and premiere of Sundance 2022! A thriller about a veteran’s search for support and redemption, 892 touches on mental health and PTSD, but unfortunately, it never does anything more than touch on these issues. Over the course of its runtime, the film is unable to choose a perspective to tell the story from—it begins from Brian Easley’a point of view, but as the narrative progresses, the film’s happenings are viewed through many different pairs of eyes: those of the bank employees he’s holding hostage, those of the police stationed outside, those of the journalists following the story, and those of his child and ex-wife. As a result, 892 stays at the surface and never manages to…

I first checked the time around twenty minutes in. I didn’t stop checking until there was thirty minutes left. It’s a neat story I guess but the plot is set up for you to cry. A bunch of supposedly moving scenes which a bunch of characters we barely know. This movie doesn’t really do character development—it’s not a spoiler to tell you the movie never really goes into actual thought behind the decision to hold up the bank. It just happens. Movie definitely reeks of wanting to give something ‘awareness’ with no idea how to solve it whatsoever. 

John Boyega is great if but a bit stifled by the extremely cliche and 2010s feeling script. Nicole Beharie is also excellent…

👍🏻72%
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A Marine war veteran faces mental and emotional challenges when he tries to reintegrate back into civilian life.

Sundance 2022 | Movie #9 (Final Film)

This one would have played so well on streaming, but Bleecker Street bought the rights, so I’m sure it will disappear quietly into the night. Regardless, the talk surrounding this film will be centered around John Boyega and his incredible performance. Boyega proves here that he can hold his own as the lead of a film, even with some stiff competition from Michael Kenneth Williams in a supporting role. Boyega’s Brian is on a mission to accomplish something here, but…