Breaking In review: James McTeigue directs this thriller with Gabrielle Union from a screenplay from the writer of The Commuter.
Breaking In review by Luke Ryan Baldock.
Breaking In review
Although it has passed us by, Mother’s Day is coming to the US, and therefore it is time to churn out an easy to market film for those who haven’t planned for the special occasion. With the tagline ‘Payback is a Mother’, and a stern looking Gabrielle Union on the poster, this is a fantasy thriller for audiences that like to whoop at the protagonist’s ability to overcome her assailants. The plot is simple, home invaders come to house looking for a safe, take children hostage, and suffer retribution from the mother. It’s simple, it’s effective, and it also lacks a single original thought. Anyone who has seen any films with a similar plot has already experienced this tale and will be able to call it as the opening credits roll. But is that part of the fun?
The film gets going quickly, which is welcomed with its under 90 minutes run time. As the family settle into their new home we have a tour of the surroundings and which items will be used throughout the film. It’s almost as if Chekov walked onto set and started firing left and right. A call from a friend who says she will come round in the evening, a broken glass, and son Glover’s (Seth Carr) drone, all make their presence known and seem to utter the catchphrase of an Austrian action star. This is what films do in general, but the similarly themed Panic Room had the luxury of a master-craftsman such as David Fincher at the helm.
Breaking In review
Breaking In is directed by James McTeigue, and after his well received adaptation of V for Vendetta, the Wachowski protege has failed to match up to his early promise. The direction and suspense is competent, but never nerve shredding nor breathtaking. It matches the beats of previous genre fare, and never subverts expectations. I’d be very surprised if you couldn’t edit this together from existing films.
Union is probably the main standout. A strong and desperate woman, who never seems invulnerable. The fight choreography doesn’t overpower her, avoiding the need for throwaway dialogue explaining her summer at martial arts camp when she was 7. Her successes are down to the incompetence of her aggressors, as much as they are down to her drive. Speaking of the antagonists, you’ve seen them all before. There’s Billy Burke’s Eddie, the leader who intimidates due to his calmness, Sam (Levi Meaden), the younger one with more of a moral compass, and Duncan (Richard Cabral), a despicable, rapey, tattooed killer. Quite how these teams ever assemble and think their personalities will benefit anything other than a B-movie thriller is beyond me.
Breaking In review
Breaking In is what it is. You know what it is. You’re attending to enjoy a woman outsmart and kick the crap out of those who would threaten her family. However, we should be asking for more. More complex villains, inventive set pieces, or dangerous twists that would make you question how safe the characters are. Some sense of reality would also be welcome in scenes that constantly remind us that the cutting of the security system will alert the police in an arbitrary 90 minutes, only for the events to seem a lot longer than said time. The most impressive part of the film is the casting of Ajiona Alexus as Union’s daughter Jasmine, and mostly because they actually look related. Make sure you at least see it with a loud audience.
[ctt template=”10″ link=”q2WDS” via=”yes” ]Breaking In review[/ctt]
Breaking In review by Luke Ryan Baldock, May 2018.
Breaking In is released in UK cinemas on 11th May 2018.
