Breaking

John Boyega even bears a striking resemblance to Denzel Washington while simulating the borrowed mannerisms and speech patterns he performs with great aplomb.

Michael Kenneth Williams shows one last time why his character artistry is so profoundly missed.

Not the first time this story, or one nearly identicle to it has been told, but the underlying theme bears repeating. And until the very apparatus that was created to care for all Americans who served this country can be reasonably adequate in addressing the problems assocated with modern warfare and combat in general, tragedies like this will continue to occur.

Will this movie appeal to everyone? No it won't.

Does this movie contain huge action packed CGI filled scenes? Again, no , it doesn't.

Car chases? Nope. Nudity? Nope.

A huge cast of actors that try and steel the screen from each other? Not one bit.

So what's good about it? Basically everything I just said. This movie relies on what has been missing from a lot of movies recently and thats straight up good acting. A decent script is also present and it is accompanied by a very good music score.

I'd be lying if I said that it is an amazing movie because it isn't but it's certainly above average and way above the majority of what's come out this year.

Based on a tragically unnecessary true event, Breaking is not a feel-good movie. But it also didn't feel like a waste of time, as it shone the spotlight on a long-standing issue with the U. S. government and the far too many times it lets its veterans down, driving many of them to take desperate measures such as suicide, among other things. One of those "other things" is demonstrated in this film as it tells the story of the 2017 bank hostage event carried out by a former Marine Corps veteran, Brian Brown-Easley, who is in financial trouble (due to the VA not carrying through with assistance) and decides to rob a bank. But it's not a typical bank robbery. He just wants the VA to deliver to him what they owe. You can imagine the rest of the story. This is equal parts infuriating and heartbreaking. John Boyega pulls off a solid performance here, as always, and it was bittersweet to see Michael Kenneth Williams in what was one of his final roles. Recommended.

Beware: this is NOT an action movie, but a slowburning actor's DRAMA.

The story: An American war veteran (John Boyega) isnt paid the 892 dollars he is entitled to. Desperate for money and suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, he looses his mind and takes hostages at a bank in order to pressure the government to pay him the 892 dollars. And NOT a single dollar more!

Does this story sound too crazy to be true, think again, because this has actually happened for real! We get to hear the real 911 call from the real hostage taker at the very end of the movie during the credits.

This movie is on an entirely different level. I havent been taken a back like this by a movie for a long time...

First of all I must applaud the terrific acting performances by ALL of the actors involved.

John Boyega is probably best known for his comical Star Wars movie role, but in this movie he proofs he can really ACT well in a serious, hardhitting drama.

The direction of this movie is non stop suspenseful from start till finish. I literally sat on the edge of my seat, during the final half hour of this devestating story.

Everything from photography, to sound, to editing is masterfully done as well.

Beware: Not a movie to be recommended for those who seek cheap action packed entertainment, but a movie to be HIHGLY recommended for those who dont shy away from a devastating, true to life DRAMA, with a bleak and depressing moral message inside...

The most earth shattering drama I have witnessed these last couple of months... THIS is why I love the cinema!

Solid drama based on the true story of an ex-Marine who took over a Georgia bank in 2017 threatening to blow it and a pair employees up with a bomb. The soldier, Brian Brown-Easley, played by John Boyega has been caught up in a dispute with The Veteran's Administration. At wit's end, he decides that making a spectacle will get the attention of the media.

Director and Co-Writer Abi Damaris Corbin sets up the situation in a fairly straightforward manner. The emphasis is clearly on Brown-Easley as the movie methodically shows the hours leading up to the takeover. As the situation escalates, we get more glimpses of his ex-wife and child. The two bank employees provide an element of immediate endangerment. Nicole Beharie is particularly good as the calm but determined manager as is the late Michael K. Williams as the hostage negotiator.

When the movie moves past the immediate hostage situation inside the bank, the script gets a bit more dicey. The point of view and background details get a bit muddled. The acting holds it together, but, a more directed narrative would have tightened the suspense all the more. Brown-Easley's story did all too briefly cast a light on military veterans' plight, but, alas, the moment passed soon after the situation was finalized.

BREAKING is good calling card for Corbin, and Boyega's performance should lead to more opportunities outside the Star Wars/sci-fi universe.