User reviews

I do like whenever we get a home invasion/survival type film so I was kind of looking forward to Breaking In. The trailer didn't really look that great but I was hoping for an enjoyable time. Add the fact that this film was directed by the same guy who made V For Vendetta and you would expect something good. Unfortunately, this film is actually quite bad on a few levels. There was certainly a better way to go about this film and although the film's premise is simple the writer and director involved missed the opportunity with their execution.

The film is about a mother and her two children who drive up to her recently deceased father's house. His house is in a fairly remote area and once there they realize that they are in the way of four criminals who want to rob the fortune in the house. The mother's kids are locked in with the men, while she is outside and must find her way in to save her children from danger. The men definitely underestimate her ability to go the distance to save her family.

Gabrielle Union is an often reliable actress who gives a solid performance in this film. She has no real fault in this and is believable as a mother who has to save her kids. Everything else is bad. We don't really know anything about the strained relationship between Union's character and her father. What went on with them? What was his connection the the robbers? Nothing is explained well and things are left badly vague. The film is short (88 minutes) yet some scenes move at a complete snails pace. We see characters just walk around and look at things for minutes on end.

The film could have even used thrilling moments but doesn't utilize that either. The villains are cookie cutter and despite the premise of the film there seems to be nothing at stake. Its a really disappointing effort all around. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece but the stale and underwritten plot really dampens a film that should have been much better. This film is a bummer that wasn't really worth the time. I do want to see Union at the center of better projects though.

5/10

I wasnt expecting too much from this flick. I went ahead and watched it because I'm a huge Gabrielle Union fan.

I was impressed with how there were small details about the aesthetic of the film that captured my interest. The small mundane font that was used for the opening credits made it have an indie film feel, which immeadiatley caught my eye. As the film went on, I could see how the dialogue was slightly disjointed but got to the point in a timely way. Union's performance was pretty awesome, just because she has such a command of the screen. She really personified that emblem of a mother trying to protect her babies. The writing of the film wasn't the best. That did get mildly in the way of the overall effect the film could've had. In short it was an enjoyable thriller/action flick.

I was really hoping for a good movie, but it was the typical home invasion type of movie, and as always, the intruders were not the brightest.

I wouldn't say it's a terrible movie, as there are some good moments to it, but sadly also a lot of bad.

One thing i noticed the most about it, is, Ajiona Alexus (Jasmine), almost the only line she had through out the movie (Which was a lot, i totally lost count) was how many times she kept saying "Mom", i've never seen anything so simple before, and boring at the same time...

Sadly i think it could have been a good movie, it was just a very predictable experience, and i've seen so many of these home invasion movies, and this one was just like 99% of the others!

I couldn't give myself to give it a 5 / 10 stars, but i was mildly entertained at points.

Would i recommend it? Well that sure depends on your taste, doesn't it? If you like most other home invasion movies, with a house that has a crazy security system, total surveillance, hidden safe, then yeah, go for it, then i'm sure you will like this one too... But, if you've already seen a ton of such movies, then this one will probably not be anythiing that will give you any surprises.

Even though this movie was predictable, because there are a million movies with the story line of a desperate mother willing to go great lengths for her children, I really liked it. It had a lot of action throughout the entire movie. So it kept my attention!

The first sign of cheap in a movie is filler of a long car drive to open up, and filmed from various angles. Second, another home invasion w/female & kids (so overdone). The usual lots of bad decisions to prolong the agony, and fill film time. Predictable female vacillates between being weak and being superwoman. Predictable baddies get what's coming to them in sequence, and predictably one resurfaces as not dead yet. Predictably visitors come to the door, and of course meet the intruders - bad idea. Really predictable they can run into the woods where being found would be nearly impossible, but instead they head for the car where, predictably, they fumble for keys and car won't start. Zzzzzz. On a positive note, the red food coloring corn syrup for blood made me hungry.

This movie hits to every mother's nightmare. For her children to be taken from her. Shaun Russell goes to her father's house with her children. In the course of events she is caught up in a home invasion. Things go from bad to worse as her children get trapped inside with the bad guys. It becomes a battle of wits and determination. This suspenseful movie has lots of twist and turns. A good action pack adventure that reminds you, don't mess with mama.

I have no idea who wrote this script but they need to take a few classes. Dialing 911 will not show up in your call log. For the reason shown in the film. Why did her husband show up at the exact wrong time and not call the police when he saw blood?

Home invasions are nothing new. This sets our protagonist outside the house though, which is not common. The movie itself tries to keep it as real as possible, but sometimes seems uneven when it comes to character behaviour. Then again if they behave just like a one way street it seems to easy to paper thin. So while this overall may seem flawed (I'd argue it is), it still has some nice moments to it.

Suspend your disbelief and let yourself emerge and just feel what the characters go through. The good ones that is. If you do that, you can be entertained to a degree. So while uncommon on one side, not really anything new overall.

The movie about someone saving their family members has been done to death? So has every other subject. It's the storyline, script, and execution that make this good.

The movie is straight to the point. The violence in this movie is relevant to the storyline, and not excessive. Shaun's (Gabrielle Union) main goal is getting her kids out of the house. She tries to reason with them. Tells them they can have the money: she doesn't care. Just so long as they let Glover and Jaz out of the house. Violence is used only as a last resort.

I find the best movies are the ones where you can connect/empathize with even the bad guys, as you can with Sam's character in this movie. He's a thief, a criminal, but he's not a murderer. He at least had some intention of doing the right thing in the movie.

Ajiona Alexus is a great actress. She nails the role of a teenage girl. I also saw her in Tyler Perry's Acrimony, where she played a different type of character, and nailed that role, so she's not one of those typecast actresses who can only play one role. I hope to see her in more movies.

I've definitely seen worse movies, there are better home invasion films too, but come on this is mediocre even though there are plot holes for sure, like we don't know much about Gabrielle Union/Shaun Russell's father or about her training, and the 4 guys could've planned a little better. Either way it's quite entertaining for what it is. It's also unfortunate it's because it's by such a great director James Mcteigue. I'm glad I was able to watch it free on HBO GO. If you wanna see a better invasion flick check out You're Next or Don't Breathe those are written better with great chills. For now though at least give this a chance it's decent.

The stage curtains open ...

I was wondering what my next "boo worthy" movie was going to be, and I honestly didn't expect this to be it. What started out as mildly interesting and cookie cutter, turned out to be laughable and preposterous. Yeah, it was pretty bad.

When Shaun (Gabrielle Union) and her two kids head out to her recently deceased father's house to get it prepared for her real estate agent to sell, little did she know the harrowing events they would have to endure at the hands of four very determined burglars who break in. Shaun is battling her own demons upon returning to a house she felt trapped in as a child growing up, but when her own two kids are held hostage by money lusting thugs, she does everything in her power to get back inside the house to save them.

Okay ... so first off - how in the world is this movie not Rated R? I've never heard so many F-bombs dropped in a film, not to mention all the other expletives! This was not a PG-13 movie - definitely not appropriate for teenagers. The MPAA dropped the ball on this one. The acting was terrible. The situations nowhere near plausible. The timeline is skewed. And the film culminates with Gabrielle Union sneaking around on the rooftop, fighting with the bad guys and confronting them at the end like Whoopi Goldberg on steroids. I actually laughed in parts (ie - the thieves don't know where the safe is, but they know exactly where the breaker box is...LOL). This was just awful. Maybe, the worst home invasion movie I've ever seen.

This is not a recommend. In fact, if I recommend anything to do with "Breaking In", it would be to pass. There are so many other movies, even bad ones, that merit your attention more than this piece of junk.

"Breaking In" (PG-13, 1:28) is a thriller directed by James McTeigue ("Survivor", "Ninja Assassin", "V for Vendetta") and written by Ryan Engle ("Rampage", "The Commuter", "Non-Stop"). It stars Gabrielle Union as a mother who risks life and limb to protect her children under extraordinary circumstances.

Shaun Russell (Union) is a married mother of two kids, a teenager named Jasmine (Ajiona Russell), and a younger son named Glover (Seth Carr). Shortly after the mysterious death of her wealthy estranged father, Shaun has to drive to his estate (which is where she grew up) to prepare it for sale. Her husband (Jason George) can't get away for the weekend, so it's just Shaun and the kids on a road trip to the country. The only other person Shaun plans on seeing that weekend is her realtor (Christa Miller), who's bringing Shaun paperwork for her to sign. But the weekend ends up including some... uninvited guests.

So, this little family settles in, Jasmine retreating to a bedroom to listen to her music and spend quality time on her phone, Glover to play around with the home's sophisticated electronic controls and then fly his little camera drone around the house, and Shaun calling in town to order some pizza. But before she can finish that call, some bad men suddenly appear in the house, grab the kids and try to grab her.

Four ex-cons, an ex-military guy (Mark Furze), a less-than-dependable wannabe thug (Levi Meaden), a psycho gang-banger (Richard Cabral) and their controlled but ruthless leader (Billy Burke), didn't think anyone was going to be at the house, but they still want what they came for - to find a safe that supposedly contains millions of dollars. Shaun finds herself locked out of the house, while the bad guys are inside threatening her children. She needs every ounce of strength, smarts and resourcefulness to make sure her kids (and she herself) survive the night. As the movie poster says, "Revenge is a Mother".

"Breaking In" is a fairly predictable, but above-average thriller. The film's advertising pretty much tells us what to expect, but Burke makes a pretty mean villain and Union makes for one tough mother. The action starts refreshingly early and really never lets up. The movie is intricately plotted, with plenty of twists (even if we do see many of them coming). This is a thriller which is actually thrilling - and entertaining. "B+"

I sat down to watch the 2018 movie "Breaking In" without knowing anything about it. I was given the chance to watch it, and given my love for movies, of course I said yes.

Turned out that director James McTeigue actually turned out a rather enjoyable film from writers Ryan Engle and Jaime Primak Sullivan. I must admit that I was thoroughly entertained throughout the course of the entire movie, and there wasn't really a dull moment.

The movie starts out nice and quickly takes a turn for a more dreadful incident for the characters in the movie. But for the audience, there is a nice continuous flow to the movie and director James McTeigue really did a phenomenal job at keeping the story flowing and the audience at the edge of their seats.

There was a very classic thriller build-up and execution to the movie, which made me reminisce some movies like "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle". I enjoyed the fact that director James McTeigue managed to make a movie that had such a classic feel to it.

Now, I can't claim to be familiar with Gabrielle Union, but she really performed well in the movie, and she carried the movie and herself quite formidable. Alongside her was Billy Burke as the villain, and he was so well-cast for that role. He always add something unique to the movies that he is in. Nor can I really claim to be familiar with Richard Cabral, but wow was he intense in this movie, despite playing such a despicable character. I was really impressed with his performance in "Breaking In".

This was definitely an enjoyable movie for me, and I am glad that I took the time to watch it, and I can warmly recommend that you sit down and watch it, especially if you enjoy a good old fashioned thriller, filled with atmosphere and suspense.

'Breaking In' is a film that cashes in on the old saying that there's nothing stronger than a mother's love for her children. Caught in an impossible situation, a mother (Gabrielle Union) is forced to not only fight for her life but the life of her children as well. Sounds like a compelling movie, right? Well, the problem is that the threats she is facing include a bleach blonde tweaker and an ex-con who can't quite manage to grow a complete mustache. Needless to say, the mom is the most intimidating character in the entire film.

One of the most underrated principal in good storytelling is that a hero is only as good as their villain. We all love watching someone save the day, but the real icing on the cake is the bad guy. 'Breaking In' stumbles not because it has a bad premise or the leads aren't very good. It's because the bad guys are pretty pathetic. They're lead by Billy Burke, who actually does a pretty good job as the brains of the operation. It's just that his cohorts don't exactly strike terror in the hearts of the audience. Even the psycho, Mexican stereotype who is quick to kill (played by Richard Cabral) hardly makes audiences bat an eye, even though his eyes are pretty crazy. The poor casting and scripting behind these characters sets 'Breaking In' up for failure early on because there will never be a grand moment of overcoming the undefeatable villains.

Luckily, the leads of 'Breaking In' actually do a pretty damn good job. Gabrielle Union manages to create an empathic connection with audiences early one in the film. She's a natural as a mom just trying to get through a tough weekend with two whining kids. Her son (Seth Carr) is a tech geek who can't help annoying his older sister (Ajiona Alexus) who keeps her nose buried in her phone texting boys. In a way these characters are stereotypes, but they never quite cross over into cliche. Instead, the audience is able to identify with them instantly, meaning that the film can get right to the heart of its story without a lot of development. This is both a good and a bad thing in the end.

As good as Union is in 'Breaking In' though, she never gets a chance to seem larger than life. There's no hero's journey for her. No moment where her resolve changes or she gathers herself to do the insane and take on the criminals holding her kids hostage. Her character simply is and that's actually kind of boring. I'm sure that it's meant to demonstrate the kind of courage and resolve that all mothers are supposed to have when it comes to defending their children, but that's just an assumption and the byproduct of weak writing by Ryan Engle (who has had quite a year with 'Commuter' and 'Rampage'). In fact, it shares a lot of similarities with 'Commuter' in its lack of story structure and character development.

Overall, 'Breaking In' isn't much of a thriller because it never raises the stakes, only keeps them consistent. There's very little in the form of escalation, and even when it tries to, director James McTeigue never takes the time to lay out the implications. Not only that, but there's a real lack of visual flair to the film, which is odd considering McTeigue is so well known for it. Alas, this is a far cry from his epic revenge film, 'V for Vendetta.' Instead, it's a lackluster attempt at a home invasion movie that never manages to make audiences too concerned for the main characters' safety. The shots are all quick and never linger to raise suspense. 'Breaking In' feels very much like a rush to the finish line and even the anticlimactic ending isn't long enough to let anything sink in before the credits start to roll.

Unfortunately, 'Breaking In' is just another disappointing attempt at trying to snag an audience with a lackluster mother's day movie. To be perfectly fair, it did exceed my expectations, but considering how much I was dreading this flick, that isn't saying much. It's not a painful movie to watch like so many other action thrillers, but it never makes you feel anything at all. Instead, it just meanders along until the end and audiences are left asking "that's it?". I'm not mad that I saw this movie or even disappointed that I sat through it. Instead, I'm completely apathetic towards 'Breaking In'. I nothing it.

It wasn't the best thriller that I have ever seen. There is scenes that don't entirely leave you hanging at the edge of your seat. It's definitely worth a theater ticket!

Great action. Shows what a mother will do to protect the ones she loves most. Especially her kids.

I like these "strong woman standing up to men" movies as I did enjoy "red eye", enough" or "double jeopardy". It leaves me with a strong positive feeling, ready to deal with things (not that it is important, but I'm a man). Not the high brow, layered food for thoughts kind of movie, I admit. But I had a good time. Nothing wrong with some good entertainment. And although there wasn't a lot of deep insight into the characters, I did see a lot of good acting. Absolutely more than average and worth a view for a night of fun cinema.

It had ever cliche in the book. I Also feel the acting was very mediocre at times from the criminals and they didn't come off as very scary as you'd expect from them. On the plus side it had a good ending and was an easy watch.

Man, where do I even begin with this one... Story has been done to death, family moves somewhere, something bad happens to them, one of the family members fights back and gets revenge. But this is a disgrace to films that did it well. First off, this film follows the formula so exact that it so obviously predictable. Every plot point, every (attempted) scare, every moment of attempted intensity, I saw coming and expected. Nothing kept me interested. I nearly walked out of the theater (I even saw several people leave completely) but I figured I paid for this mess. Might as well finish it. The film was also highly pretentious, it presents itself as pure and compelling cinema but its laughable to see that, as the film is so terrible. There are still so many this that made me shake my head.

The acting was stilted and boring, something you would see in a Transformers movie, or Tyler Perry "film". I did not connect with any character whatsoever, which is bad because in these types of films you need to feel for the in danger family, as well as wanting the main character to get sweet revenge, and I felt none of that. The actors were talking furniture as far as I'm concerned. Not to mentiona all the ridiculous cliches that really turned me off and made me shake my head. I thought Truth or Dare was bad, but this was REALLY BAD. I mean, the only reason I didn't give this a one because the camera work wasn't bad. But even the cinematography was average at best.

Just don't see it....

This description says it all: A woman fights to protect her family during a home invasion. Yup, that's what this is! If that's what you're looking for, as I was, then you'll be happy. If you are looking for more, don't. The first three minutes start with a bang! And then it slows a bit. The head bad guy seems bored, both sides seem to have multiple chances to win, and the plot holes are numerous. But this is what it is, and I enjoyed it! Gabrielle Union does a good job as momma bear, and the look in her eyes when she dispatches Duncan is perfect! She's right when she says, "You broke into the wrong house."