Director: James McTeigue
Cast:Â Gabrielle Union, Billy Burke, Richard Cabral, Ajiona Alexus, Levi Meaden, Seth Carr
Rating: 15
Running time: 88 minsÂ
Release date:Â 11/05/2018
The juggernaut of strong female lead characters continues to grow and move forward in these enlightened times with the new Universal release BREAKING IN.
If you are a fan of the likes of psychological home dramas like PACIFIC HEIGHTS with Michael Keaton and especially STRAW DOGS in both original and remake versions, then this one will turn the right key in the right door for you.
Co-produced by Craig Perry, the man behind the likes of AMERICAN PIE and the FINAL DESTINATION blockbusters, with lead actress Gabrielle Union, BREAKING IN is the tale of single other Shaun Russell (Union) who, with her two children in tow, has to deal with the sudden death of her father and settling his affairs at his Malibu estate. Seems simple enough – but it is not long before the complications of his father’s legacy emerge in the form of four criminals, led by TWILIGHT’s Billy Burke (who played Bella’s father Charlie Swan)
Their focus is the in-house safe and a ticket to a freedom of dreams, but pretty soon tensions are being racked up ten fold, not only between Shaun and the criminals, but also within the criminal clique themselves….
Given the recent success of GET OUT, BREAKING IN is certainly going to attract a solid fan-base, particularly amongst fans of Union, who is one of the most prolific black talents working in American Film and TV and Burke, whose TWILIGHT credentials will help increase awareness and crossover of this film.
However, the film suffers from being a little-too-late-in-the-day as a standard psychological thriller. Both PACIFIC HEIGHTS and STRAW DOGS had a much deeper subtext, particularly in the latter example, which focused more on the breakdown of a marriage and the effect the culture clash between Dustin Hoffman’s David Sumner and the Cornish locals has on his relationship with Amy (Susan George).
Also, the concept of an in-house safe, in these increasing online banking times, doesn’t hold the same kind of attraction as ‘640 million dollars in negotiable bearer bonds’ which is what Hans and the gang were after in the 1988 classic DIE HARD, which does dilute the intention.
However, the film has just enough in the tank to keep the focus on the characters. Happily, Union shows guts from the start of the film as a more assertive lead and becomes a match for Burke’s cronies, who are bog-standard villains.
The sad thing about this film is that it falls into a tradition of thrillers that has gone before and one hopes that Union, given her talents as both an actress and a producer, will seek out more complex and assured screenplays that will show-off not only her talents, but prove to the audience that there is still competent and good material to thrill eager audiences for this type of film.
Overall, BREAKING IN is going to ultimately, once it completes it’s theatrical run, be a thriller that will prove solid on home video and streaming platforms.
