• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

Movie Review – Breaking (2022)

August 24, 2022 by Robert Kojder

Breaking, 2022.

Directed by Abi Damaris Corbin.
Starring John Boyega, Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie, Connie Britton, Selenis Leyva, Jeffrey Donovan, Olivia Washington, London Covington, Robb Derringer, Carmine Giovinazzo, Kate Burton, Albert Kong, Elise Neal, Kelli Dawn Hancock, Mel Fair, Keith Ewell, and Miriam Silverman.

SYNOPSIS:

When Marine Veteran Brian Brown-Easley is denied support from Veteran’s Affairs, financially desperate and running out of options, he takes a bank and several of its employees hostage, setting the stage for a tense confrontation with the police.

While it’s not an entirely new concept, it is a refreshingly daunting screenwriting task to portray someone committing an act of terror with empathy. Based on true events from 2017 and directed by Abi Damaris Corbin (co-writing alongside Kwame Kwei-Armah), Breaking sees John Boyegaa as former Marine and Iraq war veteran Brian Brown-Easley, out of options and desperate to retrieve funds that the Veterans Affairs are withholding. Divorced from Cassandra (Olivia Washington), Brian is still a loving family man motivated by giving his young daughter Kiah (London Covington) a better life just as he is confronting systemic injustices.

Suffering from PTSD and increasingly spiraling mental health (especially following a humiliating incident at the VA that we see later in the film via flashback), Brian, not without a moment of heavy contemplation, enters his local Wells Fargo bank and proceeds to start a withdrawal transaction. During that, he slides a note to the teller stating that he is carrying a bomb.

However, Brian has no interest in robbing the bank. Orchestrating this hostage situation is a plea for attention directed at the VA in hopes of finally righting a wrong. As such, Brian allows everyone in the building to leave aside from two high-ranking staffers, Rosa Diaz (Selenis Leyva) and Estel Valerie (Nicole Beharie), using their endangerment as a means to undergo negotiation talks.

Not entirely off his rocker, Brian shows about as much kindness as one can show someone when they are toying with human life as a means to an end; he assures that no one will get hurt and that he wants the money he is owed. Crucially, the money cannot come from the bank; this will not end until the score with the VA is settled. Wisely, the script occasionally tries to offer a glimpse into the lives of these hostages, either through directly communicating with Brian by trying to relay and show compassion or with digital notes saying goodbye to their loved ones just in case the worst happens.

Most of the above are executed with white knuckle tension and measured performances from everyone involved (John Boyega is a sweaty mess of paranoia and anxiety, aware that the only way out of the situation most likely comes with a bullet through the head). The initial goings are also intriguing as they offer up a sketch of who Brian is, while viewers come to conclusions about how far they can get on his side despite his horrific actions.

But it’s not long before Breaking breaks apart as Brian finds himself talking to TV news producers, inevitably climbing his way up towards interacting with a negotiator played by the late great Michael Kenneth Williams (delivering by far the best performance here, weathered and unsure but committed to defusing the situation without a body count). The dialogue loops with a meandering story that only has one foreseeable ending. Everything that was working until this point also becomes flawed and overplayed; there’s nothing left for the script to do aside from telling the actors to act out every role with a capital A.

It’s also surprising how surface-level the film is towards the VA, TV news cycles, military relations, and injustice. A good 45 minutes of Breaking are simply empty and devoid of anything remotely compelling no matter how much characters are talking to one another (which is also really thrilling considering the bland direction). By the time Breaking does arrive at its generic conclusion and cliché reveals with no insightful social commentary made (true story or not), the movie is just plain broken.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★  / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

 

Filed Under: Movies, Reviews, Robert Kojder Tagged With: Abi Damaris Corbin, Albert Kong, Breaking, Carmine Giovinazzo, Connie Britton, Elise Neal, Jeffrey Donovan, John Boyega, Kate Burton, Keith Ewell, Kelli Dawn Hancock, London Covington, Mel Fair, Michael Kenneth Williams, Miriam Silverman, Nicole Beharie, Olivia Washington, Robb Derringer, Selenis Leyva

About Robert Kojder

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor.

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Gladiator at 25: The Story Behind Ridley Scott’s Sword-and-Sandal Epic

The Essential Horror-Comedy Movies of the 21st Century

10 Essential DC Movies

The Worst Movies From The Best Horror Franchises

The Essential Exorcism Movies of the 21st Century

The Essential Action Movies of 1985

Seven Famous Cursed Movie Productions

Incredible Character Actors Who Elevate Every Film

Godzilla Minus One and the Essential Toho Godzilla Movies

6 Abduction Thrillers You May Have Missed

Top Stories:

Movie Review – Superman (2025)

Great 2010s Thrillers You May Have Missed

Great Tarantino-esque Movies You Need To See

7 Underrated World War II Romance Movies

Movie Review – Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight (2025)

Movie Review – Sovereign (2025)

8 Great Recent Films You Really Need To See

Can Edgar Wright conquer America with The Running Man?

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

10 Great Movies About Twins

10 Great Cult 80s Movies You Need To See

Speed: The Story Behind the Pulse-Pounding Action-Thriller

The Most Overlooked Horror Movies of the 1990s

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket