A movie like Breaking In has one job: get us to root for our would be heroine as she battles against all odds to protect what’s hers. In this case, the character played by Gabrielle Union has to protect her children from home invaders with nefarious intentions. While watching the film, I was reminded a bit of Kidnap, the Halle Berry vehicle which had her playing a regular woman who did whatever it took to rescue her abducted child. The premise was a tad silly and maybe the circumstances she was able to get out of were a bit unbelievable but it was always entertaining and Halle Berry carried the film admirably on her shoulders.
Breaking In functions in a similar fashion. It has been done before and it doesn’t break any new ground but what it does right is that it lets Gabrielle Union take the lead and she proves to be worthy of headlining the film. Whenever the film is beginning to falter or embrace all of its clichés, she comes in and has a kickass moment that makes you root for her. Hopefully, this leads to Union being front and center in better material because she deserves it.
Shaun Russell (Gabrielle Union) is a mother of two — son Glover (Seth Carr) and daughter Jasmine (Ajiona Alexus) — whose wealthy father has just passed away. She and her kids are taking an impromptu trip to his secluded, high dollar Wisconsin estate to begin the process of selling it off. They arrive to find a few oddities, including the home’s security system reporting an error. The family largely brushes it off, but when night falls, four men enter the home in search of a safe full of cash. Shaun finds herself trapped outside with one of the assailants while the other three are locked inside the house with the kids. The intruders have only 90 minutes to find the stash until the security system alerts the police. With time ticking away and Shaun interfering with their plans as best she can from the outside, a dangerous game develops with lives and riches both hanging in the balance.
A film like Breaking In is at a bit of a disadvantage because you know the trajectory it’s going to follow. Home invasion movies rarely break new ground and the ones that do go so far out the box that they don’t achieve mainstream status. Think Funny Games and its American remake, which is brutal but finds artistic beauty within its brutality. Breaking In doesn’t have indie aspirations. It was made for the mainstream female demographic who wanted to see Union display the necessary mom strength to save her kids. The tagline for the film, “payback is a mother”, goes a long way to show you who the film is trying to appeal to. By the way, it was a marketing tactic that worked as the film did quite well over Mother’s Day weekend and made a solid $46.4 million on a $6 million budget.
If you go in knowing that the film wasn’t necessarily made for you, there is some enjoyment to be found. It’s competently put together, and even though it’s a tad repetitive and not 100% engaging, it’s adequately photographed, edited, scored, and acted. If you’re not all in on lowering your expectations, none of these qualities rise above making the film appealing beyond a superficial level but at its most baseline presentation, the movie satisfies core requirements.
The reliable Union turns in a strong performance and makes the film worthy of at least one viewing. She doesn’t struggle with the material and she fills in the shoes of the character well enough, finding that desperate and increasingly intense edge as a mother on the outside looking in on her endangered children and the men who would do them harm for a quick and, they thought easy, payday. The kids are fine and, of all the actors in the film, accomplish the most with the characters, finding just the right balance between frightened, bold, smart, and savvy as they work their own angles in the house, as limited as they may be. The film’s detriment is the roster of villains who are as predictable as they come. They’re around for Union to get the jump on and showcase her at her best. They don’t function beyond the clichés of the genre but, then again, the film doesn’t exactly strive to be more than what it is.
Despite succumbing to the trappings of the genre, I’d still recommend Breaking In for a quick viewing on a Saturday night. It breezes by in 90 minutes and it’s harmless fun in the moment. Just don’t expect it to reinvent the wheel for the home invasion thriller.
Blu-Ray Video:
Breaking In is a sleek production and its Blu-ray video presentation showcases it well. The film comes in a 1080p transfer and from the first shot, the film reveals a top-tier Blu-ray image quality. Details are intimate and crisp. The effortless complexity shines throughout. Everything from the natural beauty around the house to the nicely appointed interior furnishings and accents shine. Wood grains, stonework, and other textural delights abound, while core clothing and facial features dazzle, all pushing the 1080p format to its limits. What struck me the most is that it doesn’t really look like a $6 million production. The video makes it look like a much bigger film in its scope and allows the visuals to shine. There are the occasional moments when source noise because a little bit of an issue but it’s not enough to distract from the overall great look of the film.
Blu-ray Audio:
Breaking In comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack and while it doesn’t blow you away, it gets the job done. The first sounds — some background radio chatter — are presented at such a low volume that one almost begins to believe there may be a problem with the track or the sound system. I had to turn it up a bit and then switch to a show on my DVR to ensure that the problem wasn’t with my system. That being side, the track opens up nicely soon thereafter as a character listens to some tunes while he’s out for a jog. Nothing in the movie really stands out, sonically. Everything is presented in good working order, with adequate stage width, surround depth, and low-end engagement to support music and effects with a tonally clear presentation. Neither music nor action is true, sound system-stretching stalwarts, but both present with enough baseline intensity and clarity to carry the movie but not enough to elevate the track beyond anything other than being good but not great.
Blu-ray Bonus Features:
Breaking In‘s Blu-ray release contains a nice collection of bonus content for fans, including a commentary track, deleted scenes, an alternate open, and a few featurettes. Two cuts of the film are also included: Theatrical Version (1:28:01) and Unrated Director’s Cut (1:28:24). A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. BTW, I couldn’t see a huge difference between the Theactrical Version and the Unrated Director’s Cut (I watched them back to back) but maybe fans of the film will have a more eagle eye on that.
Here are the collection of features:
Alternate Opening – The Gas Station (1080p, 2:08): With optional commentary by Director James McTeigue and Scriptwriter Ryan Engle.
Deleted/Extended Scenes (1080p, 14:28 total runtime): Extended Drone Sequence; “Where’s the Safe, Sweetheart?;” Running for Your Life; and Eddie and Justin Fight. With optional commentary by Director James McTeigue and Scriptwriter Ryan Engle.
One Bad Mother… (1080p, 4:19): A look at the film’s “one woman versus four men” plot, Union’s performance and capture of motherhood and female empowerment, story details, and more.
A Filmmaker’s Eye: James McTeigue (1080p, 5:06): A plot and character recap followed by a look at the qualities McTeigue brought to the film.
A Lesson in Kicking Ass (1080p, 4:19): A quick exploration of the film’s raw action scenes and stunt work as well as the character’s vulnerability and increasing willingness and ability to fight.
A Hero Evolved (1080p, 2:54): Another look at Union’s abilities as an actress and performance and the qualities she brings to the film.
Audio Commentary: Director James McTeigue and Scriptwriter Ryan Engle discuss the film and what I admire about any commentary track, especially when the film isn’t high art, is that filmmakers are still very passionate about what they’re making and I can’t help but admire that.
