3 Reasons why you should go see Breaking In
Upcoming home invasion thriller Breaking In shouldn’t get lost in the blockbuster movie shuffle when it comes out next month.
On May 11, Universal Pictures will release Breaking In, a new thriller starring Gabrielle Union. Union plays a single mother who has to contend with a gang of robbers after the break into her home, capture her children and lock her out. Although the film is being put out by a major studio and features a notable actress in the lead, there’s a good chance the film won’t attract a large audience.
The film has the misfortune of being released only a few weeks after Avengers: Infinity War, a record-breaking smash that might be the biggest blockbuster of its generation. Because of its broad appeal, density, and high quality, I expect the film will continue dominating the box office for a quite some time. Additionally, Breaking In is coming to theaters only a week before Deadpool 2, another blockbuster film that has already smashed existing presale records. The week after that, theaters will become even more crowded when Solo: A Star Wars Story makes its debut on May 25.
While I’m excited to see all of those big-budget franchise movies, I don’t want them to be the only kinds of movies that get a theatrical release. Unless audiences show up for smaller, original films like Breaking In, they’re going to have a much harder time getting produced and released. Especially in theaters where exhibitors may be wary of giving screen space to films that won’t bring in big bucks. While a number of small and medium-sized films coming out in May, here are three reasons why I believe Breaking In deserves more attention.
It’s co-written by Ryan Engle
Breaking In’s script is credited to Ryan Engle and Jaime Primak. While the film marks Primak’s feature screenwriting debut, Engle has had a hand in making a few really good action thrillers. He’s credited with co-scripting 2014’s Nonstop and The Commuter which was released earlier this year.
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Both feature ordinary protagonists who find themselves in the middle of incredibly tense situations. The two films are also cleverly plotted in ways that continually subvert audience expectations while never becoming overly convoluted.
Since Breaking In follows an ordinary woman in a terrifying home invasion scenario, it looks to be of a piece with Engle’s earlier work. And in the era when big action movies require you to have seen several other movies to get the jokes, references, and plot elements, a smart self-contained thriller is a nice change of pace.
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It’s directed by James McTeigue
While his name may not be instantly recognizable, you’ve probably seen James McTeigue’s work before. He has most commonly worked as a first assistant director, serving in that role on George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and the Wachowskis Matrix trilogy. In 2006, he made his directorial debut with V for Vendetta. The film showed that McTeigue had picked up a lot when working some of our finest action filmmakers. Vendetta is full of excellent set pieces that are well balanced with compelling characterization.
Though he’s recently spent time directing TV shows like Sense8, he’s returned to feature filmmaking with Breaking In. Given his knack for compelling action sequences that mix CGI with practical effects, I think he’ll be able to do something special with the film’s unique premise and setting.
It has a really good cast
Although Gabrielle Union has not done a lot of action films in her career, I think she’ll do well as the lead of Breaking In. She’s always been a good character actress, but she really showed off the full range of her talents in Being Mary Jane. The soon to be concluded BET series gave her a platform to portray a character with complex motivations and desires. And she did so in a way that was never less than compelling. With her remarkable screen presence, I have no trouble believing that Union can be a convincing if an unlikely action hero a la Uma Thurman and Liam Neeson.
Though Union could probably carry a film with a script by Engle and direction by McTeigue, she’s has a really good costar to work with. Billy Burke plays the film’s lead antagonist and his work on shows like Revolution have proved that he is a good actor capable of handling nuanced roles. As such, I think he has the chops to embody the kind of casual menace a villain needs to be truly memorable.
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I haven’t been to any advanced screenings, so I haven’t seen Breaking In. But with its intriguing premise, strong director, and quality cast, I think it’ll be worth seeing. And if we don’t want to live in a world where the only movies to get released in theaters are blockbusters, we have to support smaller movies that are worthwhile.
Breaking In comes to theaters on May 11.