''Breaking'' is a 2022 American thriller drama film starring

John Boyega John Adedayo Bamidele Adegboyega (born 17 March 1992), known professionally as John Boyega, is a British actor and producer. He first rose to prominence in his native Britain for his role as Moses in the sci-fi comedy film ''Attack the Block' ...

as a

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

veteran, Brian Brown-Easley, who is in financial trouble and robs a bank. It is written and directed by

Abi Damaris Corbin Abi or ABI may refer to: Organizations United States * American Bankruptcy Institute * American Beverage Institute * American Biographical Institute * Applied Biosystems Inc. Elsewhere * Agencia Boliviana de Información, a Bolivian press ag ...

and co-written by

Kwame Kwei-Armah Kwame Kwei-Armah (born Ian Roberts; 24 March 1967 in Hillingdon, London) is a British actor, playwright, director, singer and broadcaster. He is best known for playing paramedic Finlay Newton in the BBC medical drama ''Casualty'' from 1999 unti ...

, based on the 2018 ''

Task & Purpose ''Task & Purpose'' is an American online publication founded in 2014 which covers the United States Armed Forces and the defense industry. They serve millions of readers monthly. History ''Task & Purpose'' was founded in 2014 by Zachary Iscol ...

'' article "They Didn't Have to Kill Him" by Aaron Gell. The film also stars

Nicole Beharie Nicole Beharie is an American actress. She is best known for her starring roles in films such as the drama '' American Violet'' (2008), the psychological drama '' Shame'' (2011), the biographical sports drama '' 42'' (2013), and the independent ...

Selenis Leyva Selenis Leyva is an American actress. She is known for her role as Gloria Mendoza in the Netflix comedy-drama series '' Orange Is the New Black'' (2013–19), and also starred on the Disney+ comedy-drama series '' Diary of a Future President'' (20 ...

Connie Britton Constance Elaine Britton ( Womack; born March 6, 1967) is an American actress. Britton made her feature film debut in the independent comedy-drama film '' The Brothers McMullen'' (1995), and the following year, she was cast as Nikki Faber on th ...

Jeffrey Donovan Jeffrey Donovan (born May 11, 1968) is an American actor. He played Michael Westen in the television series ''Burn Notice'', and appeared in films such as '' Hitch'', '' Believe in Me'', '' Changeling'', and ''Come Early Morning''. He played Ro ...

, and

Michael Kenneth Williams Michael Kenneth Williams (November 22, 1966 – September 6, 2021) was an American actor. He rose to fame in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little on the HBO drama series ''The Wire''. He has been described as a "singular pre ...

. The film premiered at the

2022 Sundance Film Festival The 2022 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20 to 30, 2022. Due to COVID-19 pandemic protocol it was to have been a hybrid festival, but on January 5, 2022 it was announced that the in-person components would be scrapped in favor o ...

under its original title ''892'' on January 21, 2022, and was released in the United States by Bleecker Street on August 26, 2022. It received generally positive reviews from critics.

Plot

Based on the 2017 real-life story of the late Brian Brown-Easley, a decorated

veteran in dire financial straits resulting from systemic failure. Easley is concerned over the effects of this on his daughter alongside the prospects of homelessness to the point of threatening to blow up a

Wells Fargo Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational financial services company with corporate headquarters in San Francisco, California; operational headquarters in Manhattan; and managerial offices throughout the United States and intern ...

bank unless he receives payment he is owed from the

Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing life-long healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

Cast

as Lance Corporal Brian Brown-Easley *

as Eli Bernard *

as Estel Valerie *

as Rosa Diaz *

as Lisa Larson *

as Major Riddick * Robb Derringer as Chief Jack Quail * Olivia Washington as Cassandra Easley * London Covington as Kiah Brown-Easley * Kim D'Armond as 911 Wendy

Production

On March 2, 2021, it was announced that

Jonathan Majors Jonathan Michael Majors (born September 7, 1989)Majors in is an American actor. He rose to prominence after starring in the independent feature film ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' (2019). In 2020, he garnered wider notice for portraying ...

would star in the film, then titled ''892'', as a Marine war veteran who suffers from mental scars, and his hard transition back to civilian life. On July 8, 2021, it was reported that

replaced Majors due to a scheduling conflict with '' Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania''. On August 30, 2021, it was confirmed that

joined the cast.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

began on July 6, 2021, and was scheduled to conclude on August 16, 2021, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Release

The film premiered at the

on January 21, 2022, where the cast won the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. On February 1, 2022, Bleecker Street acquired the film's US distribution rights. The film's title was later changed from ''892'' to ''Breaking'', and it was set to be released on August 26, 2022.

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, ''Breaking'' was released alongside '' The Invitation'' and ''

Three Thousand Years of Longing ''Three Thousand Years of Longing'' is a 2022 fantasy romantic drama film directed and produced by George Miller. Written by Miller and Augusta Gore, it is based on the short story "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye" by A. S. Byatt and star ...

''. The film debuted to $985,921 from 902 theaters in its opening weekend.

Critical response

Pete Hammond of ''

Deadline Hollywood ''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, wit ...

'' said, "Corbin is firmly in control behind the camera and with particular expert help with her editor Chris Witt. The British actor Boyega is superb in every aspect of the role, as is the commanding presence of the late Williams in what sadly is his final film role." Writing for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Peter Debruge said, "This is not an act of documentary reenactment so much as a tense, speculative drama, imagining what this man must have gone through during those hours, and how his actions rippled out to affect others' lives."

Accolades

: Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast in the U.S. Dramatic Competition.

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, type=m, id=breaking, title=Breaking, access-date=February 2, 2022 2022 thriller drama films 2020s American films 2020s English-language films African-American drama films American films based on actual events American thriller drama films Bleecker Street films Drama films based on actual events Films about bank robbery Films about hostage takings Films about post-traumatic stress disorder Films about veterans Films based on Internet-based works Films scored by Michael Abels Films set in 2017 Films set in Georgia (U.S. state) Films shot in Los Angeles Sundance Film Festival award winners Thriller films based on actual events