Thursday, May 31, 2018

[Review] Breaking In


Judging from its vague and generic title, you'd assume that Breaking In is just another trite, messy, and uninspired thriller that will sink to the bottom of bargain bins in the next couple years. And well... that's exactly what it is.

The story revolves around Shaun (Gabrielle Union) as she takes her two kids on a weekend getaway to her late father's sleek and modern vacation house -- it's essentially a Smart Home with an elaborate security system. That security system is tested when the family learns that there are a group of intruders staking out the premises from the outside and within. And before it's made clear, you could easily guess that these villainous goons want access to the house's cash safe.

From the get-go, the film lays on some thick foreshadowing that is so forced and blatant that it might as well flash "This is foreshadowing" across the screen. There's even a morbid phone call between Shaun and her husband as he jokingly asks "How was the drive? Are the kids still alive?" and Shaun answers sarcastically "For now." And every event is so unnaturally abrupt that it's difficult to buy into this situation. It doesn't feel like an actual movie playing out a potential real-life situation -- it feels more like someone checking off obligatory boxes for a stock script. It's as frustrating as it is boring. It's a thriller that doesn't thrill. So it's impossible to care about anything that transpires or how it'll all end up. And things just get more and more absurd as they go, and not in the amusing sort of way.

Gabrielle Union gives a solid lead performance for what she was to work with, and her desperate and resourceful character pulls off some badass moves to save her kids. But she can't save this film. Instead, you just wish she was in a better one.


( 4/10 )


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