Breaking

Starring: John Boyega, Michael Kenneth Williams, Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Olivia Washington, London Covington, Connie Britton, Jeffrey Donovan

Director: Abi Damaris Corbin

Based on a true story. When former Marine Brian Brown-Easley (Boyega) stops receiving his disability check and gets no help from the VA, he becomes scared that he won’t be able to provide for himself or his ex-wife Cassandra (Washington) and daughter Kiah (Covington). Seeing no other option, he enters a Wells Fargo and lets the teller Rosa (Leyva) know he has a bomb. Brian lets everyone go except Rosa and bank manager Estel (Beharie), saying he will let them go if he decides to detonate the bomb. All he wants is to make sure his story is heard and get what he is owed. As news crews begin to cover the story, a tense back and forth develops between Brian and lead negotiator Eli Bernard (Williams), who is himself a former Marine and wants to help Brian and the hostages get through events safely.

This was a tough film to sit through, especially if you know how this story ends. The events transpired in 2017 and while it seems like something that would have received a lot of media coverage, I don't remember ever hearing about it. Ditto for director Abi Damaris Corbin, who in an interview said she found out about it two years later. When all is said and done, it's tragically and infuriatingly understandable why Brian Brown-Easley's story didn't get the coverage it deserved. Especially when you read up on the aftermath. Minor spoiler alert but honestly you can either guess how the story ends or look it up yourself.

Based on the 2018 Task and Purpose article "They Didn't Have to Kill Him", we are given a very straightforward yet seemingly accurate (names were changed) interpretation of what happened that day at the Wells Fargo. Kudos to Corbin and her co-writer Kwame Kwei-Armah for not only doing their research and building a tense narrative around it but for also giving audiences a realistic and grounded look at the many systematic injustices that veterans and people of color face in our country,

We rarely break away from Brian and what is going on in the bank, but when we do the movie doesn't work as well. The police side of the situation isn't nearly as interesting but does give us Michael Kenneth Williams' final performance. Always a gifted performer, he does what he can with his tragically underwritten negotiator. He and Boyega do develop some good rapport but it's a huge indicator of how strong of a performer Williams was as he gives us something out of nothing. His immense talent will be missed.

Anyone who saw 2011's Attack the Block knows John Boyega was destined for great things. This is by far his best and most nuanced performance and he should be in talks for many acting awards at the end of the year. It's hard to take your eyes off his incredibly committed performance. Not only does he help the audience connect, but it's easy to see why the two bank employees he has hostage connect to him as well. Nicole Beharie and Selenis Leyva are an incredible audience surrogate and while it's easy to scream "just run" at multiple points during the movie you also understand why they stay to try to help Brian.

I'm glad this story is being told, as it not only gives us a thrilling and well acted thriller but also an angry and infuriating indictment of systematic injustice.

Grade: A