Breaking and Entering (2007)

Didn't do it for me

It takes the first 45 minutes before some things starts to happen and then still it feels very stiffled. What came to mind watching this was the book "Unholy Hunger", as it displays very well the feeding happening in human relating on planet Earth. Everyone is feeding on somebody else; sometimes it is mutual feeding and at other times it is distinctly predatorial. Not a pretty sight. December 29, 2007

Great idea....poor execution

Just because it's Anthony Minghella does not mean we forget what good film-making is all about.

The positives: I loved the shots of King's Cross, and I fondly remember the times I spent their in my student days (and all-nighters!) at The Scala Cinema. I liked the way the regeneration of this area was woven into the plot as a contrast to the crumbling relationship of Will and Liv. Binoche is great, and I loved the cameo by Juliet Stevenson who seemed very believable and low-key. The Kafka joke was a great line.

The negatives: Jude law was poor; he needs acting lessons to drag out of him what little acting talent he has. OK, he's a fashionable name but his acting is poor and he was simply not believable in this role. I know a fashionable name gets you investors which you need to make this kind of film, but it ultimately undermines the whole film if they seriously under-perform. There was no real depth. The plot held together shakily and was so full of cliches my groaning woke the neighbours: the tart with a heart; Serbian refugees as organized criminals; ice-cold (American) Swedish hottie etc etc.

The ending was just plain sad and unconvincing.

Shame really, the idea was great.

December 28, 2007

An over ambitious movie that falls flat.

Breaking and Entering, starring Jude Law, contains a meandering morass of a plot that involves the love of his life played by an emaciated Robin Wright-Penn, her slightly autistic daughter, a young Serbian boy who involves himself in thieving from Law's business, and the young boys mother-played by Binoche. Oh and a immigrant prostitute from Russia also makes an appearance for good measure.

If that sounds like a hodgepodge quagmire of characters- it's because it is. All of them tangle together quite nicely over Law, however, and the plot does make a bit of sense, I'll give it that- But never enough to make this a truly good film.

The movie starts with a ring of thieves that break into Will's (Law) architecture office set up in the slums of King's Cross, London. Will is into revitalizing the lesser parts of London, but, naturally all the locals see is an opportunity to make some illicit money.

The lynch pin of the ring is a young Serbian boy who's acrobatic skills enable him to launch himself into the building and turn off the security system- a system subverted by a delivery service who has the codes- so that the rest of the gang, headed up by his dubious uncle, can get in and ransack the place.

After this happens twice, Will and his business partner decide to stake out the place, until one night Will spots the boy then follows him home. For some unknown reason, Will holds off on officially reporting him to the law, and decides to check out the boys home under the guise of getting the boy's mom, Amira (Binoche), to do some work for him. (He met Amira once before by accident, but that's too much to explain right now.)

While in the apartment, Will sees evidence of the boy's misdeeds, but finds himself hopelessly drawn to Amira, despite the fact he's already in a long term relationship with Liv,(Wright-Penn).

But Will and Liv are having problems- she's shutting him out over the pressure of raising a child with special needs and he's desperate for "connection". A connection that he senses he can have with Amira.

Although initially ignorant of her son's connection to Will, the deception comes to light, as it naturally has too. But by that time, Amira's already falling for Will. When she decides to approach him on his deception, she instead takes him up on what he previously offered- the forgetfulness of sex. But she's got her own reasons for accepting the deal and I liked that twist quit a lot!

But here's the rub, what promises to be a steamy sexual encounter falls flat, even after the first hot and sticky kisses. And then ...Will goes back to Liv.

That's the other rub. Although I normally like to see redemption of a relationship in peril, the chemistry between Law & Binoche far outshines the on screen chemistry between him and Wright-Penn.

I was bothered by Wright-Penn's role too. Liv was depressed and frozen- which is really the part she was to play- but I just couldn't find much sympathy for her.

Unfortunately, this film felt more like Law's way to make up for his very public infidelities in real life rather than a look at the complexities of human relationships it was supposed to be.

In the end, the film just comes off as lifeless. Shame, considering the stellar cast and director.


December 17, 2007

Not a good ending

The beginning and middle of this movie was good but did not make up for the ending. I guess I was expecting some shocking or abrupt ending instead it ended happily everyone making up and moving on! Disgusting! November 6, 2007

A very touching movie

This is a drama about how sometimes loving someone is just not enough and how quite often we sabotage our own lives and happiness. While not the most action packed movie, it shines mostly in its simple and non-flashy or over dramatic expression.

All of the characters in this movie are wounded or damaged by life somehow and are both lashing out and trying to heal the best way they know how, even if it causes them to make poor choices. The minor characters as well. Even though they all go about hurting each other by giving into their own personal needs, there is redemption at the end as the right thing is done, leaving us feeling hope for these people.

I thought this movie was very well done and it touched me deeply. I felt that all of the actors, most particularly Law and Binoche, showed a depth of understanding for their characters' angst. I've not seen Jude Law in anything else, but I felt that he did justice to and was totally believable as a man who deeply loves his woman, yet cannot find a way to connect to her, while at the same time feeling deeply for Amira, someone who is very vulnerable in her need to protect her son.

Binoche did a wonderful job of expressing her character's anguish over wanting to feel that someone really cares for her, and yet not trusting that she's not being used at the same time.

Robin Wright Penn basically showed one look through out the film- sad hurt. However, it fit her character totally as her suffering is caused by being stoic.

Rafi Gavron was especially good as the boy who is torn between his true essentially good being, and following the path his uncle has set for him as maybe an only choice for a Bosnian refugee living in England.

I really loved this film. I have a thing for plain stories about every day lives of every day people who are faced with normal conflicts and dilemmas and how they deal with them. This movie was that and more.
October 31, 2007

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