UB Preview + Spotlight: ‘Breaking’ Is An Adrenaline Rush of Emotions

“Breaking” hits theaters Tomorrow August 26th, via Bleecker Street.

UB has screened “Breaking” and we can tell you, the film is an adrenaline rush of emotions and hope. Based on a true story, it’s already been written, but the story these actors display through the script, showcase who former Marine Brian Brown-Easley really was.

More than a man who wanted and felt like things should be his way, he was a man who understood what he had sacrificed in life and in the end, just wanted what he felt what was deserved to him in return. Superb acting from John Boyega and Olivia Washington. However the entire cast gives a great performances and you can tell really took their roles to heart.

The story begins on a hot summer day in 2017, Marine veteran Brian Brown-Easley walked nervously into a bank in the Atlanta area and handed a note to one of the employees. The note simply stated, “I have a bomb,” but the man explained that he was not intending to rob the bank. Instead, in an act of desperation, Brown-Easley was pleading to know why the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had withheld his monthly disability check of $892.

This true-life event would ultimately end in tragedy for Brown-Easley, the 33-year-old former Lance Corporal, husband, and father who held up the bank. In “Breaking,” his story is told with tremendous craft and a rare degree of compassion for all sides. Set within the bank, the film portrays the tense, minute-by-minute ordeal, while building a complex character study of Brown-Easley and the circumstances, both internal and external, that brought him to that fateful day.

Marking the feature directorial debut of Abi Damaris Corbin (who co-wrote the film with esteemed playwright/director Kwame Kwei-Armah), “Breaking” stars John Boyega as Brown-Easley, with the 30-year-old actor delivering a riveting performance of emotional range and intensity.

The film also features the late great Michael K. Williams in a steely final performance as a hostage negotiator, along with Nicole Beharie, Selenis Leyva, Connie Britton, Jeffrey Donovan, Olivia Washington, and London Covington.

Producers include Salman Al-Rashid, Ashley Levinson, Kevin Turen, Sam Frohman and Mackenzie Fargo, while the Executive Producers include Joshuah Bearman, John Boyega, Abi Damaris Corbin, Joshua Davis, Will Greenfield, Harrison Huffman, Harrison Kreiss, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Sam Levinson, Femi Oguns, Arthur Spector, Jarrett R. Turner, and Katia Washington. Elena Bawiec is a co-producer, Morwin Schmookler is a co-executive producer, and Alvaro R. Valente is a line producer.

The cinematographer is Doug Emmett, while the film editor is Chris Witt. The music is by Michael Abels, and the production design is by Christian Snell, art decoration by William J. O’Donnell, set decoration by Maria Nay. Casting directors are Kerry Barden and Paul Schnee.

Check Out the UB Preview!