Breaking is a 2022 American thriller drama film based on the true story of Lance Cpl. Brian Brown-Easley, a former Marine with PTSD who took a bank hostage in 2017 with a bomb in his backpack). The film is directed by Abi Damaris Corbin and co-written by Kwame Kwei-Armah, and stars John Boyega as Brian Brown-Easley, Nicole Beharie as Estel, Selenis Leyva as Rosa, Connie Britton as Karen, Jeffrey Donovan as Major Riddick, and Michael Kenneth Williams as the hostage negotiator).

The movie is about the power of recognizing a persons desperate situation and the fight for justice. Brian Brown-Easley is presented as someone pushed into such an action, and the "thrills" of the movie are largely bittersweet. The film is more or less a tribute to him, as made possible by an incredible, humanizing lead performance from John Boyega. The first third of the movie focuses on the heist that Brian operates with two women remaining in the bank, and most of the time he is making sure nothing is getting out of hand. He addresses them politely and apologizes for covering one when something like a gunshot rings through (it’s just someone at the door). The two remaining bank employees, Estel and Rosa, wrestle with their composure and sense of safety).

Breaking is a tragedy that only opens like a thriller. Comparisons to Sidney Lumet’s “Dog Day Afternoon” are apt, but this story of a bank being held up is ultimately not concerned with ratcheting up the tension. Instead, it is a character study showcasing the acting of John Boyega, who delivers an electrifying performance as Brian Brown-Easley. The film is hard to watch, but thats because of how effectively it depicts the broken system behind its fact-based story.