Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie Review

Hardly a breakout of a movie, but the technical aspects of this release are quite good.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 26, 2018

Breaking In whittles the "home invasion" sub-genre down to its most bare, simplistic essentials. Picture a parent desperate to save her children and a handful of bad guys who are not necessarily over their heads but who struggle to improvise when mom becomes supermom with no qualms about doing whatever it takes to save her family. The film's twist, if it can even be described as such, is that mom gets caught outside the house while the kids are locked inside with the bad guys, and hence the title: she's forced to find a way into an impenetrable mansion. But that's really no reason to think the movie has anything of value to offer. Director James McTeigue, who helmed the popular V for Vendetta, crafts the film competently but does nothing to enhance a script that's made of cobbled-together genre nuts-and-bolts that altogether deliver a perfectly serviceable, but wholly forgettable, picture.

She's coming in.

Shaun Russell (Gabrielle Union) is a mother of two -- son Glover (Seth Carr) and daughter Jasmine (Ajiona Alexus) -- whose wealthy father has just passed away. She and her kids are taking an impromptu trip to his secluded, high dollar Wisconsin estate to begin the process of selling it off. They arrive to find a few oddities, including the home's security system reporting an error. The family largely brushes it off, but when night falls, four men enter the home in search of a safe full of cash. Shaun finds herself trapped outside with one of the assailants while the other three are locked inside the house with the kids. The intruders have only 90 minutes to find the stash until the security system alerts the police. With time ticking away and Shaun interfering with their plans as best she can from the outside, a dangerous game develops with lives and riches both hanging in the balance.

Words like "stale," "generic," and "recycled" appeared throughout the notes written while watching the movie. And they're perfect descriptors. It's not that Breaking In is awful. It's competently put together, and even as it’s so rote and repetitive and despite its failure to prove unique or engaging, it’s adequately photographed, edited, scored, and acted. But none of these qualities rise above expectation or do anything to improve on the movie, but at its most baseline presentation the movie satisfies core requirements. Just like the story. Expect the usual character notes and various plot devices that are setup ahead of time (such as Glover's use of a drone indoors) to conveniently help the characters along there way once the home invasion is underway. Resultantly, the movie's twists and turns hardly come with any surprise, and even without telegraphing many of them the film is so reliant on stock actions and characterizations and is so risk averse and unwilling to push boundaries or even try to surprise the audience that the end resolution is known before the movie even begins to play.

None of the actors accomplish anything of value, each failing to elevate admittedly everyday sorts of characters in an everyday sort of Thriller to any kind of interesting perspective. The reliable Union turns in a competent performance. She doesn't struggle with the material because it absolutely fails to stretch her as an actress, but she fills in the shoes well enough, finding that desperate and increasingly intense edge as a mother on the outside looking in on her endangered children and the men who would do them harm for a quick and, they thought, easy payday. The kids are fine and, of all the actors in the film, accomplish the most with the characters, finding just the right balance between frightened, bold, smart, and savvy as they work their own angles in the house, as limited as they may be. The roster of villains is entirely replaceable, as are the actors; both are entirely forgettable and serve as nothing more than stand-ins for Union to verbally and ultimately physically battle in and around the house. Even said house, for its remote location and high dollar furnishings, fails to become a character; it never elevates above the level of a generic setting that's spacious enough to keep things modestly interesting but the filmmakers otherwise fail to really take advantage of it.

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Breaking In's 1080p transfer pleases in every scene. From the first shot the film reveals a top-tier Blu-ray image quality. Details are intimate and crisp. The effortless complexity shines throughout. Everything from the natural beauty around the house to the nicely appointed interior furnishings and accents shine. Wood grains, stone work, and other textural delights abound, while core clothing and facial features dazzle, all pushing the 1080p format to its limits. Colors are satisfyingly neutral. There's good depth, vitality, and saturation to everything from natural greens around the house to warmer supports and sleeker modern grays and whites inside the house. Black level depth is excellent, appearing dense and deep with shadow detail that is perfectly resolved, critical for the film's many nighttime exterior scenes. Some aliasing along a roofline at the 6:18 mark is visible, but other technical shortcomings, or even source noise at a distracting level, are rare. This is a very high end digitally sourced Blu-ray image.

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Breaking In's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack is of the "gets the job done" variety. The first sounds -- some background radio chatter -- are presented at such a low volume that one almost begins to believe there may be a problem with the track or the sound system, but the track opens up nicely soon thereafter as a character listens to some tunes while he's out for a jog. Nothing in the movie really stands out, sonically. Everything is presented in good working order, with adequate stage width, surround depth, and low end engagement to support music and effects with a tonally clear presentation. Neither music nor action are true, sound system-stretching stalwarts, but both present with enough baseline vigor and clarity to carry the movie but not enough to elevate the track beyond anything other than "good." Modest environmental details are fairly engaging and positioned. Dialogue drives the bulk, and whether normal volume exchanges, hushed whispers, or intense screams, it's always well positioned in the front-center and prioritized above any competing sound elements.

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Breaking In's Blu-ray release contains a nice smattering of bonus content, including a commentary track, deleted scenes, an alternate open, and a few featurettes. Two cuts of the film are also included: Theatrical Version (1:28:01) and Unrated Director's Cut (1:28:24). A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. The release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Alternate Opening - The Gas Station (1080p, 2:08): With optional commentary by Director James McTeigue and Scriptwriter Ryan Engle.
• Deleted/Extended Scenes (1080p, 14:28 total runtime): Extended Drone Sequence; "Where's the Safe, Sweetheart?;" Running for Your Life; and Eddie and Justin Fight. With optional commentary by Director James McTeigue and Scriptwriter Ryan Engle.
• One Bad Mother... (1080p, 4:19): A look at the film's "one woman versus four men" plot, Union's performance and capture of motherhood and female empowerment, story details, and more.
• A Filmmaker's Eye: James McTeigue (1080p, 5:06): A plot and character recap followed by a look at the qualities McTeigue brought to the film.
• A Lesson in Kicking Ass (1080p, 4:19): A quick exploration of the film's raw action scenes and stunt work as well as the character's vulnerability and increasing willingness and ability to fight.
• A Hero Evolved (1080p, 2:54): Another look at Union's abilities as an actress and performance and the qualities she brings to the film.
• Audio Commentary: Director James McTeigue and Scriptwriter Ryan Engle discuss the film. Like the rest of the extras, the writer and director do their best to talk up what makes the film a triumph.

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Assumptions are never a good bet and judging a movie by its cover and summary can mean missing on some gems, but Breaking In lives up (or down) to all of the assumptions one can make of its marketed presentation. It's a flat movie with no redeeming value. It's well put together from a baseline technical perspective but it's stale and takes no risks; one can count on the movie following the Thriller playbook to a fault. Universal's Blu-ray features excellent video, stable audio, and a nice little array of bonus content. Rent it.