Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 28, 2022

Bill Forsyth's "Breaking In" (1989) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include an exclusive new audio commentary recorded by Bill Forsyth, screenwriter John Sayles and filmmaker and critic Daniel Kremer, as well a vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

That's my life's work. And the kid is taking credit for it.

On a couple of different occasions, I have written that Bill Forsyth’s best work is in his first two films, That Sinking Feeling and Gregory's Girl. Why is that? Because they have a wonderful casual environment that makes their quirky characters appear incredibly authentic. As a result, it becomes very easy for the viewer to befriend these characters and then get comfortable in their company. There is one other reason as well. I am unsure precisely how to describe it, but it has something to do with the manner in which Forsyth’s camera ‘sees’ the places these characters visit. There is a special sense of intimacy that emerges from the visuals, which I think defines Forsyth’s style. It is detectable in a few of Forsyth’s latter films as well, most notably Comfort and Joy, but in That Sinking Feeling and Gregory’s Girl it is very prominent and impossible to miss.

Breaking In was the second of two films Forsyth directed with big Hollywood stars during the 1980s that were supposed to strengthen his image on this side of the Atlantic. It was the first film that wasn’t written by Forsyth, so in a way it was another attempt to tune up the director’s style of storytelling after the lackluster reception of Local Hero. (Contrary to what you will read in archival mainstream reviews, Local Hero did not accomplish what it was supposed to in the United States). For Breaking In, Forsyth teamed up with John Sayles, another director with a very unique style whose best work came up early in his career as well. In it Burt Reynolds plays an aging professional thief who befriends a young amateur thief (Casey Siemaszko) that becomes his partner and eventually steals his reputation. It is a pretty good looking film that basically flips the buddy cop formula that was very popular in American action comedies during the 1970s and 1980s.

Unfortunately, even though Sayles’ screenplay must have been a good one, Breaking In has the same problem Local Hero does, which is a mismanaged relationship that overshadows everything that is supposed to make the film likeable. However, this time the cause behind the mismanagement is different, and given the nature of the project it is fair to write that Forsyth had virtually everything to do with it. (For reference, in Local Hero a lot of the bad can be traced back to Burt Lancaster’s performance, and specifically the manner in which it counters the quirky humor that ought to keep its different parts together). Indeed, at the center of Breaking In is the entirely predictable incompatibility of the two thieves which should produce the exciting awkward material but rarely does. Instead, Forsyth only manages to slow down the film and make it appear so introverted that the awkward begins to look seriously artificial, often even quite annoying because it gradually acquires an off-putting arty flavor as well.

Forsyth might have been more successful if Reynolds was teamed up with a better young actor and the two managed to organically reset and improve the relationship between the two thieves. As it is, the film relies on Reynolds to do all of the heavy lifting while Siemaszko drifts away and leaves the impression that Forsyth is making the best of his performance.

One other detail of the production that is very much worth pointing out is the fact that Forsyth was definitely shooting on an unfamiliar turf. It may not be immediately noticeable if you have not seen That Sinking Feeling and Gregory’s Girl, but the use of unique locations in Breaking In is pretty underwhelming.

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Breaking In arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from a new 2K master that was prepared exclusively for it. This master has very strong organic qualities that instantly make it obvious that it offers the best technical presentation of the film to date. I am going to mention first the one area where I think there is still room for some minor yet meaningful improvements. Some of the darker areas look a bit too dark, so there is a certain amount of crushing that collapses native details/nuances. To be clear, the crushing isn't as pronounced as the one witnessed on the recent 4K master that was prepared for The Long Goodbye, but it is easy to recognize. Obviously, it does have a minor impact on the perception of depth as well, but the overall quality of the visuals is still very nice. The rest I like a lot. Clarity is consistently very pleasing, plus stability is excellent. The color palette is good too, though ideally saturation levels could be even better. There are no traces of problematic digital work. The entire film is free of distracting age-related imperfections. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track should meet all of your expectations. Clarity, sharpness, and depth are really good, and even though there isn't any notable action in the film, dynamic nuances were excellent as well. I do have to say that I am a little surprised to see that MGM did not create a 5.1 track for this film, but the the two-channel audio does everything it is supposed to do.

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - an original U.S. trailer for Breaking In. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Commentary - this exclusive new audio commentary was recorded by Bill Forsyth, screenwriter John Sayles and filmmaker and critic Daniel Kremer. I listened to the entire commentary and even though I disagree with the evaluation of its supposed strengths, I thought that it was very honest. For example, the space that Forsyth refers to I think is essential for its identity, but there is a lot that happens between Burt Reynolds and Casey Siemaszko that is at odds with it. It is a good commentary, so anyone that enjoys Forsyth's work should listen to it in its entirety.

Breaking In Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Bill Forsyth would have delivered a vastly superior film had he directed Breaking In in Scotland with Scottish actors. In its current form Breaking In relies on Burt Reynolds to do all of the heavy lifting, while Casey Siemaszko drifts away and leaves the impression that he was quite simply not the right actor to do the part of the young thief. It is easy to argue that Forsyth mismanaged the film, but it is just as easy to speculate that with Siemaszko contributing he likely did the best he could. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from a very healthy new 2K master that was prepared exclusively for it, and features an excellent new audio commentary with Forsyth, screenwriter John Sayles, and filmmaker and critic Daniel Kremer. If you are a fan of Breaking In, pick up a copy for your library. Otherwise, consider a rental first.