Weinstein Company and Miramax present Breaking And Entering. Written by Anthony Minghella. 119 minutes. Rated r for Sexuality and language.
Directed By:
Anthony Minghella
Cast:
Jude Law. Will Francis
Vera Farmiga. Oana
Juliette Binoche. Amira
Robin Wright Penn. Liv
Martin Freeman. Sandy
Rafi Gavron. Miro
Poppy Rogers. Bea
The Film:
There are many good directors and a few great directors. Many consider Anthony Minghella to be one of the greats. But to use a tired metaphor, even the best baseball players only hit the ball 30% of the time. Breaking And Entering might not be a home run for Minghella but at least it’s gotten him on base.
This is another film about how people’s lives are all connected. The plot is a little convoluted so I’ll try to break it down for you. Jude Law plays Will Francis, an architect who is dating Liv (Wright Penn) who has a daughter, Bea (Rogers), with special needs. Will’s business partner is Sandy, played by Martin Freeman who turns in a stellar dramatic performance. After their business is robbed a few times they decide to watch the place after hours. One night while on watch alone Will spots Miro (Gavron) trying to break into his office. He chases the boy home where leans that Miro is the son of Amira (Binoche) a woman he’d met a few days earlier. So Will decides to befriend Amira to learn more about Miro. Amira learns what’s really going on and does what she what ever she can to ensure her boy won’t go to jail.
Minghella spins another slow atmospheric tale about good people who make bad decisions. One thing this film has going for it is Will’s complicated relationship with Liv and Amira. Will and Liv’s marriage is not the most stable one but deep down that really love each other and want it to work. They are even seeking counseling to figure out why it’s not. Meanwhile Will is growing closer and closer to Amira. Both women are likable and it’s frustrating to know that in the end at least one is going to be hurt. As if this three-way of deceit isn’t complicated enough, there is also Will’s relationship with Liv’s daughter Bea. It’s very clear he loves this girl as if she were his own daughter now matter how hard it might be and their scenes together are possibly the most touching and heartbreaking.
While there is a plot here that is not the important part. The focus here is the characters and their emotions and relationships with one another. Compared to most films made in this vain this one is pretty good. It’s a well-made film with interesting characters and a good acting. But somewhere along the line it falls short of being memorable. If you like this kind of film it’s entertaining to be sure but it’s not something you’ll rave about to friends the next day.
Jude Law and a very impressive Martin Freeman.
The DVD:
The Video:
The film is presented in anamorphic widescreen 2.35:1. If there is one thing Minghella is known for and that is cinematography. Now matter what you think of the story, it’s a beautiful-looking film.
The Audio:
The film is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1. The score is subtle which is nice. Most emotionally heavy films like this rely on a heavy score to punch up the emotion but Minghella has enough faith in his actors to let their acting create all the emotion.
Extras:
Audio Commentary with Anthony Minghella: Minghella is a very well spoken individual and makes for a very fascinating commentary. He’s a very smart man and listening to his creative thought process makes you realize why he’s such a great director. Listening to his “whys” about this film makes the film better. However, one should not have to rely on a commentary to understand why a movie is good. A film really needs to stand on it’s own.
Lie. Cheat. Steal. Love. The Making of Breaking And Entering: Run of the mill puff piece where everyone raves about how great the film is and how amazing Minghella is and how great the actors are and how wonderful it was that everything came together they way it did.
6 Deleted Scenes with Optional Director Commentary: These are better with the commentary on. Minghella starts by pointing out how silly it is that there are deleted scenes on DVDs. He determined the final cut of the film so what’s the point of showing these deleted scenes? Nonetheless they are here and Minghella explains why these scenes were cut.
Theatrical Trailer
The Inside Pulse
This is a nice film but not much more. The acting is good and Martin Freeman, mostly known for his roll in the original Office, shows he can turn in a fantastic dramatic performance as well as comedic. The film is worth taking a chance on but is not a must see.
