Customer Reviews

Breaking Point

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Breaking Point was only given a limited theater release in New York, so for all intents and purposes, it's a straight-to-DVD movie. Despite this, I thought it was much better than most dollar-rental fare.

There are two things that set this movie apart from others that don't succeed at the box office: cinematography and score. I was really surprised at how artistic scenes were framed and shot, the quality of filming locations, and the overall production quality (looks terrific on an HD screen). Director Jeff Celentano has only shot a handful of other movies whose names you wouldn't recognize, but I was impressed with the job he did on Breaking point. Add to the visuals a terrific score by composer Pinar Toprak, and you've got a movie that's a treat for the eyes and ears.

Where the movie falls flat, however, is the cliched storyline. There's really nothing original about it, it seems to cobble plot pieces from Face Off, Beyond a Resonable Doubt, and From Hell. Tom Berenger does an adequate acting job as a recovering addict and attorney, but is easily upstaged by his nemesis played by Armand Assante. Having seen Busta Rhymes peform live in concert before, I was disappointed to see someone with so much energy and stage presence miscast as a calm and collected crime boss. I've long been a fan of Sticky Fingaz in film, and he definitely nails the role of thug with a heart (though his character's football backstory was completely unnecessary).

Recast Busta and Berenger's roles, and this could have been a four-star review. Do the same, but rewrite the script as something original and less predictable, and you'd be looking at a five-star review. This is far from a low-budget, run of the mill urban film, though. Rent it once, then decide if you want to add it to your collection.

I loved this movie. Tom Berenger was really good in this. I liked the music, too. This movie and the soundtrack are well worth buying.