A story about theft, both criminal and emotional, "Breaking and Entering" follows a disparate group of Londoners and new arrivals.
If Ken Loach did glossy, then 'Breaking & Entering' could've easily been a film from the socialist director's neo-realist stable, though rotund, amiable auteur Anthony Minghella ('The English Patien't') is usually a safe bet when it comes to quality cinema. It's been well over a decade since Minghella directed his own work (1991"' 'Truly Madly Deeply') having turned in some excellent adaptations (i.e. 'Play', 'The Talented Mr Ripley' & 'Cold Mountain') since filming Michael Onjante's much loved, Oscar winning romance. 'Breaking & Entering' is an engaging and serious minded look at London in a time of change; where cultures don't so much clash as accidentally bump into each other; an instantly recognisable arena of multicultural, metropolitan life; where class, race and religion travel on a sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes chaotic conveyer belt; almost completely detached from the corrupt machinations of the state, but increasingly distant from one another as well. It's a film that uses intimacy and strong character development as a way to address the wider issues of human interaction & modernity, though its scope and ambition is occasionally limited by problems with format, genre & marketability.
Now I've got absolutely nothing against Jude Law, I quite like him as an actor and he seems to be a nice enough guy, its just that most of his movies make me want to punch his smug, smirking lights out. Law is always better when he's paired with London based directors, having done some of his best work with Sam Mendes (in the excellent 'Road To Perdition') and Anthony Minghella (in 'The Talented Mr Ripley' & 'Cold Mountain') 'Breaking & Entering' marks their third collaboration to date,, and Jude seems to have raised his game once again. Law gives an affecting, believable performance as an increasingly disillusioned architect whose plan to catch a thrifty young thief goes awry. As with most Minghella pictures, the story is just a means to an end; a way for us to spend time with his characters and watch as Law is forced to leave the plush surroundings of his office space to interact with those caught up in the maelstrom of gentrification he and his colleagues have instigated. Its also no coincidence that Juliet Binoche's character is a seamstress, for Minghella makes the point that society doesn't change for the better by putting up a few new buildings as a means with which to sweep our problems under the carpet, but by attempting to sew up the very fabric of society itself; a moral fibre that lies torn and tattered through years of neglect, socio-political and economic injustice.
I was quite sceptical about how an issue as complicated as the Bosnian war would play out in a small scale London set drama, and even now, I'm not entirely convinced some of the characters worked as well as they could have, nonetheless, there are some genuine scenes of raw emotion / poignant symbolism. And even the love scene between Law and Binoche provides a subtle allusion to the infamous rape camps (e.g. Partizan) run by criminal militias in Belgrade during the war, for when she says "I've giving myself to you, I want it to be worth something", we get the impression that this isn't the first time she's had to use her body as a bargaining tool, hence what begins as a passionate, albeit illicit, liaison between consenting adults, is soon tainted by the wounds of history and deceit. We're in the land of funny accents again; and though Robin Wright Penn is my favourite actress and a fearless artist who gets better with every role ('She's So Lovely', 'State Of Grace', 'Sorry, Haters' and 'The Pledge' being standouts for me) making her character Swedish isn't particularly relevant to the story besides the 'ABBA' 'Beatles' conversation. The same goes for Sophie Marceau look-alike Vera Farmiga (last seen in 'The Departed') who sparkles as an oddball prostitute, though her accent practically takes us on a trek around Eastern Europe from Poland, Ukraine all the way to Georgia and back again. 'Breaking & Enterings' supporting cast also deserve a mention: teenage non-actor Nicky Gavron (cast on the strength of his parkour skills, parkour being a form of free-running where thrill seekers jump from rooftop to rooftop) actually does well to hold his own with industry heavyweights like Binoche, Law and Ray Winstone. Martin Freeman is quite funny as usual, but you can feel the weight of typecasting on his shoulders whilst Ray Winstone's honest copper is a good, albeit somewhat unrealistic, character. 'Breaking & Entering' is an expertly directed, well acted drama, let down slightly by unrealised ambitions and a few scenes of clichéd melodrama.
'Breaking and Entering' is Anthony Minghella's first self-penned film since the excellent 'Truly Madly Deeply' and he has chosen to support the excellent screenplay by involving actors, such as Juliette Binoche, that he has previously directed with great success. The film returns to the familiar Minghella concepts of love and its inevitable breakdown and centres around Will (played by Jude Law), an architect with a disintergrating home life who, following a series of break-ins at his office, begins an affair with the young thief's mother (played by Juliette Binoche). In general, the acting is of the highest standard with Vera Farmiga giving a particularly strong comic turn. Though both intriguing and entertaining, the film can be a little smug in places and Jude Law is not always as sympathetic as he might have been. There aren't that many extras on the DVD but the Director's Commentary is certainly worth a listen.
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Please note this is a region 2 DVD and will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play. Love is no ordinary crime. A architect's (Jude Law) dealings with a young thief cause him to re-evaluate his life, bringing him closer to the offender's poor single mother (Juliette Binoche).... Oscar-winning director Anthony Minghella helms this film of his own screenplay, reunited with top-class actors from his previous projects The Talented Mr Ripley (Jude Law) and The English Patient (Juliette Binoche), Actors Jude Law, Juliette Binoche, Robin Wright Penn, Martin Freeman, Ray Winstone, Rafi Gavron, Vera Farmiga, Anna Chancellor, Hu Tin-Ting, Eleanor Matsuura & Juliet Stevenson Director Anthony Minghella Certificate 15 years and over Year 2006 Screen Widescreen 2.35:1 Anamorphic Languages English - Dolby Digital (5.1)
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