Breaking And Entering on DVD (2006)

The Law's A Sexy Ass

wreeve from London NW3 [Highly rated reviewer] , 14/02/2007

Strangely compelling viewing, if you are a north Londoner, or a Jude Law fan, or have had your small office burgled. I fall into all three camps.

The plot essentially involves Jude Law's office being serial burgled by a Serbian teenager run amok. Law takes the law (sic) into his own hands, and manages to track down the criminal, in the process meeting his sexy single mother (Binoche).

Law, of course, was already well served on the woman front with a half Swedish long-term girlfriend (Robin Wright Penn). The trouble is that she is a tricky character with an even more tricky 13 year old pre-pubescent slightly autistic gymnastic daughter (I kid you not).

Law steers a fine line between victim and maldoer, and whenever he's on the screen the movie is captivating. Binoche and Penn also put in good performances as the romantic interest(s). Ray Winstone , Martin Freeman and 'the prostitute' add amusement in well-drawn supporting roles. And London, the city, has a role of sorts: it's not cliched and is often very grimy, but it's always interesting to see.

The plot turns somewhat fantastical at the end, with the law becoming a victim in its own right. But that doesn't detract from a worthwhile character drama, some fine acting, and some memorable insights into relationships and modern London life. This won't top any charts but it's great that the UK is making these types of film - so try to see it.

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faking and entering

BH101 from Cambridge [Highly rated reviewer] , 07/09/2007

This is not actually a bad film. The problem with it is just that there's an unmistakeable whiff of implausibility about the whole thing. Jude Law is a saintly middle class architect (who never seems to actually do much work, beyond donning a hard hat every now and again or appearing in promotional videos talking about 'nature doesn't just mean green') who takes an extraordinarily liberal approach to having his office burgled, his laptop taken - with his 'entire life' stored on it - and his car stolen.

It's such a middle-class view of the world, at odds with reality. The teenage burglar turns out, of course, to be a sensitive and intelligent kid who's been led astray by his dodgy relatives, the mother is a (beautiful) refugee from Sarajevo who just needs someone to love her and soothe her troubled mind. The partner in the law firm (a not too bad Martin Freeman) starts dating one of the cleaners. A local prostitute turns out to be a useful confidante with a conscience.

I can see what Minghella is trying to do with this film. It's about the interaction between the different social classes in places like Kings Cross, where new yuppie types are starting to move into socially deprived areas.... potentially this is a rich vein of material to mine, illustrating the tension between different groups and the clash of values and culture. The problem is that Minghella can only write well about one side of that equation. The view of urban deprivation and the portrayal of immigrant families struggling to survive through crime, isn't convincing at all. Compare Minghella's film to those of someone like Shane Meadows or Ken Loach; it feels inauthentic - too literary, too distant, too optimistic.

The other problem is that the chemistry between Saint Jude and Juliette Brioche (mmm, brioche...) is sadly lacking. There's little to persuade you that these two people could ever really be all that interested in each other. The Bosnian angle doesn't really add a lot; it just seems shoe-horned in as an 'issue'. And not sure what movie Winstone's cop wandered in from, but he's someone else who wants to apply a bit of TLC to the problems of society and save everyone.

Yes, the world would be a much better place if everyone was like Jude Law, prepared to look for and see the good in people, integrate easily with the usually invisible underclass, and attempt to understand the causes of juvenile crime, rather than . But it might be a more interesting film if it tried to portray the world as it it actually is, not some rather fake, borgeois interpretation of it.

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This was criminal

BigDev from Oldham [Highly rated reviewer] , 01/05/2007

You can usually tell within the first 15 minutes whether a film is worth the time or not; being a Jude Law fan and a big Ray Winston fan I persevered with this film for over 40 minutes before I turned it off. It was dull, the plot did not appear to be going in any particular direction, and nothing about the film kept me interested. I gave this film 1 star because Ray Winston was in it and for no other reason. VERY DISAPPOINTING!!!

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UK film for grown ups.

A customer from Bristol , 21/10/2007

This film felt European rather than English. London is portrayed as a beautfiful vital city rather than a backdrop to some latest misguided 'cool' comedy as it usually is in films lately.

The ailing UK film industry makes so many duds it's good to see a film which gets things right for a change.

The story itself is nothing that special but it has a great feel to it. If you like action packed films then this won't be for you but if you want a calm film which is good to look at and feels more like a novel than a movie then try this.

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what a waste

boltonkev from sheffield [Highly rated reviewer] , 23/09/2007

this is the most boring film i have ever seen,jude law plays a architect who gets robbed then it just gets slower and slower ,it only speeded up because i pressed the fast forward button dont waste your time

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Surprising

Paperboy from Surbiton , 26/09/2007

To be honest, I ordered this for my wife's viewing pleasure, but was surprised at how gripped I was by it. It has a stellar cast and and is very well scripted. It's only negative for me is that it sometimes lapsed into a rather depressing fly-on-the-wall style reminiscent of some 'worthy' TV dramas, but thankfully these moments were short-lived.

Not a 'must-see' movie, but you certainly won't be sorry at the end of the night that you rented it.

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