In "The Crying Game," Neil Jordan and Stephen Rea combined to create a masterful, suspenseful thriller. However, "The Break" fails to reproduce that effect, ultimately resulting in a disappointing film. After an intriguing opening sequence, in which Rea, as an Irish terrorist (surprised?), breaks out of prison, the movie really has nowhere to go. Ronan Bennett's screenplay tries to tell the sympathetic tale of a complex man attempting to go straight. The concept is good, but the movie gets bogged down in a poor relationship and runs into a complete dead end halfway through. Of course, Rea eventually returns to his terrorist techniques, this time to help the woman kill an oppressive Spanish general, or something ridiculous like that.
The movie simply doesn't have any firepower in the second half. The audience doesn't care about Rea's character. If you want to see a terrific movie with powerful performances and a fascinating story, check out "The Crying Game." Twice, instead of this once.
The movie simply doesn't have any firepower in the second half. The audience doesn't care about Rea's character. If you want to see a terrific movie with powerful performances and a fascinating story, check out "The Crying Game." Twice, instead of this once.