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John Boyega and Selenis Leyva. © 2022. Bleecker Street, Salmira Productions, EPIC Magazine, Little Lamb, and UpperRoom Productions. Directed by Abi Damaris Corbin. Watched it at AMC Theaters
Based on a true story, a veteran must rob a bank not to get his money, but to send a message. This film was riveting and there was something about this film that made me appreciate more and love this story and film. It's a sad story for sure but there is some truth behind it. True filmmaking care behind it and they respected the real-life story and people behind this tragic event. This is a film that will be looked at in the coming years when the VA or something about the US government gets exposed of something. This film really captivated me and today, you will read why this film could become truly special for these kinds of stories in the future. Plot: Desperate for money and running out of options, Marine veteran Brian Brown-Easley holds several people hostage inside a bank, setting the stage for a tense confrontation with police. But everything starts to turn when he notices the racial tension between the cops and himself. But there is someone who can help him to keep him alive and still get the money from the VA department. This story was very interesting when I read the synopsis and realized that it was based on a true story. I was going to watch it at Sundance but I rather wait to watch it in theaters and that was a great decision. This film felt it needed to be seen in theaters because of the great cinematography and great directorial debut directing. This film was really strong for an independent film and it passed my expectations. The story was sad yet tense and there was so much depth to make the audience care for the real-life character and they did justice. John Boyega's performance was very fucking good with a lot of emotions and he really made this person feel real on screen. John Boyega is such an underrated actor and he should deserve a lot of attention for this performance. The other side characters including the hostages and police chief were also great as well. The late Michael K. Williams was great in the film as well. I really enjoyed his performance and it hits differently when I see one of his final performances on screen. The characters were great, and we get to see their point of view of the situation, which gets very tense in the end. There was interesting racial tension as well with some of the cops and the FBI. They really did not hide that and that's really good. It can be a little controversial but when you watch the final words on the screen, it really changed the whole point of view of this story and film overall. The production of this film is really great as well. I liked the set of the bank and they had money to have badass cops around the bank. I really liked the cinematography and the color palette was very sleek. Overall, the production was very great and it managed to look like a mid-budget film. The makeup on John Boyega's character looked very similar to the real Brian Brown-Easley and they did a great job in that department of filmmaking. The story and characters are strong and they really brought the tension high to this film. But some of the tension didn't quite work out for me. One of the biggest flaws of this film is that some of the tension was starting to die down. Midway through, I felt like some of the tension was dying down due to lack of any new story development with some of the side characters or the cops not doing anything. There was some tension near the end but it died down quickly. The scenes with the ex-wife were interesting but they didn't quite grab my attention. Only the kid and the father were very important and not the ex-wife which kind of disappointed me. Plus, I wanted to see more of a reaction to the mother before the finale. Michael K. Williams's character was great but I felt like he didn't get enough screen time or character development to connect with Brian. But it came in full circle in the end with his final scene. We still don't know what led to Brian's death which is a real-life mystery but I wish they could've explained it more. Basically, in much simpler terms, the second act was slow yet felt empty. It started to lose its steam within its dramatic storytelling and I felt like there was something missing that keeps me holding back. There was tension for sure, but it didn't grab that full tension between Brian and the hostages. It was quite there but didn't quite catch it. But in the final minutes of the third act that leads to Brain's death, that's where the film starts to pick its pace up. Just some narrative story issues but still, this was solid overall. This is a very solid directorial debut and there was passion behind this unique project. Interesting real-life story with great performances, solid cinematography with a cool blue color palette, and great independent production. This was a great indie film and I'm happy that these kinds of films are still being produced and that's why I love about independent cinema. I recommend watching this film and this is a director that should be followed in the coming years. What an interesting independent film! Now Playing Only in Select Theaters. Vizeit Score: "B" (Share this review with your film friends and on social media! Thank you for your continue support.) Copyright © 2022. Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr.
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