Break

Low grade British film about an impoverished kid from an impoverished neighborhood whose dying father makes a last ditch effort when he gets out of jail to get his son a chance at a Snooker tournament in Hong Kong that will turn his life around. The kid is a small time criminal, wasting his life on drugs and petty crime hanging with his friends...but amazingly has shown a gift for Snooker.

I wish they showed more of the game of Snooker and explained the rules a little, but I guess they figure that is what the internet is for.

The cast was appropriate and well acted, but there were a lot of trite stereotypes...like getting the girl and the bad guy getting taken out.

I would probably give this movie a pass...although I don't have an alternative snooker movie to recommend...there are several pool movies The Hustler (Paul Newman), Stickmen (New Zealand), The Color of Money (Paul Newman).

However, this is the Dutch actor, Rutger Hauer's last film...so if you would like to see him and don't just want to rewatch Bladerunner, Ladyhawke or The Heineken Kidnapping this is the film for you. ...And to Anne Rice fans: He really would have made a much better vampire than the actor who got the role.

To be fair it's not bad, story flows - kinda mini 'Top Boy' does snooker. Only neg - Think main character took same acting lessons as Danny Dyer but still is worth a see. Ideal if you like a bit of snooker but tonight it's 'movie-night' - even if partner doesn't partake in a bit of velvet ball action both will still be film satisfied. 'A snooker film with knifes, weed, no Steve Davis characters and not much snooker'.

This is a Snooker movie you never knew you needed in your life but more than that this is a story about a young man set in his ways that tells us, it is never too late to make those needed changes without clubbing you over the head with tropey cliche nonsense. Break respects it viewer and commands your respect in return.

Not the best film I've ever seen but I'm glad I saw it. The lead role played by Sam Gittins was so natural and understated, very impressed by him.

I'm also not the biggest snooker fan but I don't think you need to be to enjoy it. A simple story well told so not sure why it's getting so much hate.

Review: I recommended Break (2020) to my brother and my parents for professionalism of it's creators. Recently, it's rare that a film is compelling after the cinema died. This story is held together by cinematic camera movements and a few enticing shots, similar to the Social Network.

Genre: It's got a blend of traditional British crime drama (think Harry Brown 2009) and an athlete's biopic. My buddy was obsessed about writing a bio-pic of an athlete and this film has got him beat.