I recently watched Breaking Point (2009) on Tubi. The story follows a lawyer whose personal and professional life have fallen apart. When a single mother is murdered and her baby goes missing, he sees solving the case as his chance for redemption and a way to regain his self-worth.
Directed by Jeff Celentano (The Hill), the film stars Tom Berenger (Platoon), Busta Rhymes (Narc), Armand Assante (American Gangster), Frankie Faison (Coming to America), and Sticky Fingaz (Next Friday).
The cast delivered better performances than I expected. Busta Rhymes, in particular, is a surprisingly solid and ruthless villain-his performance even reminded me of Keith David at times. The film has plenty of violence and intensity, though there were a few too many scenes of women being slapped around for my taste. The action sequences are solid, featuring some entertaining gore and shootouts.
Unfortunately, a lot of the writing surrounding Berenger's character is over the top, unrealistic, and pushed too far. His drug rehabilitation subplot-especially how he essentially uses it to go undercover-felt like a stretch, as did some of the dramatic twists meant to force the film's conclusion. That said, I liked Sticky Fingaz's character, who was easy to root for.
In the end, Breaking Point has some surprisingly strong elements, but it's still a bad movie overall. I'd give it a 5/10 and only recommend it with the right expectations.
