Breaking Point

I couldn't resist the thought of Busta Rhymes, Armand Assante, and Tom Berenger all acting in the same movie, so I just had to rent it.

I found the plot of the film pretty confusing, so pardon me if I describe something incorrectly. Berenger plays a cocaine-addicted attorney who has a beef with the D.A., played by Assante. Busta Rhymes, meanwhile, is a tough-guy gangster who has a thug (Sticky Fingaz) that seems to be working to stop him. If I could get more specific, I would.

Like I said, the plot was confusing. I didn't understand how the two stories came together, but I was interested nonetheless. The plot was compelling, and the characters made it worth watching.

The acting was remarkably good. Berenger does a really great job, I cared about his character and found him the most interesting of the group. Busta turns in a very good performance as a total scumbag. He was definitely hateable. Sticky Fingaz and Armand Assante round out the main cast, with equally memorable roles.

Ultimately "Breaking Point" was a bit confusing but compelling. You'll like it if you don't go in expecting too much.

Overwritten and Overwrought City Crime Movie that tries to be way too much. Rapper Busta Rhymes Steals the Show and is a Monster on Screen from the Brutal Beginning. His Gang is Reprehensible and Responsible for the Movie's Needlessly Thick Story, Characters, and Plot. They Deserved Better because their Vile Existence is Placed in this Otherwise Sappy Screenplay.

Tom Berenger is Miscast as a Shrinking Lawyer that Carries a Depressing and Despair of a Past throughout the Movie that Weighs the Thing Down and is the Film's Biggest Misstep. The Courtroom Scenes and Political Corruption are also Weak and that is Deadly Considering the Movie Decides to make that its Central Conceit.

Worth a View for some Very Disturbing Gang Related Behavior and a Fittingly Down-Beat Tone, but it All is Overdone and Smothered by its Lesser Failures and the Heavy-Handed, almost TV-Drama Pedestrianism.

I don't know why this is rated so low. True it's closer to 7 than 8, but come on, how amazing a movie did people expect from Berenger and Busta? 7 out of 10 is a huge accomplishment for them, so I say 8.

That said, they actually may have given their best performances ever in this film. Somehow Assante was at the lower end of the performance calibre. He does alright I guess, but it's Armand Assante, decent is his minimum. Sticky Fingaz is pretty decent too.

I can't stress enough the amazing job old Tom Berenger comes up with, I assume good direction helped, but you really feel for his character, just as on the flip side, Busta Rhymes does a bang up job getting you to hate his character, I wanted to end him seconds into his appearance, and more every second thereafter.

The story and direction etc are all decent, certainly above average compared to what one would expect.

It's only fair to note that towards the end of the movie, the quality declines a bit, I guess they spent too much time making the rest of it as good as they could, and they had to rush. Whatever,

I was pleasantly surprised, I enjoyed the movie for the most part, you probably will too.

This film was far better than I expected. I rented it from Red Box on the way home just to have something on while I was doing something else, but the intensity of the scenes kept grabbing my attention until I relented, and sat down to watch it. Busta was a straight-up monster in this film and demanded my attention and props. Even in his comedic rap lyrics he has always given off an angry vibe; this was the perfect vehicle to express that rage. He was genuinely scary and I haven't thought that of a character in a long time. Berenger held his own in the role of a washed up semi-x-junkie lawyer, but because the character wasn't that interesting the actor didn't have much to work with; other notable (supporting) performances where Richard Allen as "Sticky Fingaz" and Frankie Faison as Judge Green.

Even Busta Rhymes actually fits the bill. It's not just a rapper in costume, he actually has something to do. Mr. Fingaz (from Onyx fame, if anybody remembers) is not as good, but holds his own. Of course you also get "real" actors in it. One of them being Berenger. And while he is bloated (weight wise), he still has some charisma left to hold and star in a movie.

Don't get me wrong this isn't great by far, but it is really entertaining with some nice action scenes and a story that might be trying too hard, but still has some punches left. Armand Assante is almost theatrical (especially towards the end), but he works too. If you like these sort of movies, you might be enticed to watch it