Breaking Point (2009) User Reviews

Thrilled crime-drama, but not "enough" worth.

[kankawin25013 · 6/10 · 22 April 2013]

Breaking Point (showed as Order of Redemption in my cable-TV) was the crime drama movie which could make everyone go to the deepest of darkness. The movie blasted viewers with violence, drugs, and especially, women's abusive which more than a half of women in the world could disgust this film.

The plot is good in the side of drama, how the protagonist fight with his cruel past and the "bad bad" drug. I have to credit Tom Berenger for his performance in drama scenes. Rather than showing himself the "war-hero" as in his many films, Berenger was very good in expressing Steven Luisi a very poor character. Although, in the other part, I think he was just "an old man" with nothing special.

But the things that I was very surprise is the acting of Busta Rhymes. I had to praise him for his outstanding role which could made him advances to "Hall of Shame" (Shame just means antagonists). Every time he was shown on the screen, he could make "Al Bowen" to be the "over-the-top" nasty mobster. I believe that, as long as his character exists, everyone will want to "break him into pieces".

For other casts, Sticky Fingaz could made me pity with his fate. He was pretty good with the climax scene. Armand Assante is also well-done for his arrogant dubious "Marty Berlin".

However, I think the film crew cannot come out right with the mix of violence and drama sides which is the drawbacks of Breaking Point. They boost too much violence only to sell bad guys' role. Another thing is that the last scene is too silly and needless.

As overall, this movie is OK for shaking your heart and make you wondering "how the world is so bad", but it doesn't make me pleased as the worth- watching movie.

Busta Is Brutal

[LeonLouisRicci · 6/10 · 25 October 2013]

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.

Interesting but Confusing

[Bob_the_Hobo · 6/10 · 2 April 2011]

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.

The Ratings are Accurate for a Reason

[Surfin_San_Diego · 2/10 · 31 July 2010]

I read the reviews here before renting at Redbox. Berenger hasn't always disappointed and I thought it might be worth a shot. I was wrong. I should have believed the ratings and reviews here. The only reason I didn't rate it "awful" is that the camera was on tripod and didn't jerk around. The cinematographer was able to frame some pretty scenery of New York. Other than that, I don't have a lot to offer in the way of kinds words.

No story, no hook to keep you involved, a mish-mash of fade-backs that are so subtle they are confusing. To say it is clichéd would be to say it is the difference between chicken salad and chicken scratch.

I don't know how it ended. I could only stand 30 minutes of it before I decided my life was draining away watching it.

Stay with the Hit Movies and Top 20 at Redbox. The rest of them are bombs waiting to go off in your DVD player.

Really not impressed

[amj_agn · 3/10 · 31 January 2010]

I was not impressed with this movie. If a movie doesn't catch my attention in the first 30 minutes I won't watch the rest. It started out violent and I had no idea what the plot even was. All I saw was violence, murder, and drug abuse but no real substance. I didn't finish it. Even the people I was watching it with didn't get the point of the movie either. I was expecting something great out of it though the actors in the film were not names which with I was familiar. Fighting for truth and justice are good causes, but I only saw that in the plot synopsis. I guess it takes a while into the movie to finally get the idea that is what is going on.

Nope, pretty bad.

[xmensch · 3/10 · 20 January 2010]

Flickers of sophistication. Otherwise, too long, too sentimental, too unselfconsciously overplayed. Berenger almost pulls off the sympathetic broken man character, but without enough cheap action to prop him up, he pretty much melts into the part. The premise is stock standard enough that a brainless monkey should be able to make a movie around it, but the script is so unbelievable, and oddly structured (moments of grainy flashback flicker sporadically through the plot, gradually advancing an all too obvious and predictable back story), with characters introduced in tossed-off, sitcom-ish scenes, never to reappear again, that its hard to get through more than a scene or two without groaning. Still, there are flares of inspiration - or rather, imitation with skill. But they are transitory moments - literally. As my first English teacher said when she was looking for something nice to say about one of my essays: "Good transitions!"

In no way great but quite OK.

[ODDBear · 7/10 · 1 February 2010]

There's nothing new about "Breaking Point" and, in the end, it's pretty predictable. But I'm a huge fan of both Tom Berenger and Armand Assante, two very decent actors who haven't gotten a decent film role in ages. Straight to DVD is what we mostly get from these guys (though I believe this film had a short theatrical run a month prior to it's DVD release) and they vary considerably in quality. But I was somewhat excited about "Breaking Point", despite starring Busta Rhymes.

As a drama piece; you get somewhat involved into the plight of disgraced attorney Steven Luisi's (Berenger) attempt to defend an innocent man accused of murdering his girlfriend and baby. Throw into the mix a very nasty killer (Rhymes) and a dubious district attorney (Assante) and you get a fairly shallow but reasonably action packed drama piece about redemption in the face of much corruption and back stabbings.

The problem here is the script relies too much on clichés. This could easily be a double episode in an above average TV legal show and in particular the bad dialog hurts the film. That said, the inevitable twist here (though fairly predictable) is reasonable enough and doesn't come completely out of left field.

As for performances; Berenger has perfected his brooding skills and overall he gives a very good performance here. His character is somewhat underwritten and given a very clichéd back story. Some potentially good sequences, such as him attending a meeting discussing his drug addiction or a further flesh-out of his relationship with Musetta Vander, would have given us better insight into his character but never appear. Assante is given fairly little to do but he's always a forceful presence and manages to squeeze in a solid performance. As for Rhymes; well, he's a lot more tolerable here than in "Halloween: Resurrection", that's for sure. In fact; he's quite OK.

"Breaking Point" won't stay long in your memory but it's a decent enough way to spend and hour and a half. Berenger once again proves he's worthy of good roles and Assante should be given the benefit of the doubt as well.

You may reach your breaking point watching this "film"

[vincentlynch-moonoi · 4/10 · 12 August 2014]

I'm not a big fan of the extent to which flashbacks are used in films nowadays. They have their place, but they are often overdone. Here, the flashbacks are so frequent that they're practically tripping over each other. I had difficulty figuring out what role some of the actors were playing (for example, Armand Assante was the D.A....ah, okay...glad somebody cleared that up). The director's -- Jeff Celentano -- first film project was called "dickwad"; somehow that seems appropriate.

Another problem in this film is that there is no character to like and root for. Busta Rhymes is an apparent psychopathic baby killer. Tom Berenger is an addicted lawyer. Only that we hate baby killers even more than we hate guys addicted to cocaine gives one any pretense to root for one of the characters. Maybe we could root a little for the character played by Sticky Fingaz.

The opening segment, where a prostitute's baby is thrown out of an upstairs apartment window is excessively brutal. Really, couldn't we do a little better than that? There was a time when I really enjoyed Tom Berenger as an actor. He hasn't aged well (age 60 when this film was shot, and it shows). Frankly, too old for the role of an attorney as portrayed in this film.

Busta Rhymes as an actor? No thank you. Not ever. Never. Stick with your strength -- rap music -- at which you are very good.

Armand Assante has not aged well, either. He was 59 when this was filmed, and frankly there were points at which I found him difficult to understand.

Sticky Fingaz shows promise as an actor.

In terms of the plot...again...very confusing at points. Perhaps the last 15-20 minutes (minus the very end) were pretty good.

The one thing I thought was quite good about this film -- although it's hardly a reason one attends a movie -- the photography was gritty in a very good way.

I'm sorry I wasted 97 minutes watching this.

Much better than expected

[imagesoft · 7/10 · 27 April 2010]

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.

Much Better Then Expected

[fallguy_jack · 8/10 · 8 January 2010]

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.

Better than expected

[kosmasp · 6/10 · 30 September 2013]

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

A good thriller underrated, and by whom?

[[e-mail] · 8/10 · 4 November 2012]

Giving this film a 4.8 out of 362 spectators: is this some kind of bad joke?

This is a good gripping thriller with good acting especially by Busta Rhymes who is really frightening in his scenes. Well done.

I am not a rap fan, don't know nothing about rap, etc... don't like it too much, maybe I don't understand it, I don't know these people, so my appreciation is straightforward. Deserves a 7 minimum of minima.

Well done.

Giving this film a 4.8 out of 362 spectators: is this some kind of bad joke?

This is a good gripping thriller with good acting especially by Busta Rhymes who is really frightening in his scenes. Well done.

I am nota rap fan, don't know nothing about rap, etc... don't like it too much, maybe I don't understand it, I don't know these people, so my appreciation is straightforward. Deserves a 7 minimum of minima.

Well done.

very very good film, i'll tell you why

[unemployedvirgin · 9/10 · 4 September 2010]

Just watched Breaking Point, and i have to say its a great movie. It really grabs your attention from the start, making the viewer feel involved in the storyline. I love a film that makes you hang on the actor/s every word when trying to grasp the situation. Also, i was impressed with the acting of both rappers Busta rhymes and Sticky Fingaz. Busta was actually a very good villain in this picture. All the actors proved very sincere and honest.

Another plus is the way the story is interconnected between characters, which never leaves a boring dull moment. Which is why i am disappointed that this film was given such a low rating. I even made this account just now to write my review on it :)

Oh and not to forget...the composer and music soundtrack should really get a lot of the credit. If your a Scorsese buff like me who appreciates the right sound for the right visual. This is definitely worth the time to watch.

Conclusion:

No cheesy comedy included (thank you Mr. director) Musetta Vander was beautiful, Craig muMs Grant (who was Poet in the prison drama Oz) was a nice added touch and Armand Assante had a somewhat "Al Pacino" quality in his performance.

That's All Folks!!! If your into crime thrillers that involve some law enforcement mixed with psychological game play; this is definitely a treat

This movie was really good

[malik-the-hot1 · 8/10 · 4 July 2021]

Entertaining and engaging movie, dont listen to the negative reviews, there are some good movies out there that get overlooked due to the negative reviews and this movie is one of them.