892 (2022) – Movie Review | Jimmy at Sundance | John Boyega
Servus Freunde, my name is Jimmy Cage and
892 is another brand-new movie that I just
saw at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
It’s an American drama / thriller, that
marks the feature film debut by director Abi
Damaris Corbin, who also co-wrote the screenplay.
It’s based on true events and tells the
story of a desperate man who takes desperate
measures in a tragic attempt to make his voice
getting heard.
John Boyega portrays the Marine war veteran
Brian Brown-Easly, who decides to rob a bank
and hold hostages with a bomb.
Only that he isn’t after the money, but
there to tell his story.
The first twenty or thirty minutes of this
movie were pretty fantastic.
Abi Damaris Corbin gives us a small glimpse
into this man’s life and then immediately
ramps up the tension when Brian is entering
that bank, determined to go through with his
plan.
It’s not like you have never seen a robbery
and hostage situation as tense as this before,
but it’s quite effective and what you haven’t
seen like this before is John Boyega, who
gives an incredible performance.
It’s not just this intensity but also the
vulnerability and confusion he brings to the
role.
This isn’t a cold-blooded
a deeply hurt human being.
Someone who is clearly suffering from some
post traumatic stress.
After that introduction I was keen to be on
the edge of my seat and also be moved by Boyega’s
heartfelt portrayal of this troubled young
man.
But then slowly but surely the movie lost
me, as it’s not able to keep or increase
that tension and it’s also not really able
to unpack the full experience that this man
went through.
Maybe it’s giving away too much too early
but I felt as if we don’t really get to
learn much new for the rest of the movie or
that we don’t really get into the meat of
it.
There are some brief flashbacks but they don’t
really add anything of substance or anything
that we didn’t know or already assumed.
Very early on you already know the three important
facets of Brian’s life.
He loves his daughter, he has been traumatized
by his war experience and he has been screwed
by the VA.
The U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.
Director Abi Damaris Corbin’s noble intentions
are clear and commendable.
The way veterans are treated by the country
they fought for.
How bureaucracy can screw you.
How you need to make a bomb threat before
you get heard.
And yet the movie misses to make a real impact.
Besides Boyega’s powerhouse performance,
which is easily the best thing about it.
892 also struggles to tell the story of what’s
going on outside of the bank in a more gripping
and cohesive way.
This conglomerate of media, police and other
players – it’s there but it’s also kind
of a mess.
Which is partly intended I guess but the back
and forth of who’s in charge and who’s
endangering the situation and so on – it’s
strangely enough not really adding much to
the movie’s thriller aspects, but comes
across as kind of random.
It’s of course great and bittersweet to
see the late Michael K. Williams once again
in one of his last performances, but the dynamic
and bond between him and Brian comes far too
late and isn’t that deep either.
So unfortunately, I was rather disappointed
by this one, with the exception of Boyega’s
portrayal.
I give 892 5 out of 10.
It’s more like 5.4 but I don’t do that.
Alright, that’s it for today.
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