Breaking In (1989)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Bill Forsyth

Writer (WGA):

John Sayles (written by)

Release Date:

13 October 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy

Tagline:

An amateur thief and a professional robber team up for an outrageous comic heist.

Plot:

Professional thief Ernie takes Mike on as an apprentice, but while Mike clearly has "larceny in his heart"...

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Teaching | Independent Film

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Burt Reynolds	...	Ernie Mullins
Casey Siemaszko	...	Mike Lafeve
Sheila Kelley	...	Carrie aka Fontaine
Lorraine Toussaint	...	Delphine the Hooker
Albert Salmi	...	Johnny Scot, Poker Player
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Shoes, Poker Player (as Harry Carey)
Maury Chaykin	...	Vincent Tucci, Attorney
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	District Attorney
Richard Key Jones	...	Lou, Bob's Tire & Body
Tom Lasswell	...	Bud, Bob's Tire & Body
Walter Shane	...	Bob's Tire & Body Manager
Frank A. Damiani	...	Waiter
David Frishberg	...	Nighclub Singer
John Baldwin	...	Sam the Apostle
Eddie Driscoll	...	Paul the Apostle

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:15 | USA:R | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Oaks Amusement Park - 7805 SE Oaks Park Way, Portland, Oregon, USA

Company:

Act III

Trivia:

Final film of Albert Salmi.

Quotes:

Carrie aka Fontaine: What would I do with your balls, were they mine? Would I hang them by their shorthairs from my long painted nails? And crack a grin as they dropped, splat splat, on the floor? No, I wouldn't do that with your balls, were they mine. But I'd put them instead in some sort of shrine. I'd fondle them daily, and keep them in line, and give them a licking from time to time. Yes, that's what I'd do with your balls, were they mine.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Hobgoblins (#10.7)" (1998)

Soundtrack:

He Included Me

A small movie gem!

Burt Reynolds has had a very shaky career. Truth be told he has made far more bad movies than he has good movies. I personally believe it is because of very poor choices, such as , lame cop movies, smokey and the bandit sequels and both cannonball run flicks. However, amongst the very large pile of "ruff" this movie is a real diamond. His character of "Earnie", the gruff but lovable experienced thief taking a young naive kid under his wing trying to teach him the ropes and tricks of the trade is done with such subtle depth by Reynolds, that it caught me completely and delightfully offgaurd. When you think about it, this was not a big budget movie and Burt gives a fantastic performance just like he does in "Boogie Nights", which is also not a big budget film. Yet when it is a huge budget movie, Reynolds tends to give rather unispired and perfunctory performances. Maybe he should stick with these indie flicks more often.