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One City, Two Worlds Intersecting

A review of Breaking and Entering (2006; dir Anthony Minghella)

—Julian Wood

Anthony Minghella was brilliant TV scriptwriter who once made a little film called Truly Madly Deeply (1991); after that came The English Patient and then, well the rest is history. For such a sensitive artist the Hollywood vortex proved to be a mixed blessing. So it’s good to see that he has the courage to go back to his roots, and direct his own script set in a London locality. He has delivered both a personal film and a well-crafted entertainment.

The story takes off from bang up to date issues about London’s global restructuring. King’s Cross where the film is set, is the last wedge of undeveloped central London land but its centuries’ old reputation (not dissimilar to its Aussie namesake) has always presented a deadly contradiction to would-be gentrifiers.

Will Francis (Minghella stalwart Jude Law) is a trendy architect whose office in King’s Cross is constantly broken into by youths. Will tracks down a culprit but when it turns out to be a Bosnian Muslim lad with a connection back to Will’s own circle, dilemmas are sharpened. Will’s girlfriend Liv (a fine performance from the often under-rated Robin Wright Penn) can only support him so far, as she also has problems with rebellious young people. Universal tough guy Ray Winstone adds his usual earthy charisma as brooding detective Bruno.

Juliet Binoche, another Minghella favourite, stars as an immigrant single mother. However, her Muslim identity is not as confidently explored as other aspects of the drama. On the whole, the universal themes are made concrete and gripping, and the performances are mostly top notch. It is thinking person’s cinema, a satisfying and morally complex drama.

Julian Wood works in the education department of an Australian university.

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