Metro Atlanta standoff taken to big screen in new thriller ‘Breaking’

The true story that unfolded right here in metro Atlanta is bringing crowds out to theaters.

You may remember the scene back in 2017 – only it wasn’t from a movie. Marine Corps veteran Brian Brown-Easley went into a Cobb County Wells Fargo alleging he had a bomb and ultimately taking two staffers hostage. The situation that turned into a devastating standoff is now playing out in the movie “Breaking.”

It all started when director and co-writer of the film, Abi Damaris Corbin, read an article about the real-life case. “So, I saw the headline.… and I couldn’t stop reading some 40-page-some-article and my heart was broken,” Corbin said. “In it I saw my dad’s story. My dad’s a vet.”

Golden Globe winner John Boyega portrays Easley in the film – the veteran that took desperate measures to try and receive assistance. When asked about how he would describe Easley, Boyega said, “A man who served in the military, came back home, and struggled with integration and who wanted to be heard. A man who made an extreme choice, just for the sake of his own mental health and the stability of his family.”

Boyega’s co-star, Nicole Beharie, plays Estel Valerie, who was the bank manager. “I had to actually find that heroism in myself to be able to play her, find that little bit of extra strength because I’m pretty sure Nicole would have been out the door, but Estel found something more with Brian that she needed to resolve,” Behaire said. “She found that compassion and that strength.”

As far as what both actors learned from their time shooting the movie, they echo similar sentiments of understanding. “I learned a lot, but first of all, I learned about the perspective of a vet coming home and integrating back into society,” Boyega said. “I even went further to learn about the mental changes between deployment and being discharged. For me, it was just something interesting and emotional; it’s a unique path that, unless you go through it, most of us honestly won’t be able to understand or relate.”

“I have people in my family who have been in the service and came back different, and I underestimated the pride they felt and what the support for them was like,” Beharie added. “So, I was moved seeing someone say, ‘I need to be heard,’ and cry out for help.”

“Breaking” is in theaters now. Watch the official trailer below: