892 Review: John Boyega Gives Compelling Performance In Hostage Thriller [Sundance]
892, Abi Damaris Corbin’s directorial debut feature, is layered with tension and intent. Co-written by Corbin and Kwame Kwei-Armah, the thriller includes withering commentary about the Department of Veterans Affairs, notorious for its neglect of U.S. service members. John Boyega gives a stunning, heartbreaking central performance and, while 892 doesn’t offer anything deeper beyond its conceit, Corbin is able to build enough momentum to leave an impact.
Based on a true story, Brian Brown-Easley (Boyega) was a former Marine who stopped receiving disability checks after being rerouted by the VA to pay off another debt (an error on their part that is addressed later in the film). Brown-Easley, on the brink of homelessness and struggling to return to civilian life, enters a bank and claims he has a bomb to its remaining two employees, Estel Valerie (Nicole Beharie) and Rosa Diaz (Selenis Leyva). While he could’ve asked for the bank to give him what the VA owes him — $892 — Brown-Easley wants to have an audience with the media so that he can explain the mistreatment of a department that should have helped him.
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892 has sincerely intense moments, with Corbin doing her best to balance the hostage situation while maintaining a sense of empathy towards Brown-Easley. It’s Boyega’s layered performance that works to elevate the latter so the audience sees how a desperate scenario can drive someone to take drastic measures, all in a bid to be heard. As 892 builds tension, Boyega moves between chaotic, nervous energy to being apologetic to Estel and Rosa. The need to tell his story is at the forefront of his mind and he knows that he probably won’t
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