Sundance 2022: 892 Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Sundance Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

Following the premiere of Mass at last year’s festival, intense dramas centered around important issues have become more of a thing as of late and 892 is no different. Perhaps not reaching the depth and emotional heights of the latter, it is still a sobering portrayal of one tragic man’s frustration with a system that has let him and countless others down and continues to do so to this day. Starting off with a bang before arguably dipping at times in the middle, the film is nonetheless anchored by a career-best performance from John Boyega who is surrounded by an impressive supporting cast including the late Michael Kenneth Williams in his final film role. Though hard to watch at times, it is still an important one, an empathetic thriller that will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. All of that of course stems on the ability to connect with that emotion, otherwise it will be hard to watch for other reasons.

892 (that number does have some significance without giving anything away) tells the story of a man named Brian Brown-Easley (Boyega), a returning veteran who expressed his frustration with the Department of Veterans Affairs who wronged him by holding up a bank while armed with a bomb as means to share his story. Not a perfect man by any means, he had his issues and over the course of the film, audiences are treated to flashbacks to give context to his frustration and add stakes for his mission. While the way he went about expressing his frustration may have been questionable, one can’t help but feel for Brian as did his hostages for whom he had no intention of harming. Once his intentions were clear, that initial tension did dip, making way for a surprising amount of emotion. Little did he know how quickly the situation escalated, leading to the question of whether or not he would survive at the end and whether or not his actions and story will even have an impact and drive some real change.

In the end, the best part of 892 was, as mentioned, the spectacular performance from Boyega as Brian. He was absolutely heartbreaking in carrying the emotional weight of an incredibly flawed man who had been beaten down by an imperfect system that had wronged him. That pain and frustration was clearly there, creating an emotional connection to carry audiences through the film. Meanwhile, Williams was great as the hostage negotiator dispatched to handle the standoff. Their dynamic was so fun to watch thanks to their great chemistry even though they did not share any scenes together.

Overall, audiences should look past the number title and see 892 for what it is, an important film that will hopefully drive change.

*still courtesy of Sundance

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.