Abi Damaris Corbin’s feature directorial debut 892 tells a story about human compassion and desperation. Based on the true story of Brian Brown-Easley, the film debuted during the 2022 Sundance Film Festival where it was among the most anticipated features, in no small part due to its cast. The anticipation was not unrewarded, with incredible performances and a poignant story.
(Courtesy of Sundance Institute | photo by Chris Witt)
Brian Brown-Easley (John Boyega) is a former U.S. Marine who hasn’t been able to access his disability check from Veterans Affairs. About to become homeless and with a daughter to provide for, he decides to take drastic measures, holding two bank employees (Nicole Beharie and Selenis Leyva) hostage. While waiting for a hostage negotiator (Michael Kenneth Williams), Brian contacts a reporter (Connie Britton) to try and get more attention to his story, asking only for the money that is owed to him.
John Boyega gives the finest performance of his career to date. You quickly forget that he’s British with the adoption of his southern accent for the film. He brings Brian Brown-Easley to the screen with such care and consideration, portraying not only his desperation but also his compassion. Through his interactions with the two hostages and his daughter (the latter primarily through phone calls), he paints a picture of a truly desperate man who felt he was out of options.
Racism is one of several themes on display throughout the film, with on-screen conversations about how Brian’s life would have panned out were he not Black. If there’s a villain to be found in the film, it’s the system and not an individual, with the late Michael Kenneth Williams giving a powerfully conflicted performance as a Black veteran hostage negotiator who deeply understands what Brian is going through. The two hostages portrayed in the film are also women of color and mothers who, in spite of their fears in the situation, seem to empathize with their captor.
892 is a film that stays with you, based on a 2017 true event. It speaks to not only the way government institutions fail the men and women who fought for our country, but also racial and social inequality. It’s a film you won’t soon forget and Abi Damaris Corbin is a director to watch going forward. But if I had to pick one standout, it’s John Boyega’s incredible performance.
I give 892 5 out of 5 stars.