Breaking In

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, Breaking In is available in Australia on Netflix right now. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. With 706 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Watch Gabrielle Union work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. Start it on Netflix whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

Breaking In is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The plotting gives Breaking In its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. Shaun Russell takes her son and daughter on a weekend getaway to her late father's secluded, high-tech vacation home in the countryside. The family soon gets an unwelcome surprise when four men break into the house to find hidden money. After managing to escape, Shaun must now figure out a way to turn the tables on the desperate thieves and save her captive children. Gabrielle Union and Billy Burke lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 2018. Breaking In is at its best in the quiet scenes between the plot beats, where the character work actually happens. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For anyone who wants their crime drama to earn its twists, Breaking In delivers. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Gabrielle Union carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.