Taraji P. Henson plays a beleaguered single mother whose bad day spirals out of control. This was written/directed by Tyler Perry, so you can expect passions to be amplified. Henson leads the charge with an explosive performance flooded with endless raw emotions. She does manage to create some empathy later on, but more often embraces the excess. As the bank manager, Sherri Shepherd captures the complexity of the situation with earnest empathy. Perry includes messages about the Black community’s support and the plight of the poor. The film’s best line, “People don’t know how expensive it is to be poor.” The bank hostage narrative follows many of the tropes of the genre, so there are no surprises. Combine Perry’s fondness for exaggeration with his ability to create compelling drama and the result is a melodramatic experience with a touch of sensationalism. 
(2 / 5)
