Breakdown

source: Breakdown

Moviecut—Breakdown

It takes a lot for me to designate a thriller as utterly and completely mesmerizing, but such is the case with the 1997 Kurt Russell vehicle Breakdown. I stumbled upon this gem when it was released on VHS some 10+ years ago, and, as I recently browsed the somewhat deflated selection of films available in my "Watch Instantly" Netflix queue, decided to give it another go. Once again diving headlong into this ballet of desert highway carnage was like getting reacquainted with an old friend; consequently, this has caused me to lament the stale-by- comparison state of many recent "road rage thrillers" offered up by Hollywood. If you've never seen Breakdown, it could be described as a more intelligent version of Joy Ride (or, perhaps, The Hitcher). It's about a married couple named Jeff (Russell) and Amy (Quinlan) who are driving cross country—from Boston to San Diego—to take on more lucrative employment opportunities. Along the way, they almost collide with a local in a pick-up truck on a remote desert highway. When they stop at the next gas station, the fella driving the truck—a black-clad hombre with a handlebar mustache and a cowboy hat—proceeds to chew out Jeff for his idiotic behavior behind the wheel. The two eventually call a truce, part ways, and go about their lives. It's not long, however, before Jeff's brand new Jeep inexplicably breaks down. As the couple is trying to assess the situation, a man in an 18-wheeler stops, offers assistance, and eventually ends up suggesting the pair ride with him to the nearest town so they can call a tow truck. Jeff is leery about leaving his car on the side of a highway with a local lunatic on the prowl, so Amy hops in the semi, presumably to wait for her husband at a diner as he figures out what to do. Once she leaves, Jeff discovers the problem, fixes the car, and heads to the diner. When he gets there, though, Amy is nowhere to be found. The locals have no idea who she is, and they all claim to have never seen her. What ensues is a maddeningly wild goose chase across barren southwestern terrain as Jeff does everything in his power to find his spouse. There are twists and turns aplenty, and the action is great. The most disturbing thing about the film is how genuine it all seems. I have no trouble believing that something like this could (and perhaps has) occur in such remote locales, and there's a real sense of desperation to everything that's unfolding. Russell is great as the panicked husband who knows he's going to have to take things to the extreme to get his wife back, and almost—almost—every one of his decisions seems completely rational. The movie does give way to certain conventions from time to time, and I wish it would've built up the paranoia just a little longer before the "big reveal" occurs (a la Arlington Road), but there's no denying the intensity on display here. That being said, who's ready for a road trip?

BREAKDOWN is one of those lower-budgeted, under-the-radar type movies which pop up on late night television to hook and fascinate you. In essence, it's a B-movie with a better cast than usual; one of those films I saw and liked years and years ago and which has stayed with me ever since. I recently revisited the film on DVD and was surprised to discover that it's actually an excellent little action/mystery/thriller and one of my all-time favourites. The ever under-appreciated Kurt Russell stars as that classic archetype, the ordinary guy, who finds himself out of his depth when his wife goes missing after hitching a ride with a seemingly kindly trucker. I won't spoil what happens after that, only to saw that the screenplay is absolutely loaded with suspense. Truly, you could hear a pin drop as I sat watching this film, riveted to the screen; the bank scene is the real highlight, but the later antics pay off nicely too. Things culminate with a nicely directed action scene featuring some great car stunts. I'd put this film up with the best of Hitchcock, and that's no joke; it's the type of film I could start watching again straight after finishing, I enjoy it that much. Much of the film's success comes from the casting of Russell, whose acting adds immeasurably to the experience. He's one of those instantly identifiable and likable actors who you end up rooting for from the outset, even in more conflicted roles like the one he played in corrupt cop yarn DARK BLUE. If only Tarantino's DEATH PROOF had been more like this movie! Instead, the directorial duties are handled by Jonathan Mostow, his debut picture, and he does a wonderful job. I equally enjoyed his follow-up films, U-571 and even TERMINATOR 3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, although I'll admit that SURROGATES was a little lacking in the substance stakes. J. T. Walsh also does a nice job in a supporting role, and it's fun to see M. C. Gainey given something larger than a cameo for a change.

"Breakdown" is a nice little movie that is straightforward, has characters you truly care about, has a simple setup. And it never flags. And it keeps you guessing. Those are good qualities for movies, especially actioners and thrillers, and ones with this kind of premise. And the film has just enough characters (no more than it needs to have) to keep you involved. If the cops were any help, then there wouldn't be much of a story. It also doesn't take itself too seriously. The bad guys here are interesting, but perhaps if there were only one villain, then the movie could have been longer. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys thrillers that accomplishes a lot. ***1/2 out of ****

Jeff and Amy Taylor are moving (Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan) to a new place and area, to attempt to preserve their work lives and bring some stability to the world they know. Happily chatting along the way, they run into a small 'snag' their vehicle, has a break down. Over heating and somewhat confused by the incident, Jeff and Amy push the vehicle off the road and collect their wits, trying to figure out a workable plan that will keep them moving and allow them to split up to get two things done and save a lot of after hassles. A Peterbuilt semi truck pulls up behind and then over, a kindly middle aged 'good' Samaritan driver asks if they need assistance? Sure enough, the vehicle has overheated and they need to make it into the next town...one of them, the other staying with the vehicle, so nothing will happened to it. What happens next is terrifying. People, trusting others to help-out in time of need, run desperately amok. Disasterously Jeff makes it into town to find that his lovely little wife, somehow, never arrived?! Kurt Russell is and brings out an award winning performance of a man in terror. As he is back on the road, he sees the kindly old driver who assisted he and his wife! Jeff pulls up beside 'Red' on the highway motioning Red to pull over and Red just looks at him as if he is stranger. Jeff calls in the local Police, though all the while interred into the problem and sympathetic, nothing gets changed, because Red acts as though he has never seen Jeff and tells the officer the same thing. Jeff is emotionally upside down now!! He feels alone and out numbered by professional kidnappers. As he is moving along, he is contacted. Pursued by a big man named Earl, who ends up being the go-between for the ransom and the party that has mysteriously 'snatched' his woman. Jeff is now insulted, by the transfer and subsequent abduction of himself by the collector, that something inside Jeff that probably has never been used, breaks down. Jeff Taylor is now on the other side of the law, he is just trying to survive In this game. Russell excels as Jeff Taylor and Kathleen ain't far behind in this who dun-nit, thriller-roller-coaster ride. The late J.T. Walsch is the front-man screw-setter for the other part of the gang that will turn the screws harder to Jeff and Amy. This one deserves ten of ten for an exhaustingly great mix of emotion, fear, aggressive action and anger, that will set the movie goer on the edge of the seat! I recommend this for those that want to get unhinged by a dramatic pounding thrill packed 2 hours. And the strangest part is, it all started over a package of 'Snow Balls'. (****)

In my opinion, Breakdown is one of the best thrillers of the 1990's. It has everything, great scenery, great acting, aand a great plot too! This one will keep you guessing for quite a while, and even after you figure out the ending, you'll still be guessing who's gonna come out on top, Kurt Russell, or the bad guys. I highly recommend this movie, if for nothing more than to pay tribute to the late great, J.T. Walsh.

"Man, am I exhausted." That was the comment I made after watching 1997s summer sleeper Breakdown. This is the kind of movie that works so well and moves so fast that despite moments of plausibility, it won't give you time to think or even care about such things. In the beginning we see a happily married couple Jeff & Amy Taylor (played to the cue by Kurt Russell & Kathleen Quinlan)hitting the open road. After leaving a gas station (where I will never leave the hood of my car propped up again) their Jeep Cherokee breaks down and do the the fact that they are in the middle of nowhere their cell phones are out of range to call for help. Coincidently, (perhaps)? a trucker named 'Red' (the late and very talented J.T. Walsh) happen to drive by to offer assistance and Jeff (in his one weak moment but nobody's perfect) agrees to let his wife hitch a ride to the nearest town while he waits behind. Tick tock, tick tock. Time starts to get the best of Jeff and in a state of mild panic he inspects the SUV and discovers a few loosened wires which turns out to be the reason the Jeep stalled, and then yep, it's now running like a dream. (I was expecting something like that since it's doubtful the makers of Jeep Cherokee would allow anything else). Now things are getting bad. Jeff arrives in town only to discover that Amy never arrived and nobody has scene a thing. While in the restaurant one drunk suggests he checks the ladies room so Jeff does but only to discover a woman vomiting in the toilet. The plot takes an interesting turn when Jeff spots Red speeding down the freeway and though he successfully pulls him over expecting to find Amy Barr's reply is "I'm sorry, but I've never seen you before in my life." The police arrive at the scene and are sympathetic, but can't offer any real assistance without proof. What works so well in Breakdown is writer/director Jonathan Mostow has made a movie that is not only exciting and thrilling but SMART TOO. Like a lot of movies, the good guy tends to do so many stupid and unmotivated things (see Jurassic Park 3 for proof) that eventually I start rooting for the bad guy. I also liked Russell's character Jeff a lot and admired his determination on not giving up to rescue Amy. And the final chase sequence is the best I've seen since Steve McQueens brilliant film, 'Bullitt." Jolly good show Jonathan.

Kurt Russells character Jeff, search for his wife is reminiscent of The Vanishing and yet there is something else, an insidious violence that declares open season on strangers. Whatever is going on, and you never quite know for certain, it has an ugly echo of the dark side of country. This could easily have been a style-washed film noir of the Red Rock West variety. Instead, Mostow remains believable, therefore increasing the tension. He makes you feel Taylor's terror and rage. He makes you breathe fast and shallow. Russell can be beef-caked and plastic films like Escape From New York, Big Trouble In Little China. He can be solid wood Stargate and stiff-upper ed The Thing. What Mostow achieves with him here is remarkable. Taylor is not presented in Stallonescope, rather as an ordinary bloke who doesn't know what to do. Russell can slip into stereotype at the scratch of a producer's pen. What makes Breakdown such a convincing ride is his ability to convey fear and courage simultaneously. Taylor's out of his depth. He's scared, but he's going on. Russell throws off the familiar guise, rejects showboat heroics and sweats for real. He's never been better.

Jeff Taylor (Kurt Russell) and Amy Taylor (Kathleen Quinlan) are a couple who are moving to San Diego.Their car breaks down in a desert.Amy goes along with a truck driver to call some help from the diner.But she never comes back.Jeff drives all around the desert looking for his wife and he asks some people for his wife, but everybody says they haven't seen her.What has happened to Amy?Watch the movie and find out.Breakdown is totally worth checking out.Kurt Russell's performance is amazing and the other actors are great too. Breakdown is a thrilling action thriller, that keeps the suspense on every second of the movie.