Breakdown

You know what you're gonna get with Fairbrass. You're not gonna get Oscar performances but compared to some of his films, this was better. I enjoyed it, although I could see where it was heading. Overall, one of his better films.

This film was better than I thought it was going to be it had a gripping stoeyline,different to what you normally see in these films ,Craig Fairbras played the role well as a man with a past catching up with him. Nice to see some of the familier faces from these gangster films again.

One of Craig's better movies & has such screen presence. Brilliant actor and love him in portraying gangster sort of character's.

Haunted by horrific visions of the men he has killed, Alfie edges toward madness as his past catches up with him. Alfie's panic attacks now compromise this once elite soldier and contract killer, and after having a panic attack during a torture in front of his employers and client, bringing Alfie's sanity and professionalism into question, this forces the head of Homefront, to threaten Alfie and his family......... If you were to pass this in a supermarket/store, you'd be forgiven that this would involve big explosions, helicopters, SWAT type commandos, and Tammer Hassan, in the heart of London. Now the film does feature Tammer Hassan, and he's really good in this, but the fact that he's in it for about five minutes and sits down the whole time doesn't really say much about him being really good. I'm sitting down right now, and this review will take me around ten minutes. Does that mean I'm really good? So we have Fairbrass having these visions every now and again, and he starts to go blank, then shake, and then act a little strange for about two minutes, and this causes the leader of his outfit to threaten the lives of him, his wife, and daughter............has he never heard of worked base counselling. So Alfie wants out, gets sent out on almost impossible contracts, and in the most predictable trope these movies have to offer, it's a case of, once your in, you can never get out, and that includes your family. It's not a bad film, he has to contend with his daughter coming of age, and his best mate trying it on with his wife, which would only exacerbate his symptoms, but it's just that the antagonists in this, just feel more like end of level bad guys, rather than fleshed out characters. The third act goes all bizarre though for some reason. Bruce Payne (the bad guy from Passenger 57) pops up for about ten minutes, giving Alfie an epiphany (and a nice cup of tea with two sugars), and then his wife and child reveal themselves to be cold blooded killers, which just shows that the writers had run out of ideas before the deadline. But it's good fun, like a hybrid of last years Spandau double whammy Age Of Kill, and the poor excuse of a film Assassin. If you like your meat and potatoes straight to DVD action movies, this isn't a bad choice. Not to be confused with a Kurt Russell film though.....

It takes a long time to go where it wants to go. Craig Fairbrass plays his normal characterisation, normal dialogue 'Hardman'. The only thing that saves this is the presence of James Cosmo. Apart from that, it is a violent over timed movie that could be cut down by at least 30 minutes just by speeding it up and making it a little more exciting.

Very intense nonsense drama. Very bad man won't let his best hitman retire. Apparently doesn't understand that a guy who kills people for a living can just as easily kill Very Bad Man. Gratuitous segue with daughter being given roofies. Wife inexplicably able to save Best Hitman when he is on a job at a location he told no one about. She's still wearing her Sunday go to Meeting clothes, and leaves daughter "out in the car" while she runs into the trailer to shoot old friend in the back just-in-time. Then BestHitman takes them home, VBM sends goons, although one dies somehow somewhere en route. Then the goons decide to go slow instead of just finish the dang job, so the BestHitman, his wife in church clothes, and strong-daughter-hiding-under-pillows pull it out. You've wasted as much time as you need to just reading this review.

In the story of "Breakdown," there is a fascinating premise about a career criminal killer with a conscience. The protagonist named Alfie (Craig Fairbrass) belongs to crime syndicate specializing in sadistic killings. But Alfie's breakdown occurs when he starts to have visions of the past atrocities for which he was responsible. The drama that unfolds is how Alfie must find a way to get out of the business of killing. Sadly, the good potential of the film as a character study is overshadowed by the excessive violence. Not only were the gruesome scenes prolonged beyond the pale, but they were often not very believable. This was especially true when Alfie enlists his wife and teenage daughter into the never-ending string of killings. There was a good cast led ably by Fairbrass as Alfie. But the filmmakers' focus on the screen violence made the film virtually unwatchable in places.

I watch the new British films emerging from a generation of filmmakers trained in the language of Hollywood realism and soaps and TV detectives/villains and wonder if anyone who gets involves in making cinema like this realises what a waste it all is..same terrible copies of every other kind of cliché/stereotype/scene structure/shot style/music soundtrack that has been a massive bore time and again. Dreadful script, appalling characterisation,violence,lots of blood,gore,and for what ? For no one to see it in a cinema,or anywhere else with luck, all for the sake of making "a film".Those who made this should be ashamed .....when there are so many ordinary people's lives in Britain totally ignored by mainstream media, hidden behind crap like this so called film.

Just when you think they don't make any good indie British films anymore, unless its gangster Essex boys, football thugs and drugs, along comes something right out of left field that literally stopped me in my tracks, I actually paused the film and SCREAMED!! You have to COME watch this, it's really good! and we did. BREAKDOWN is not the norm by any stretch, OK its low budget, but there is something extremely engaging about it, its cinematic, gripping, beautifully acted in my view and totally convincing..I did look away a few times though especially in the torture scene but on the whole a seriously good film, riveting storyline, believable characters and the taxidermist twist I just loved. You just have to keep the faith and keep watching British films because every now and then something rather special comes along and BREAKDOWN is just that. Completed to write this! Peace and Love.

I was not expecting much from this as it came out of the blue but was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. All the actors were more than accomplished in there roles, especially the female leads. Mr Fairbrass does his usual impression of 'wasp chewing bulldog' but also managed to at least attempt some tenderness. Some nice turns and a twist keeps the pace up without relying too much on ultra violence, of which there is plenty. The only infuriating let-down was the damn sound balance. Whisper quiet dialogue (especially Connor) that ramps to 200db at the flick of a switch. Sitting with hand poised over volume control for the whole film got tedious! Apart from that, good work.