Breakdown (1997/I)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Jonathan Mostow

Writers (WGA):

Jonathan Mostow (story)
Jonathan Mostow (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

2 May 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

No-one is safe from chance

Plot:

A man searches for his missing wife after his car breaks down in the middle of the desert.

Plot Keywords:

Diner | Desert | Jeep | Ransom | Truck Driver

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Kurt Russell	...	Jeffrey 'Jeff' Taylor
J.T. Walsh	...	Warren 'Red' Barr
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Amy Taylor
M.C. Gainey	...	Earl
Jack Noseworthy	...	Billy
Rex Linn	...	Sheriff Boyd
Ritch Brinkley	...	Al
Moira Harris	...	Arleen Barr
Kim Robillard	...	Deputy Len Carver
Thomas Kopache	...	Calhoun
Jack McGee	...	Bartender at Belle's Diner
Vincent Berry	...	Deke Barr
Helen Duffy	...	Flo
Ancel Cook	...	Barfly at Belle's Diner
Gene Hartline	...	Tow Truck Driver

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence/terror and language.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:14 (original rating) | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:M | Germany:16 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #34949) | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

American River, Sacramento, California, USA

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

Kurt Russell was helicoptered in and out of the areas of shooting so he could be with his family in Los Angeles at night.

Goofs:

Continuity: For the final chase, it goes from dawn to mid-day (note the shadows) much too quickly.

Quotes:

Red: You're a tough man to get a hold of, Jeffery.
Jeff: What do you want?
Red: It's not what I want, it's what you want, and how bad you want it. 'Cause it's gonna cost you. Can't show it to you right now, but it's about 5'5", 115 pounds, three or four of that just pure tit. Nice curly brown hair, upstairs and down. Interested?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Road (2002)

Soundtrack:

Burgers & Fries

Snowballs in the desert...

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'. (****)