Breakdown

Rating:
Summary: A superb nail-biter!
Review: Talk about a "Breakdown" for Kurt Russell's character. His life is a total hell when his wife, who gets help from a truck driver when their car "breaks" down, winds up missing. Russell is so convincing as the husband that the audience relates to his anger, frustration, and fierce dermination to get his wife back from the blackmailing kidnapping ring who abducted her.

The truck driver played by J.T. Walsh, is also excellent as the villian. Director Jonathan Mostow does an solid job with the suspense-filled action sequences. Every scene is realistic and brutal to the viewer. I especially liked the first half of the movie, when the film is sort of like of mystery because Russell cannot find his wife. The second half bogs down, but is still exciting and effective.

But the holy grail goes to Russell, who gives a ultra-realistic performance to a ultra-nailbiting thriller. Highly recommended film along with NICK OF TIME with Johnny Depp.

Rating:
Summary: One of the most underrated action movies of all time
Review: "Breakdown" is without a doubt one of the best action movies I've ever seen. It's about a married couple that get stranded after their car breaks down in the desert. A truck driver (J.T. Walsh), convincingly urges Kurt Russel that he will take his wife to a nearby phone so she can call for help. However, that's when Russel's wife gets kidnapped and this movie really starts to roll. Kurt Russel goes on an action packed adventure to try to find his wife and when he finally finds where she's at, the suspense gets more intense than just about any movie I've ever seen.

I don't see why "Breakdown" wasn't one of the biggest blockbuster hits of the 90's. Kurt Russel puts on one of his best performances ever and J.T. Walsh plays his role as the main villain as close to perfection as any other actor ever has. "Breakdown" has many of the best and most suspenseful action sequences you'll find in any movie.

There's not many movies that I'll watch twice within a week, but "Breakdown" was so good I watched it 4 times the first week it premiered on cable. I also told all my friends and family how good it was and that they needed to watch it. I taped it the last time I saw it and it's still on my list of one of the best action movies of all time and it always will be. It is also one movie you will never forget. If you like action movies with great suspense and non-stop action, "Breakdown" is one movie you can't miss.

Rating:
Summary: Another wonderful highway thriller
Review: I saw this film recently for the first time and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I remember seeing the ads for this on television when it first came out and I always thought it looked interesting. While not completely successful, BREAKDOWN is recommended for suspense fans and is a step above most of the crap that comes out of Hollywood these days.

The film stars Kurt Russell and he gives a fine performance (no surprise there) as a man who's wife goes missing after his car has a breakdown in a hot and secluded stretch of highway somewhere in the West. From then on, Russell spends the rest of the film trying to locate his wife... I won't say anything else about the plot, since one of the things I loved about it is that you're often as disoriented and confused as the main character is. For about the first 45 minutes, BREAKDOWN plays like a nightmare and it's fascinating to see Russell go from a concern to desperation. I would even say that a few scenes are almost surreal at times.

As you can probably guess, the film is highly influenced by such films as THE VANISHING and (especially) DUEL, however I also detected a bit of DEAD CALM in there as well. Part of the reason why the first half works so well is because we have no idea what's going on and we really identify with Kurt Russell's character (although that may be because of how likeable Russell is as an actor anyway). Unfortunately, the film's second half can't measure the intensity of the first and the ending is a bit disappointing... I guess I was expecting something besides what has become the conventional ending to action films these days, but it's a minor flaw...

The film was directed by Jonathan Mostow, who would go on to helm the excellent T3: RISE OF THE MACHINES, and this film shares a lot in common with that one... Both films have fairly streamlined plots that, once they get started, forgo the usual breaks in action and side plots... BREAKDOWN is pretty much a 90 minute rush of events and action, its pace mirroring the transformation of Russell's character quite well... this is one movie that gets more intense as it goes on. The acting, I must say, is top notch, especially from the villians... we really find the bad guys here detestable and that makes the climax especially effective.

All in all, it's a very good film that I regret letting slip under my radar for so long. Not really something I'd purchase (since other films have done this before and done it better) but not a bad rental for those out there who are curious. I liked it quite a bit.

Rating:
Summary: It really could happen....
Review: Yes, this is a very exciting and underappreciated movie. But what makes it differernt from Nick Of Time or Phone Booth is, it really could happen!

The reason its so easy to identify with Kurt Russell is because, as the story unfolds its all plausible. Add in good direction and believable characters and hang on!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best original thrillers
Review: Breakdown is a cleverly plotted and well acted masterpiece of suspense that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Jeff Taylor (Kurt Russell) and his wife Amy (Kathleen Quinlan) are moving to California when suddenly their jeep stalls and breaks down in a remote area of Nevada and things go downhill from there. The movie works so well because the the story is so believable, with the lead characters accordingly empathetic. Kurt Russell gives an excellent performance as the husband torn between the terror of losing his wife and the murderous rage he feels towards her abductors. However, the show is stolen by the late J.T. Walsh who does a great job going from kind, helpful passerby to cold blooded kidnapper. Also, the supporting cast in this film are excellent. Breakdown is a thrilling movie with some great, slightly over the top, action scenes that manages to maintain a steady and exciting pace. Overall, if you want a good entertaining action movie with brilliant acting and genuine suspence, then get this now.

Rating:
Summary: Every Man's Worst Nightmare
Review: I can't imagine anything more heartbreaking and nightmarish than someone having a loved one kidnapped or who just suddenly vanished into thin air. Not knowing anything of what happened, or what to do, is as scary and heartbreaking as can be. That's the plot to this intense and incredibly entertaining movie from 1997. Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan star as a couple on a cross country trip who run into some car trouble out in the middle of nowhere. They flag down a truck coming their way and a trucker named Red Barr(played by the great J.T. Walsh)climbs out and offers to help. He offers to drive them into town to use the phone but Russell doesn't want to leave the car. The wife goes with the trucker and he stays with the car. When he gets to the diner where they are supposed to meet, she isn't there and no one has seen her or the trucker. He spots the trucker and stops him but the trucker insists he has never laid eyes on him before in his life. Russell can't believe what he's hearing. His wife, Amy, has vanished. He is then captured by some criminals and is brought to the trucker, who seems to want Russell's money in exchange for his wife. This leads our devoted husband on a chase across the middle of nowhere in hopes of dodging the bad guys and finding his wife, if, in fact, she is still alive. I enjoy 'road thrillers' like this and "The Hitcher" and "Joy Ride". This one is wonderfully done. The idea of the husband letting his wife go off with a stranger in the middle of nowhere is downright stupid, I'll give you that, but there wouldn't of been a movie without it. This is just entertainment folks. Kurt Russell is really good in this. He is very believeable as a husband who is mortified, scared, and determined to find his wife. He jumps from all kinds of emotions and does them all so realistically. Trust me, he does, no matter what some bubblehead on the next page or so says. One of his better jobs. Then there is the great J.T. Walsh. He was one of our finest character actors. This was one of his final film roles before he died of a heart attack. What a tremendous loss. He is fantastic here. Very convincing. Quinlan has a small role, but she does the best with what she's given. All in all, "Breakdown" is a solid film worthy of your evening's entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: Unexpected treat
Review: In the tradition of movies such as "Duel" and "The Hitcher", Jonathan Mostow's debut feature is a plausible tale of terror. Jeffrey Taylor (Kurt Russell) and wife Amy (Kathleen Quinlan) encounter car trouble in the desert on the drive from Boston to California. A helpful truckdriver (J.T. Walsh) offers Amy a lift to the nearest diner where she can call a towtruck. But when Jeffrey manages to get the car started, no-one at the diner has seen Amy, and that's when the nightmare begins. What's really impressive about "Breakdown" is that it's grounded in everyday reality. It doesn't collapse into a string of explosive action sequences and ludicrous feats of derring-do. Russell plays an ordinary guy who is understandably frightened by what's going on, but still tries to be courageous. The villains aren't sci-fi psychopaths either, but a well-organised team with a credible motivation. The characters are real, what happens is plausible - and against the logic of Hollywood, this makes "Breakdown" more exciting. We can imagine it happening to us.

Rating:
Summary: Bad roadside assistance...
Review: Breakdown smoothly sucks you in, with an "it could happen to your" storyline that swiftly takes you on a twisted and suspenseful journey, following a man frantically trying to find his missing wife.

All-American type Kurt Russell is Jeff Taylor, driving cross country with wife Amy (Kathleen Quinlan) in their new Jeep Grand Cherokee. The couple is on their way from Boston to San Diego, when their vehicle breaks down somewhere in the Southwest (Arizona?), along a deserted stretch of road. A passing trucker named Red Barr (J. T. Walsh) offers to lend a hand, and Amy leaves with him to call a tow truck while Jeff waits with the car.

Taylor gets his car started and arrives at the roadside stop where his wife was to have called for help, but she is nowhere to be found. Spotting Barr's truck on the road, he forces him to stop, but the trucker denies ever having seen him before. A passing sheriff intervenes, but a search of the truck reveals nothing. Taylor files a police report and returns to the roadside stop to await developments. From there, he is put through his worst nightmare, discovering that he and his wife, are the victims of a predatory gang of thieves, kidnappers and probable killers.

The late J. T. Walsh is marvelously slimy, as the despicable leader of the group. The actors playing the other members of the gang do such a wonderful job as subhuman members of society, they could be poster boys for different breeds of lowlife. Kurt Russell delivers a near perfect performance as a man pushed well beyond the normal limits. Kathleen Quinlan's screen time is limited, but she is there to deliver a crushing and well deserved coup de grace.

Breakdown is tight, a film of continuous action, where the plot proceeds smartly with hardly a misstep. A marvelous well-written gem, that builds the tension and suspense, jamming the events into about a 24 hour period, saving the wild action until the very end. The premium priced DVD has just the trailer as an extra. Unfortunate, but the real value is with the story.

Rating:
Summary: Exceptional thriller
Review: A husband and wife (Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan) suffer car trouble while driving through the deserts of the Southwest. When the wife disappears mysteriously, it is up to Russell to find and rescue her. The frightening plausibility of this scenario is often undercut by the more conventional action movie elements that creep in, but it remains a nail-biting thrill ride that kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the end. Talented character actors J.T. Walsh, M.C. Gainey, and Jack Noseworthy demonstrate that, when it comes to fear-inducing film antagonists, ghosts, monsters and aliens have nothing on a band of mean-spirited, sociopathic rednecks with sleazy motives.

Rating:
Summary: TIGHT ACTION THRILLER
Review: Watch it. It is paced so well that it will keep you bolted to your chair until the last minute. Kurt Russell plays a husband who gets on the wrong side of a group of hillbilly rednecks with a very disturbing plan while on a drive to Los Angeles. The plot may sound trivial and predictable, and it is until you see the movie. Mostow manages to pace the story so well, that you are constantly on the edge waiting for what happens next and how Kurt Russell is going to get himself out of the next situation. This makes up for some of the flaws that the movie has. This certainly is up there in my chiller top 10. The finale will leave you breathless, I am sure. Recommended rental.