Breakdown

Rating:
Summary: good thriller
Review: Altogether a good thriller adventure movie, with a good suspense. It is really gripping your guts in more than one occasion !!! The actors are all doing great, many of them playing nasty villains ; just one thing seems absolutely unreal to me: the fact that Jeff lets his wife go away with a total stranger, in the middle of nowhere, without even noting the plate number of the truck or the name of the driver - at that time there were no mobile phones, so it was not easy to send signals out !!! - maybe that can be explained by the fact that the couple was under heavy stress due to the breakdown under a scorching sun, and that the truck driver initially appeared as a "very nice guy", and a "savior". Apart from that, the rest of the intrigue is great.
This movie also features a whole gallery of pictures of the desert around San Diego.

Rating:
Summary: awesome movie
Review: This is one of Kurt Russell's best movies.
If you love drama,suspense and action movies
this one's for you.This is an edge of your seat
movie when I first saw it I had to see it again.
Great acting in this film from J.T.Walsh who plays
the bad guy as well.You gotta see this one,now I own
it on video and I watch it every now and again.
Check this one out it's well worth your time.

Rating:
Summary: HALF HITCHCOCK, HALF HITCHER
Review: The first movie of director Jonathan Mostow is a really good one. He plays with the fear most of urban people nowadays suffer from : To stay alone in an unknown place without a car or a phone at hand.

The film is clearly divided in two parts. The first one smells a little too much Hitchcock's " THE LADY VANISHES " but it could be considered as an homage to the Master of suspense and, anyway, one enjoys these scenes involving a Kurt Russell asking himself whether he's crazy or not.

The second part conforms itself more to the actual standards of the genre, at a rather high level of quality. If you've seen Robert Harmon's HITCHER, BREAKDOWN will be a delightful surprise for you.

A DVD to put in your luggage before you leave town.

Rating:
Summary: rich [people] looking for trouble.
Review: Well,they aren't really,far from it in fact.The main characters here,Jeffrey and Amy Taylor,played by Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan respectively,are like fish out of water in this taut unrelenting thriller.
Playing the well-to-do everyman Kurt puts in his best performance as a man desperately searching for his wife when she disappears after getting a ride with a seemingly samaritan like truck driver after their new vehicle breaks down.
In the arid Arizona desert,totally out of his element,Jeffreys ever deepening concern and almost maniacal outbursts at unhelpful(almost sinister) locals are totally believable,and as the conspiracy slowly unwinds like a stressed piano wire you really begin to feel his anguish.
The main villian here is played by the late great J T Walsh,his character Warren 'Red' Barr oozing smarm like mollasses under the scorching sun.This is truly a cold and calculating criminal,and his partners in crime(a particulary nasty M C Gainey and a bratty Jack Noseworthy) are equally unlikable.You just PRAY something bad will happen to them.
The tension builds to an almost unbearable climax as a car chase ensues from Warrens farmstead and ends...well...in a precarious way shall we say.This is my only gripe with the film,some of the scenes here are a little OTT but it ends well with a slow zoom out of the landscape into the credits.It gives you a moment to realise that you're not actually breathing.Yes,the tension is that high throughout this much underrated 1997 movie.Definately one of my faves.A MUST SEE THRILLER!

Rating:
Summary: Thumbs up!
Review: I expected this to be another silly action flick with a Terminator-like character making a farse out of so-called ordinary life. The catchy tune to this movie is 'It could happen to you', and I wanted to laugh at how ridiculous this sounded after reviewing the trailer.

Now, after viewing the film, I see the difference. Russell plays an ordinary guy who acts as any one of us might in the similar situation. He doesn't play a Rambo or John McClane type character. He's merely Jeffrey Taylor trying to move from point A to point B. His wife gets kidnapped and so starts his hell.

Beautifully crafted, this is a film that really gets you to relate to our protagonist. Well done, Jonathan Mastow! Well casted, directed and an eerie score to boot. This isn't Van Damme kicking some no-name for no-reason; this is war, and the pissed-off husband fights back!

Rating:
Summary: Lots of Decent Action but Unrealistic
Review: The movie is about Kurt Russell trying to find and save his kidnapped wife. The action is good in this movie. However, I did not enjoy it because it seemed so unrealistic to me. The couple's new jeep broke down in the desert on their way to Massachusetts. A seemingly friendly truck driver pulls up to see if they need help and offers the couple a ride to the nearest town. They accept the offer, but since the jeep is new, Kurt decides to stay and make sure no one harms it! The wife went alone with the truck driver who kidnaps her! Who on earth would let their wife drive alone with a stranger and stay with the broken down vehicle?!? It's so stupid. Therefore, if the man had any common sense, there would not be a movie. That is why it only deserves a 2.

Rating:
Summary: About as perfect a thriller as one can hope for.
Review: Engaging, curious, suspenseful, BELIEVABLE. All of these words describe director Jonathan Mostow's creepy suspense film "Breakdown". This is Mostow's first major feature film and he does not disappoint. In fact, Breakdown is easily one of the best thrillers in recent years. Mostow, through his beautiful use of camera, color, and character, leads us on the frightening journey of a Massachusetts couple who find themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere Arizona/New Mexico/Utah-a rather common occurance on long-distance trips. Yet, all is not as it seems. Unfortunately, some reviewers here have thrown in a lot of spoilers. Hopefully you read this review and not the others...

There are a number of items which raise this film above the rest of the average thriller drivel...

1. The gorgeous scenery of the desert. The juxtaposition of the beautiful desert and the experiences of the main characters(which are decidedly 'un-beautiful') only serve to heighten our sense that 'something is not quite right.'

2. A great script without filler. No holds barred, unrelenting, and to-the-point. Thank you very much.

3. Wonderful acting by Kurt Russell. I am not a big fan of his, but this film made me re-examine some of his others. He IS this character. Just the right blend of fright, anger, determination, and anxiety make this probably his best performance on film. I can't conceive of anyone else playing this role. He is the 'every man' that the audience relates to/with.

4. Excellent supporting cast including the late, great JT Walsh as the helpful truck driver. Director's pray for casts that gel as this one did. Every character is utterly believable.

5. A creepy soundtrack that both serves, and drives the film.

I would like to address the few naysayers who say that the film is unbelievable. I am dumbfounded by that statement. What is unbelievable about one person's phone working and another person's phone not working in the same area? I guess the reviewer I have in mind has never dealt with cellular service or analogue vs. digital phones! You know, some providers DON'T OFFER SERVICE IN CERTAIN AREAS OF THE COUNTRY. Also, how in the world, by ANY standard is Russell's acting unrealistic!? It's easy to judge what someone in his situation in the film 'should have done'. But of course, as viewers of the film, OUR assumption UP FRONT is that THIS IS A BAD IDEA. When you saw the preview for this film in the theater or read the box at the video store you KNEW it was about a trip gone wrong! Duh. But put yourself in his shoes. Plus, his wife OFFERED to go!

So I put the question to you ladies out there: in a similar situation, would you accept a ride from a 'kindly' stranger who offered to take you just up the road to a diner? I think the negative reviewers would be surprised by many of the responses....Let's see, what else is unbelievable? Cops who second-guess the accuser? Oh no...that NEVER happens in real life! Small towns in the middle of nowhere with strange people calling them home? Nope. Don't know ANY of those (ever been down south!?). A group of guys who conspire to take advantage of travelers in the middle of nowhere? That never happens either does it!?

My point is that on the reality scale this film scores high marks-THAT IS WHY IT IS UNNERVING TO WATCH. In the back of our minds we all know that there is a small possibility of something like this happening. Guys, just think of what YOU would go through if your wife disappeared! (Actually, some of you might not mind. Maybe I should rephrase the question...) Finally, the ending of the film is somewhat controversial. Several major film critics seemed to think it crossed some sort of ethical line, an unspoken film taboo. I found the end extremely satisfying. Worked great for me. If I was in Russell's position I believe I would have had my wife do the same thing...

Rating:
Summary: Pure and Simple
Review: Breakdown is a thriller, pure and simple. Breakdown is about Kurt Russell's attempts to find his kidnapped wife.

Breakdown is incredibly tense and suspenseful. The hero is no superman and does not wrestle down helicopters in his spare time. He becomes more and more terrified as his situation gets worse and worse.

There are so other many films that call themselves thrillers but fall short. "Breakdown" is so simple and so effective that you'll feel like you've really been through something when it's over.

Great stuff.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best thrillers of the 90's.
Review: Yuppie couple (played by Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan) on the road are stranded when their SUV breaks down. A kindly trucker takes the wife to the nearest town to call for a tow truck...but never returns. Fast-paced thriller cleverly builds upon its nightmarish situation and desert setting, never letting up for an instant. White-knuckle suspense and thrills make this a highly engaging ride. Jonathon Mostow's direction is superb, Basil Poledouris' score is appropriately subdued and creepy, and Kurt Russell is terrific as the desperate husband.

Rating:
Summary: Behind that nice trucker's face is a monster....
Review: American cinema has rarely made the open road such a terrifying place. 'Duel' similarities aside, the fear inspired by 'Breakdown' is all too human and realistic.
J. T. Walsh could have stolen this movie from a lesser actor than Kurt Russell. His souless antagonist is cold, calculating and very creepy. In a word, EVIL! The other baddies make great villains as well, which is one of the main reasons this film is so effective. The other reason is Kurt Russell himself. He's very much a victim as the conflict comes upon him, but the character finds a courage, resolve and a maniacal intensity that lets him do what he must. The viewer can't help but rejoice in that crazed triumph with him.
I sacrificed my nails for this movie, and was rewarded with a thrilling, terrifying and immensely satisfying film. Kurt Russell's performance in 'Breakdown' is one reason to see anything he ever does onscreen again. See this! You will not regret it.