Breakdown

Starring: Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan, M.C. Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Rex Linn
Directed by: Jonathan Mostow
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
1997

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: After their car breaks down, a wife (Kathleen Quinlan) catches a ride with a friendly truck driver (J.T. Walsh) to the next stop to call for a tow truck. When her husband (Kurt Russell) arrives later, he is shocked to find his wife is gone, and no one remembers seeing her at all. In the middle of nowhere, he begins a desperate search to find his wife.

Review:

Tim: What I really like about Breakdown is how scary and real the movie feels. This is a movie that could technically happen to anyone. When we are stuck somewhere unfamiliar, we are in such a vulnerable place, and an unexpected stranger's kindness is too good to pass up. But what happens when that kindness turns into something sinister? That is the basic premise of this movie, and is truly frightening.

Jonathan Mostow creates a tightly wound, twisting thriller that is full of suspense and mystery. The movie moves quickly, and keeps us guessing. Every time I see this movie, I question what I would do in the same situation, and I don't like the answer. The plot is a bit farfetched, but there is enough realism to make this a pretty chilling movie. I was entertained as I was kept in a state of suspense nearly the whole way through.

The cast is quite good. Kurt Russell is believable as an everyman in way over his head. I thought he gave a good, convincing performance. I know he has played incredible heroes in other films, but here, I completely believed he was a regular, average guy. I love that he doesn't have any military training, or an ex-cop, but just a normal guy called upon to go to extraordinary lengths to save his wife. I like stories like that, and I liked this one.

Kathleen Quinlan is very good as well. We don't have too much time with Russell and Quinlan together, but they have obvious chemistry together, and in a few short scenes convince us that they are a married couple who care about each other quite a bit. This is so, so important, because then we are invested in the characters and the story. Quinlan greatly contributes to this, and she makes this movie work.

J.T. Walsh is also good as well. He was chilling because he seems like such an ordinary guy. I was struck by the fact that evil can exist in even the most normal outwardly appearances. The villain of the movie could have been a caricature, but instead possessed some real dimensions to him. This helps the movie as well. It wouldn't have worked nearly as well without Walsh.

There are some flaws to the movie as well. While I enjoyed the story, I have to admit that the movie gets increasingly hard to believe the longer it goes on. The events just require a greater and greater suspension of disbelief. This hurts the movie, in my mind. For example, during a chase scene, Russell drives his vehicle into a river and floats away. This is just one moment that seemed a bit hard to believe. I understand the need to be entertaining, but the movie oftentimes went just a bit too far past the line.

Still, Breakdown is an entertaining, good movie. Mostow gives us a thrilling experience, and despite some outlandish events, most of the movie is rooted in realism. I appreciate that. I can't say that I love this movie, but I certainly liked it.


Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: U-571, Surrogates, Poseidon, Dark Blue, Executive Decision, Backdraft