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Perfect cast and a good story

Good concept, poorly executed.

Fresh and Exciting

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Tense nailbiter. Good drama and suspense, nice action and solid cinematography and editing.

Now here's a film that won't win any awards. It won't lend itself to overly complicated interpretation or be remembered for anything iconic. It's wholly second-rate as far as plot and character dynamics and it resoundingly breaks the unwritten rule of referencing better films. Yet despite all this, Breakdown is a thing of unappreciated greatness. It's a hidden gem of tone, tension and tomfoolery finding the nerve, gut-instinct and popcorny-ness that looks like it was conjured from the mind of Lee in the play "True West."The plot reads like something out of a John Lemay novel. Jeff (Russell) and Amy (Quinlan) are driving through the desert in their Jeep cross-country. They breakdown on the side of the road where big rig trucker Red (Walsh) offers assistance. Amy leaves with Red to call for a tow while Jeff stays with the Jeep. Hours go by, Jeff checks the car and finds the battery has been tampered with and begins to suspect something is seriously wrong. From there the movie becomes a thriller stitched together by a ransom Jeff can't afford and handled by a group of menacing back-road truckers.Breakdown was produced by the legendary Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis who in addition to spearheading the Italian film renaissance also had a penchant for the fanciful, the scintillating and the obscure. Projects like Flash Gordon (1980), King Kong (1976) and Dune (1984) prove that even at his worst De Laurentiis was a risk-taker; one who appreciated bold ideas.For a relatively small movie made at the dusk of De Laurentiis's career, Breakdown is certainly a bold movie. It moves briskly through its plot, leaving little time for the audience to internalize the ridiculousness of the story while gleefully enjoying some fun action visuals. When the movie does slowdown enough to take a breather, it's surgical in its ability to create truly suspenseful cinematic moments. These moments approach the grandeur of Chinatown's (1974) "The future" scene made less memorable only because there are no iconic lines and, as I said, the plot is patently ridiculous.Yet it was the memory of our lead, getting the jump on Red's lacky Earl (Gainley) and the scene with Red's family is confronted with a pistol wielding Kurt Russell that brought me back to revisit this film years later. While similar "criminal trucker" films of the era like Black Dog (1998) and Joy Ride (2001) were solid in their own right, Breakdown is the only one that really sticks. When you see Russell straight-up dominating experienced truckers on the road via heavily armed car chase, I'm sure you'll agree.

Warning: There is a small spoiler in here.This movie is total junk based on what the whole story is constructed on. Basically the direction, acting flow is all alright, not classless.One has to wonder who in the right mind would allow his wife to seek help the way she does in that story. Really? Kurt Russell is a smart capable fellow with that kind of common sense to allow his wife to ride with a trucker in the middle of nowhere? If anyone is even thinking this is insulting.Junk, I do not care how much better the rest of it is. There were many better ways to kick start the plot.

This is the film that showcases director Jonathan Mostow's talent. Unfortunately, since this film his work has never come as close to this film in terms of overall quality.The plot is fairly straightforward but is well executed and focuses on the Jeff Taylor character, brilliantly played as an everyman by Kurt Russell. He conveys there characters descent into desperation and terror very well – to a point where forces that start manipulating his character cause something in him to snap and his character finds an untapped source of courage – being driven by an unstoppable urge to find a loved one. Russell charts this character journey well, yet the fear never leaves his character – he just evolves to handle it within the extraordinary situation he finds himself in. Other performances are solid, particularly the late J.T Walsh as the main protagonist and Rex Linn as an empathic sheriff. Director Jonathon Mostow has an effective and sophisticated take on the filmmaking. He develops the story gradually, allow the suspense and pace to continually build up throughout the film. Technical credits are solid, including editing and Douglas Milsome's excellent photography. The growing tension and dread builds up brilliantly throughout the film, leading to an excellent action oriented climax and a coda that is reminiscent of early 70's US movie-making. Overall simple but a brilliantly executed movie.