:
James M. Halty,
James M. Halty,
Seth Arnett,
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:
Jonathan Mostow,
Jonathan Mostow
see all cast/crew...
: 
: Paramount
: 93 min.
: English, French
: English, Spanish
see additional details...
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In this suspense thriller, a man discovers the unexpected danger of trusting a good Samaritan. Jeff Taylor (Kurt Russell) and his wife Amy (Kathleen Quinlan) are driving through the New Mexico desert en route to California when an incident with a lunatic driver causes their jeep to break down in the middle of nowhere. Jeff is trying to fix the vehicle when an apparently friendly truck driver, Red Barr (J.T. Walsh), stops by to offer help. Red tells the couple that there's a diner a few miles down the road where they can call for help; Jeff decides to stay with the car while Amy hops a ride with Red to see if she can find a mechanic to help them. After a long wait, Jeff is able to get the jeep running again, and he discovers that the diner is indeed a few miles down the road. But everyone there claims they've seen no sign of Amy, and Red claims to know nothing about picking her up. When Jeff attempts to file a missing person's report, he discovers mysterious disappearances are disturbingly common in this stretch of the desert; he soon realizes that someone has kidnapped his wife, but he's not sure who, or for what purpose. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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| true blue nail-biter!
by AWalter
January 7, 2005 - 1:31 PM PST
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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A Massachusetts couple traveling across the country run afoul of modern day brigands and highwaymen in this excellent thriller. The film treads similar territory to "Red Rock West," featuring J.T. Walsh in one of his most menacing roles--and Kurt Russell isn't half bad either as the viewpoint character. In fact the only disappointing thing about the film is that Jonathan Mostow has not gone on to distinguish himself as an a-list director.
The plot rests on a "city folk" paranoia of rural places (aka "fly-over" country) and smells a little bit like "Deliverance," a little like the early Spielberg film "Duel." Throw in some psychological tension a la Hitchcock and a breathtaking climax worthy of John Woo, and you've got yourself one brilliant, unforgettable nail-biter. As a modern, top-notch suspense film that didn't get the attention it deserved, "Breakdown" is in the estimable company of similar films like "When Strangers Appear," "The Trigger Effect," & "Nick of Time"--if Hitch were alive today, he might be making films like this. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.51)
70 Votes
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