Breakdown
3/4
Starring: Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, M.C. Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Kathleen Quinlan
Rated R for Strong Violence/Terror and Language
If Hitchcock ever made an action movie (as opposed to an adventure thriller like "North by Northwest"), I imagine it would be something like this. It starts out as a potent psychological thriller where the villains are in control, but then the tables turn when their victim refuses to play along. Sure, it could have been a much more potent and unsettling thriller without all the crashes and action at the end, but director Jonathan Mostow is no mere hack when it comes to creating exciting action sequences (he directed "U-571," also starring Jack Noseworthy).
Jeff Taylor (Russell) is moving to San Diego with his wife Amy (Quinlan in the first of two movies where a trip to San Diego goes to hell...the other being "The Hills Have Eyes" remake), and like everyone in this kind of movie, they decide to take the scenic route (note to everyone who wants to avoid running into nasty killers on road trips: stick to the freeways). After nearly ramming into two rednecks, their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Luck comes their way when a helpful trucker (Walsh) offers to take them to a diner down the road to call a tow truck. Amy agrees, but Jeff stays with their new SUV. Eventually, he gets the car started himself, but when he arrives at the diner, she's not there, and neither the bartender nor the barflys have seen her. Through a stroke of good fortune, he finds the trucker who helped them, but he claims to have never seen them before.
It would be wrong to criticize "Breakdown" for doing what it does because it works. Instead of taking the psychological thriller route, Mostow has made an action movie. On those terms, the film works. It's exciting, unpredictable, and contains consistent suspense.
The acting is effective for the film's purposes, but not standout. This makes Mostow's decision to turn the film into an action movie a smart move because for a psychological thriller to work, the performances have to be top-notch. Kurt Russell is adequate, but this is far from his best work. He was a better everyman in "Executive Decision." Part of the reason it's not as easy to form a connection with Jeff is because he's forced to do a lot of amazingly stupid things; he almost belongs in a slasher movie. The late great J.T. Walsh is also uneven. As a too-helpful Good Samaritan and liar, he's good, but Walsh isn't particularly menacing. There are times when he seems miscast. The less said about Kathleen Quinlan, the better. Quinlan has never been a good actress, but fortunately, she's gone for most of the film.
Mostow has a good sense of pacing, but the atmosphere (an essential part of any thriller) is only so-so. The cinematography by Doug Milsome is closer to a Troma movie than a psychological thriller. Or an action movie. The strong editing by Derek Brechin and Kevin Stitt picks up the slack, however.
I think I've described this movie as best I can. If you're looking for a thriller that is more visceral than psychological, this is a movie that's worth checking out.
Starring: Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, M.C. Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Kathleen Quinlan
Rated R for Strong Violence/Terror and Language
If Hitchcock ever made an action movie (as opposed to an adventure thriller like "North by Northwest"), I imagine it would be something like this. It starts out as a potent psychological thriller where the villains are in control, but then the tables turn when their victim refuses to play along. Sure, it could have been a much more potent and unsettling thriller without all the crashes and action at the end, but director Jonathan Mostow is no mere hack when it comes to creating exciting action sequences (he directed "U-571," also starring Jack Noseworthy).
Jeff Taylor (Russell) is moving to San Diego with his wife Amy (Quinlan in the first of two movies where a trip to San Diego goes to hell...the other being "The Hills Have Eyes" remake), and like everyone in this kind of movie, they decide to take the scenic route (note to everyone who wants to avoid running into nasty killers on road trips: stick to the freeways). After nearly ramming into two rednecks, their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Luck comes their way when a helpful trucker (Walsh) offers to take them to a diner down the road to call a tow truck. Amy agrees, but Jeff stays with their new SUV. Eventually, he gets the car started himself, but when he arrives at the diner, she's not there, and neither the bartender nor the barflys have seen her. Through a stroke of good fortune, he finds the trucker who helped them, but he claims to have never seen them before.
It would be wrong to criticize "Breakdown" for doing what it does because it works. Instead of taking the psychological thriller route, Mostow has made an action movie. On those terms, the film works. It's exciting, unpredictable, and contains consistent suspense.
The acting is effective for the film's purposes, but not standout. This makes Mostow's decision to turn the film into an action movie a smart move because for a psychological thriller to work, the performances have to be top-notch. Kurt Russell is adequate, but this is far from his best work. He was a better everyman in "Executive Decision." Part of the reason it's not as easy to form a connection with Jeff is because he's forced to do a lot of amazingly stupid things; he almost belongs in a slasher movie. The late great J.T. Walsh is also uneven. As a too-helpful Good Samaritan and liar, he's good, but Walsh isn't particularly menacing. There are times when he seems miscast. The less said about Kathleen Quinlan, the better. Quinlan has never been a good actress, but fortunately, she's gone for most of the film.
Mostow has a good sense of pacing, but the atmosphere (an essential part of any thriller) is only so-so. The cinematography by Doug Milsome is closer to a Troma movie than a psychological thriller. Or an action movie. The strong editing by Derek Brechin and Kevin Stitt picks up the slack, however.
I think I've described this movie as best I can. If you're looking for a thriller that is more visceral than psychological, this is a movie that's worth checking out.
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