**Breakdown** Reviewed by Jeff Walters
This little movie seemed to sneak up on me out of nowhere. And when a movie with a cast like this 'sneaks' up on you - it usually means that no-one is talking about it for a reason....that is - it sucks! But not this movie. I'm sill trying to work out why this movie received little press. Because it's a terrific film. In a year when most movies have tried to thrill the audience with whizz bang effects and progressively bigger and bigger explosions, this film manages to out thrill them all through a chilling story and the occassional terrific stunt.
I knew from the clever opening sequence where seemingly random spinning lines eventually form into a map of where the movie is set, that I was going to like this flick. Very nicely done.
Kurt Russell is perfectly cast as the frantic husband willing to do anything to find his wife. What makes his character even better is that he is very realistic. He makes mistakes, is often outsmarted and does not jump to a fight, but rather is intimidated by violence......at the start of the movie anyway.
The villian's shoes are filled by a man who seems to be in almost every single movie and tv show - the late great J.T. Walsh. . He leads the small group of kidnappers and does a sterling job. The rest of the kidnappers also preform well. In particular, Jack Noseworthy, who was also in Event Horizon.
I did have a few minor complaints with the film, where there were a couple of huge coincidences. For instance when the wrapper of a donut his wife had been eating just *happens* to float past whilst he is drifting in a river. I don't think so. But as I said, the errors are minor and should really be overlooked due to the fact that the rest of the movie is scripted so well.
Unlike many movies this year which have looked promising but failed to deliver in the final 30 minutes, it is during this time that Breakdown really shines. And it is also during this time that you'll see the best stunts. The scene where the truck is tettering on the edge of the bridge is one I'll not soon forget.
4 out of 5 stars
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