BREAKDOWN
A film review by Eric C. Robinette
Copyright 1997 Eric C. Robinette
A-
Starring Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan Written by Jonathan Mostow and Sam Montgomery. Directed by Jonathan Mostow..
"Yeah, that could happen."
I find myself saying that a lot at action movies. The funny thing about it is that during Breakdown, I *meant* it when I said it.
Breakdown is that rarity: a fast, efficient, nuts-and bolts thriller that is both fun and believable at the same time. It's mix of Spielbergian action and Hitchcockian suspense is so well constructed, that even when the screws came a little loose toward the end, I happily hung on to my seat as giant semi-truck teetered perilously over a bridge.
I must admit, when I first saw the trailers for the movie, I wasn't that enthralled; it looked like a retread of "The Vanishing," which worked none too well in it's American incarnation and was even a bit overrated in its original form. In all these films, a man loses his significant other, then sets on a seemingly futile pursuit populated by a lot of creepy-looking people.
What sets Breakdown apart, though, is that it's story, unlikely as it sounds, feels like it could really happen. Thanks go largely to Kurt Russell, who has to carry the entire picture and make us believe that he's an ordinary guy who can do extraordinary things when provoked. He does, because he changes from concerned husband to avenging husband gradually, showing the increasing desperation in his face as the bad guys close in on him.
Kudos also go to first time helmer Jonanthan Mostow, who displays surprising confidence in his debut. First-time directors often make the mistake of blatantly copying their idol or having no style at all. Here, Mostow deftly steals from two of the greats: Hitchcock and Spielberg. By combining the suspense of Hithcock's "wrong place at the wrong time" theme with the suspense of Spielberg's frenzied pacing, Mostow has created an engrossing blend of realistic suspense and kinetic action, which complement each other and keep the picture down-to-earth. Even the villains have a human dimension, with one caught between an unsuspecting family and a despicable scheme, just like some real-world villains are.
Only at the end does Mostow lose his grip a little and the action become a little too outlandish, but by then, I was so carried away, I didn't care. A movie that can make something great out of such an average premise earns the right to get carried away.
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews