BREAKDOWN
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 1997 David N. Butterworth/The Summer Pennsylvanian
Here's a rare bird:
"Breakdown," a top-notch thriller in which the protagonists act sensibly and responsibly throughout. Credit goes to director Jonathan Mostow, who wrote the compelling story that never lets up, draws a terrific performance from leading man Kurt Russell, and gives this tale a sensational, white-knuckled ending.
When Jeff (Russell) and Amy's (Kathleen Quinlan) car breaks down in the vast, desolate landscape of America's southwest, a friendly truck driver Red (J.T. Walsh) offers them a ride into town. Jeff is reluctant to leave the vehicle, so Amy goes on ahead, arranging to meet her husband at the local diner. However, when Jeff discovers the problem with the car (a loose wire under the hood) and next meets up with Red, the trucker claims never to have seen him before.
To reveal any more of the plot would be irresponsible. Suffice it to say that the twists and turns of the script mirror those of the road ahead for Jeff and Amy.
The film has many strengths yet perhaps its greatest is that, at its core, it's extremely believable. What befalls this hapless couple, who are driving across the desert as part of a West Coast relocation, and how they react to the situations, ring true.
Russell, who often plays swaggering, larger-than-life macho figures (in his work with John Carpenter, for example), tones things down considerably here. His Jeff is an everyday Joe, clearly scared by increasingly bizarre and frightening circumstances. These circumstances do eventually drive him to boiling point, yet it's understandable when he's forced to fight for his and his wife's survival.
An example of the film's maturity is a scene in a bank. Russell's character, desperately trying to find a way out of his predicament, digs around in a janitor's closet looking for a weapon. The best he can come up with is the handle of a sink plunger. Jeff throws it down in disgust; the search has come to nothing, but we can clearly relate to Jeff's frustration and growing anxiety.
Superior acting, writing, and directing: keys to an excellent movie. And "Breakdown," a smart, compelling, and absolutely plausible road thriller, has got all three.
-- David N. Butterworth dnb@mail.med.upenn.edu
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