Breakdown

Summary

“We’ll certainly do our best, Mr. Taylor. You know, there’s over 100,000 people that go missing in this country every year.”

Paramount Pictures has recently released the film Breakdown on their Paramount Presents Blu-ray line. The release features a new transfer from a 4K scan and a Dolby True HD 5.1 track. I could not recall if I had ever seen Breakdown, but I was excited to see the film because it stars Kurt Russell in the lead role. Kurt Russell has long been one of my favorite actors. Breakdown was released in 1997 and received favorable reviews. It’s a thriller that takes place along the quieter highways that run through the American desert country. I planned to watch just the first half of the movie the other night, but I was so struck by the film that I stayed up to finish watching it.

On a desert highway, husband and wife Jeff and Amy Taylor (Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan) are driving in their Jeep. They are from Massachusetts and in route to San Francisco. Jeff reaches in the back to grab something and a truck pulls out in front of him. He swerves to avoid the accident. At a gas station he is confronted by Earl (M.C. Gainey) – the driver of the truck. Jeff apologizes and when his wife returns to the car they begin to drive down the road. His car’s check engine light comes on and the car inexplicably breaks down. Unfortunately, he can’t get any cell service. The aggravated truck owner from before passes him and then turns around. This makes them nervous. An eighteen wheeler pulls up behind them.  A friendly trucker (J.T. Walsh) steps out and offers to look at the vehicle. He explains that the car has simply overheated and that it should start once the car cools down. He offers to give them a ride to Belle’s Diner just down the way five miles if they want to call a repairman from there. Not wanting to leave his car alone, Jeff allows his wife to go with the trucker to the diner to call a tow truck. After she has gone, Jeff inspects the undercarriage of the car and finds an undone wire. When plugged back in, the car fires right up. Arriving at Belle’s Diner, no one has seen his wife or the trucker that he mentions. Jeff takes off and manages to track down the truck. Pulling in front of the truck, he pulls the man over. The trucker – Red Barr – explains that he has never seen him before. Jeff flags down Sheriff Boyd (Rex Linn,) but after inspecting the truck he takes the word of Red Barr. Jeff begins to search for his missing wife, while Red and his friends have other plans for him.

Breakdown is a well written and well made thriller. The movie borrows some elements from the film The Vanishing, but only parts of the initial setup. Once the movie gets rolling, it flies in directions that are very different from The Vanishing. I am a happily married man and this film taps into a fear that is very real for me that someone would be capable of taking someone that you love from you and there would be no guarantee of getting them back. The film was scripted by director Jonathon Mostow after he had a Stephen King project fall apart that would have taken place in the desert. He had already scouted locations and wrote Breakdown with those locations and large trucks in mind. Mostow also explains in the commentary track that he had been influenced by Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes. The premise of the film is not complicated, but the writing is striking and feels well thought out. There are moments that feel like a bit of a stretch in terms of realism, but the stunt men in the film sell those moments through their incredible actions. I really liked the direction that the film went from its setup.

The acting in the film is for the most part extremely good. Kurt Russell is great in the leading role, capably portraying the anxieties of a man whose world is falling apart. He looks extremely stressed out for the duration of the film. J.T. Walsh is amazing as the villain in the film. Walsh had a chameleon-like ability of playing characters that were diverse and all believable. Walsh was an amazing actor partially because of how understated his performances were. He looks at Kurt Russell with such dead eyes and with such a lack of emotion or remorse that it feels truly chilling. It is hard to find a better villainous performance than here. Sadly, J.T. Walsh passed away in 1998 at the age of 54. It’s a shame. I was happy to to see character actor Rex Linn show up in the role of a policeman. I actually met Rex Linn in person years ago and let him know how much I love watching him onscreen. Kathleen Quinlan is excellent in the role of Amy, which I imagine was a pretty taxing part physically and emotionally. M.C. Gainey is also very well cast as the remorseless and cold Earl.

Director Jonathon Mostow worked with cinematographer Douglas Milsome with widescreen lenses that help sell the remoteness of the locations in the film. Breakdown is a well shot and directed film that never feels extremely overpowering in terms of visual impact. I really enjoyed watching the film and I am happy that Paramount chose to give the film such a nice release.

Video

The new transfer of Breakdown from a 4K scan by Paramount Pictures for their Paramount Presents label looks great. As is the case on the other Paramount Presents releases, Breakdown looks the best that it has ever looked. The film is presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Fine detail is very solid. Clarity is excellent with a nice layer of very fine grain over the picture lending a great filmic look. The colors in the picture are fairly muted given the desert climate, but the widescreen lensed film benefits from the Blu-ray treatment and enhanced level of detail in the film for the vast Western environments. Fans should be very pleased.

Audio

Paramount Pictures have given this release a very well done Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track. The audio is not extremely robust at the beginning of the film due to the fairly reserved nature of the beginning sequences, but the latter half of the film uses the surrounds much more frequently.  The surrounds are used effectively throughout the film for an immersive experience. There are numerous sequences that command some action involving trucks and jeeps in peril. The sound design has been well preserved on Paramount’s track.

Supplements:

• Audio Commentary By Director Jonathan Mostow and Kurt Russell – It is great to hear Kurt Russell and Jonathon reminisce about working on the film together. Russell had not revisited the film in a long time and has a great time discussing the film as memories come back. There is a lot of laughter during the process.
• Filmmaker Focus: Director Jonathan Mostow on Breakdown – the director and writer of the film discusses how Breakdown was given the green light and memories of working on the film.
• Victory Is Hers – Kathleen Quinlan on Breakdown – this is a short but sweet piece with the actress who played Amy. The big reveal in the interview is in regards to the finale sequence and that Kurt Russell allowed her to perform a very final action in that scene. 
• A Brilliant Partnership – Martha De Laurentiis on Breakdown – this is an enjoyable interview with coproducer Martha De Laurentiis as she discusses her partnership with Dino and their work together.
• Alternate Opening
• Alternate Opening With Commentary By Director Jonathan Mostow
• Isolated Score
• Theatrical Trailers

Overall Scores: 

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Breakdown is a really well developed thriller with great performances by Kurt Russell and J.T. Walsh. J.T. Walsh is amazingly effective and scary in the role of the villainous trucker Red Barr. The film develops well and goes in interesting directions before it reaches a logical climax. The film was a critical and commercial success with good reason. I really enjoyed the film. Paramount Presents has done a fantastic job of bringing the film into the new decade with an excellent 1080p transfer from a new 4K scan. The new supplements – especially the commentary with Kurt Russell and Jonathan Mostow – are all very good. Highly recommended.