On B List of Movie Reviews

(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)


Breakdown (1997)

Rate: 5
Viewed: 2/15

Bredo
2/15: The first half of Breakdown is reminiscent of Spoorloos.

Then, it falls apart when the filmmakers decided to make a superman out of Kurt Russell's character even though he was initially afraid for a while. Shaking off his cowardice, he does everything that's physically impossible for an ordinary person: staying awake for forty-eight hours straight, being full-on mentally alert, never going to the bathroom, not eating or drinking anything, and performing a lot of climbing activities that'll max out his forearms.

The moment when the camouflaged truck came out of nowhere to cut off the red SUV with Massachusetts plates is a warning sign of what's to come. The ending with the archvillain meeting his fate is ridiculousness upon ridiculousness in a go-for-broke extravaganza. If the ordinary route could be instead taken, it would turn Breakdown into a better show by exploring the missing person angle. So, it's been a waste of Kurt Russell, James Walsh, and Michael Gainey's collective talent.

All in all, Breakdown is an apt title because that's what happened to the film.