LastingAware The greatest movie ever!

Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Claire Dunne One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

CB Tense nailbiter. Good drama and suspense, nice action and solid cinematography and editing.

Martin Bradley Once upon a time "Breakdown" would have been considered nothing more than a B-Movie but the kind of B-Movie that might have gone on to become a classic. It's a very simple little suspense movie and it's beautifully directed by Jonathan Mostow. It's also something of a road-movie which, like Spielberg's "Duel" generates a good deal of suspense from its use of great open spaces and the interplay between a guy in a car (Kurt Russell) and a guy in a truck (J. T. Walsh). Russell is perfect as the slightly arrogant hero and Walsh is suitably menacing as the guy who may or may not be behind the disappearence of Russell's wife. Cult movie status beckons.

FlashCallahan Jeff and Amy Taylor are moving to California and drive across the country. When they find themselves stranded in the middle of the desert with barely anyone or anything around, their trip comes to a halt. Amy takes a ride with a friendly trucker to a small diner to call for help, but as time goes by, Jeff becomes worried. He finds that no one in the diner has seen or heard from his wife. When he finds the trucker who gave Amy the ride, the trucker denies having ever seen her. Now Jeff must attempt to find his wife, who has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. But who can he trust.......If you can ignore the final ten minutes of this movie, which gives us an obligatory over the top action scene, this is a solid, if nuts n' bolts thriller.Russell plays the middle class Everyman who winds the locals up the wrong way on first viewing, but on second viewing, it's a plausible set up to take advantage of 'city people' taking an unknown route to reach their destination.He's a great choice for the Everyman, calm and collected at first, then bewildered and so on. It's as if we actually see him going through the stages of grief in such a short time, and he plays his character wonderfully. In fact, it's his greatest performance of the nineties.But as good as he is, it's Walsh who steals the film. The scene where he literally denies having seen Amy, when no one else is around them is truly menacing, and just shows how unhinged him and his cohorts are.But as my knowledge and cinematic intellect has changed dramatically in the eighteen years since this release, I've realised that its nothing more than a high concept straight to DVD movie that gained theatrical release because of its star power.If it were released today, it would star Cusack and Cage, and go straight to DVD and vanish without a trace. But in the late nineties, these Hitchcockian-lite thrillers were quite popular, so I can understand its success.So all in all, it's pretty well done for the first hour, the scenery is beautiful, but it loses its mojo and goes unnecessarily action packed for the finale.

LeonLouisRicci That Old War Horse Kurt Russell is at it again in Rookie Director Jonathan Mostow's Road Trip, Paranoid, Action Thriller. Unfolding at an Accelerating Pace it takes the Clichés of its Inspirations and makes You want to get in and Go along for the Ride.J.T. Walsh adds His bit of Detached Dementia and the Clan of some Really Nasty Rural Types are on the Hunt for more Big City Prey to Fleece and Murder. One of the Scariest Scenes Takes Place when Their Lair is Discovered and what is Piled Up in The Barn Sends Chills. It is Not an Action Scene, it is a Static Discovery of Past Deeds and Things are lying around like so many Bones and Decaying Flesh in a Horror Movie.This is an Offbeat way of Scaring People on an Intellectual Level without Blood and Bodies. This is a Talented Craftsman at Work with Standard Material and that's what makes this one Out of the Ordinary.The Thrills One Expects from this Type of Thing are here also, but it is an Odd Way that is On Display (like a strange trip down the rapids), as the Film has Fun with Plenty of Homages. Highly Recommended.