BREAKDOWN

INTRODUCTION: A conspicuously under-hyped movie that has been largely ignored over here, I have to say I felt rather lonely at the late night Preview of this one at Odeon 6 in Birmingham because, although the cinema was packed, everyone was next door in Odeon 5 watching the Scream 2 preview. 

SYNOPSIS: City slicking couple Jeff (Russell) & Amy (Quinlin) Taylor, while in the process of re-locating, come up with the bright idea of travelling cross country in their nice, new (i.e. not yet paid for) wagon which promptly breaks down in the middle of the dessert. Amy accepts a lift to the next phone, from a passing lorry, while Jeff waits with all their worldly belongings. When help fails to arrive Jeff fixes his wagon and heads off down the road, but his wife seems to have vanished leaving him with many unanswered questions. 

REVIEW: All of these questions are however quickly answered and the mystery is solved quicker than an episode of "Murder She Wrote". What starts off as a well-rendered paranoid nightmare of a road movie quickly degenerates into a mindless action flick complete with guns, stunts and spectacular set pieces. If only the director had resisted this easy way out and piled on the tension, we might have had a good thriller instead of an adequate action movie. 

Breakdown proved immensely popular in America with both critics and audiences alike. Playing on fears of wide open spaces and the locals that inhabit them, much like Oliver Stones forthcoming U-Turn, Breakdown doubtless pushed all the right buttons in its American audience, but fears and phobias don't necessarily cross international borders. Wide open space and deranged red-necks aren't exactly commonplace in the back lanes of Warwickshire, and this is probably why the film ultimately failed to engage me.

To quote the sales pitch "Kurt Russell has never been better" but that's not exactly hard, he hasn't really got much to live up to. J. T. Walsh has never been bad and he makes himself perfectly at home in his friendly one minute, sinister next, Truck Driver Red Barr. Quinlin has never been so underused, the occasional sparkle of characterisation is quickly throttled by a script that requires nothing more of her than your standard damsel in distress cypher. 

This was of course the last film to feature John Patrick (the T. was apparently a typo) Walsh (1943-1998) prior to his recent death, and I would like to take a brief moment to eulogise the passing of this fine character actor. Widely regarded as one of the hardest working actors in Hollywood, you will probably have seen him in more films than you remember from "The Grifters" to "Miracle On 34th Street" and of course on TV in "Dark Skies". Walsh has always provided support that in many cases threatened to overwhelm the less talented "stars". Despite turning to acting only in his 30's, Walsh quickly became a favourite of directors such as Barry Levinson ("Tin Men" & "Good Morning Vietnam") and John Dahl ("Red Rock West" & "The Last Seduction") ably proving that he could turn his hand to anything, but it is of course as the master of menace that he will be best remembered. He was filming Outside Ozona, his first lead role, at the time of his death, and is to be replaced by Robert Forster (Jackie Brown). He will be greatly missed. Now a minutes silence then back to the review. 

What we have here is, to put it in its correct Cineo-Historic context, "The Vanishing" meets "Duel" with a hint of "The Hills Have Eyes" thrown in for good measure. But the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. Ultimately this film disappoints, never really living up to its potential. If you want to see a really thrilling movie do what I did and go next door to see Scream 2. 

Watch it purely to see Walsh on top form. 

Mutts Rating: ***

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