This Underrated Kurt Russell Thriller Is Finally Streaming on Paramount+
I am a fierce supporter of a cinematic underdog. I will go out of my way to champion films that don’t get the love they deserve. And that’s precisely what I’m about to do. Today, I am extolling the praises of a suspenseful effort that seems to have been largely forgotten since its 1997 release. I’m talking about Jonathan Mostow’s high-octane highway thriller Breakdown. The film features Kurt Russell in a starring role, a nerve-shredding narrative, and enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.
In Breakdown, Jeff (Kurt Russell) and Amy (Kathleen Quinlan) pack up their belongings and trek cross country to California for a fresh start. Along the way, they experience car trouble. A semi-truck driver who calls himself Red (J.T. Walsh) pulls over to help and Amy accepts his offer of a ride so she can call a tow truck. But when Amy fails to appear at the agreed-upon rendezvous point, Jeff comes to suspect foul play. Eventually, Red and his cartel reveal they have abducted Amy and are holding her for ransom. What follows is a tense, unnerving affair sure to keep the audience in a state of panic until the thrilling denouement.
In a roundabout way, Breakdown plays with the Hitchcockian trope of mistaken identity and does so rather effectively. The kidnappers see Jeff and Amy driving an expensive new vehicle and presuppose they have more money than common sense. Amy and Jeff aren’t confused for a different couple, per se, but they are wrongly identified as prosperous. On the surface, they appear well-to-do. But appearances are often misleading. In reality, they are deeply in debt and have very little cash to spare. Similar to Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) in North by Northwest, the mistaken identity aspect creates a series of complications. The kidnappers have made up their minds that Jeff is a rich idiot and aren’t interested in hearing anything to the contrary. That misconception hurls Jeff into a chaotic ordeal that could easily cost him his life.
Screenwriters Jonathan Mostow (who is also at the helm) and Sam Montgomery smartly set the proceedings in a desolate area with nothing but desert as far as the eye can see. The remote setting underscores just how helpless Jeff is in his plight. Making matters all the more distressing, the people Jeff encounters in his efforts to locate Amy are not the least bit helpful. In fact, some of the locals are downright hostile. That works to create an extra layer of paranoia. One quickly begins to wonder how deep the conspiracy goes. Are the inhabitants of the rural stretch of highway where Amy accepted a ride involved in her disappearance or just particularly inhospitable to outsiders?
One brilliant scene that adds to the inherent paranoia sees Kurt Russell’s Jeff returning to Belle’s Diner (the aforementioned rendezvous point) for the second time. The response he gets from the proprietor is even less enthusiastic than on his previous visit. Mostow pans around the restaurant from Jeff’s perspective as he tries to determine if anyone inside knows something or may be able to offer some form of help. He is met with blank stares. That shot leads into a contentious exchange that further enhances the tension level, as well as serves to remind how alone Jeff is in his quest.
The intensity is further augmented by an ever-present sense of deception. Shortly after Amy gets in the truck with Red, Jeff encounters him on the highway. Jeff flags Red down, thinking his troubles are over. But Red feigns ignorance, acting as if he’s never laid eyes on Jeff before; professing to know nothing about the whereabouts of his wife. Jeff and the viewer know Red picked Amy up. But there’s no corroborating evidence, meaning that the patrol officer Jeff flags down has no compelling reason to trust Jeff’s account of events. This, once again, finds Jeff all alone without an ally in sight.
In addition to high levels of tension and paranoia, the film is also packed with jarring action sequences, ensuring there is never a dull moment. Jeff has numerous near misses and would-be collisions as he frantically searches for his missing wife. One especially unnerving development sees him driving his Jeep off an embankment and into a body of water below. It’s the type of setup you’re not likely to see unfold in a real-life situation but it makes for a thrilling narrative development for anyone game to look past the outlandish nature of the ordeal.
On the whole, the film benefits from a strong screenplay, solid direction, and an ever-present level of paranoia. If you’re keen to experience Breakdown for yourself, you can find the picture streaming on Paramount+ as of the publication of this post.
Categorized:Editorials
