In the tradition of Duel, Jonathan Mostow`s debut feature Breakdown jolts you out of your seat in the first ten minutes, and then doesn`t let up until the end credits. Kurt Russell plays an ordinary bloke, Jeffrey Taylor who`s driving his new red Jeep Grand Cherokee, that he really couldn`t afford - with wife Amy, played by Kathleen Quinlan - from Boston to a new job in California...after a bit of roadrage exchange with the driver of a pickup, his car breaks down in the middle of the desert. A friendly truckdriver, played by J.T Walsh, offers to give Amy a lift to the nearest diner where she can ring for a towtruck, but when Jeff manages to get his car started, no-one at the diner has seen Amy, and that`s when the nightmare begins.
What`s terrific about Breakdown, apart from the sheer economy of telling this thrilling tale, is that Russell is no gung-ho hero, you can tell that he is just a normal guy, not very comfortable in some circumstances; in fact you wouldn`t be suprised to see him cry at some of the rough stuff that he`s forced to experience. Russell plays Jeff very effectively. Jonathan Mostow shows real flair for using the big screen to create visually exciting cinema, Doug Milsome`s clear bold cinematography is a bonus while Basil Poledouris` music throbs away, underscoring, at times a trifle heavy-handedly, the drama. As co-writer, Mostow has avoided most of the unbelievable co-incidence that seem to ruin so many films of this ilk; he`s even created credible motivation for the bad guys. Breakdown was an unexpected treat - a truly sweaty-palm movie that you ultimately don`t feel cheated by.
