"It could happen to you" is the principle catch phrase for "Breakdown," the new thriller starring Kurt Russell.
Unlike the current trend in the action film genre to go for bigger action sequences and more preposterous situations, "Breakdown" attempts to lure the viewer into identifying with Russell's character by making the plot as plausible and close to reality as possible.
Russell plays Jeff Taylor, a man from Boston driving with his wife, Amy (Kathleen Quinlan), across country to move to a new job and a new city. Along the way, he is entangled in a trap in the rural Southwest by a ring of brutal rednecks led by a trucker (J.T. Walsh) aptly named Red.
The problems begin when Jeff's car breaks down and his wife catches a ride with the trucker to a local diner for help. After he discovers that his car was tampered with and fixes it, he travels to the diner and can not find his wife.
From this point onward, the film takes off on a frantic pace as the viewer experiences, through Taylor, the dangerous adventures of a normal character forcibly taken to a liminal, uncontrolled state. In the classic Hitchcock vein of such films as "North by Northwest," "Vertigo" and "39 Steps," much of the appeal of "Breakdown" is its display of an ordinary person forced into extraordinary circumstances.
Russell, who fares best in movies where he plays panic-stricken characters unnerved by a dangerous abnormal situation, convincingly portrays the embattled everyman. Similar to his successful role in "Executive Decision," his performance abounds with grunts, sweat and intensity. His appearance and clothing rapidly degenerate as the film progresses.
"Breakdown" travels into the heart of rural America and conjures many redneck demons. Set in a flat and empty looking present-day Southwest, Director/Writer Jonathan Mostow reinvents the themes of the Western film in the modern day. Much like this classic genre, good and evil are sharply divided and the landscape is bleak and forboding.
Red leads a group of poor and unhappy men who have taken to preying on hapless wealthy travelers who come their way. These redneck villains are more believable than the common trend in action films for the antagonists to be terrorists of Eastern European and Middle Eastern background. Their eyes lust eagerly at Taylor's expensive car and beautiful wife with an unnerving combination of contempt and jealousy.
With these characters, Mostow purposely crafts "Breakdown" to capitalize on the anxieties and worries of its viewers.
"Breakdown" presents a situation that we can all relate to and evokes the universal vulnerability one feels when stranded with a broken-down car or lost in an unfamiliar locale.
It skillfully plays on the suburban and urban fear of rural localism and entrapment in a small town and of husbands and fathers of losing the ability to protect their female loved ones.
Mostow obviously strove to make a film that flirted with familiarity. To accomplish this, he provides very little detail and depth to his characters and sticks carefully to his simple storyline.
As viewers, we are given no obstacles and details to obstruct our associating and relating to Jeff and Amy Taylor.
Unfortunately, Mostow's inclination to present universal characters comes off poorly in the portrayal of Amy, the only female character. Quinlan is left with a stereotypical female role based solely on impotent screams and disempowered fear.
The performances of other supporting actors are also largely tempered by the cartoonishness of their characters. Despite the limitations of his role, Walsh does a laudable job as the leader of the malicious gang in skillfully exuding a certain brutal power through his body language and expressions.
The action and energy of the film is luckily engaging and intense enough to draw attention away from character development and into the situations for the film.
"Breakdown" is set almost entirely on the road and exhibits the influence of fellow automotive thrillers, such as "Mad Max" and "The Road Warrior." The action sequences include a variety of pickup trucks and beat-up cars and lead to a number of explosive crashes. The setting of the road is fitting as it naturally lends itself to the film's overriding sense of fast paced movement and uncontrolled commotion.
In the end, "Breakdown" succeeds because Mostow is so thorough in maintaining simplicity. By consciously wedding action to realism, he is able to keep the film exciting without resorting to preposterous stunts which would result in an air of implausibility.
Despite the painfully obvious quality of his technique, the director's efforts to create familiarity are ultimately irresistible and effectively capture the attention of his viewer.
