Breakdown

R

1997

1h 33m

Mystery & Thriller

List

83%

58 Reviews

Tomatometer

68%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

On their cross-country drive, a married couple, Jeff (Kurt Russell) and Amy Taylor (Kathleen Quinlan), experience car trouble after an accident. Stranded in the New Mexico desert, the two catch a break when a passing truck driver, Red Barr (J.T. Walsh), offers to drive Amy to a nearby café to call for help. Meanwhile, Jeff is able to fix the car and make his way to the café, only to find his wife missing and Barr claiming ignorance. Jeff then begins a frenzied search for Amy.

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Critics Consensus

A brainy and suspenseful -- if somewhat uneven -- thriller.

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Audience Member

Nobody likes a breakdown but what happens when it could happen to you or worse have your whole happiness breaking down as it were? Kurt Russell in a backroad thriller along the likes of 'The Hitcher' and 'Duel' directed by Jonathan Mostow Jeff and his wife are driving to move to San Diego During the trip though their car breaks down and they get help from a trucker Redd Barr but that turns out to be a mistake Jeff's wife suddenly disappears and he suspects Redd is the culprit but the trucker claims he's never met the man Jeff tries to get others to help him but with no solid evidence everyone thinks he's losing his mind Now Jeff has to track down Redd praying his wife is still alive Is it just the trucker screwing with Jeff or is there more than one party in on it? This is thrilling, suspenseful, nail biting and psychological When we learn what's actually going on it's really horrifying how it reflects something lifelike Jeff goes all in to save his wife with gun fights car chases and high octane thrills It's definitely slow in the beginning but picks up after things unfold Really uneven but shows any ordinary person can be in extreme peril to any degree A very taught thriller by Jonathan Mostow

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/02/24

Full Review

Raquel R

Is so good. I saw it for the first time when I was a child and I never forgot this film. I watched it again today and I have the same opinion: it's so good!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/28/24

Full Review

Luna P

Kurt Russel thriller with some amazing stunt work. It definitely has the feel of a ‘90's movie but it's fun.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

Cork B

Story is short and simple. The wife disappears and Kurt Russell needs to find her in the desert back country. Simple, taunt and gripping. It isn't Shakespeare, but I am not sure why these movies cannot be written anymore. There was a very similar film recently - Last Seen Alive - which has a very similar plot, but not as gripping as this one.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/18/24

Full Review

gurken s

One of the films that stays in memory for decades. Gives you a bad feeling about redneck american highway idyllic cliches... good as Hitcher-the highway killer Original

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/01/24

Full Review

Andrew B

This is a solid film, but this review is to address all of you idiots that casually give away the entire plot of a movie without mentioning that your review is almost nothing but spoilers. You're all dipshits, and people hate you because you're too stupid to even acknowledge that nobody needs your pathetic failed attempt at critiquing a movie when all it does is ruin a potentially good experience. Go away.🖕🖕🖕🖕🖕

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

12/09/23

Full Review

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Jonathan Mostow

Director

Kurt Russell

Jeffrey "Jeff"' Taylor

J.T. Walsh

Warren "Red" Barr

Kathleen Quinlan

Amy Taylor

M.C. Gainey

Earl

Jack Noseworthy

Billy

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Breakdown: Official Clip - I Want My Wife Back

2:13

Breakdown: Official Clip - Give Me the Key

1:57

Breakdown: Official Clip - Truck to the Face

2:12

Breakdown: Official Clip - What Do You Want?

2:02

Breakdown: Official Clip - Jeff Rescues Amy

2:11

Breakdown: Official Clip - Truck Chase

2:12

Breakdown: Official Clip - Earl Shoots the Sheriff

2:13

Breakdown: Official Clip - Jeff Breaks Free

2:07

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Its simplicity is striking, and because the central premise is wholly believable, the sensational and impossible aspects become equally genuine as the film goes along.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 1, 2022

Full Review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: A-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Stephen Hunter

Washington Post

[Kurt Russell's] lack of energy afflicts the film as much as its director's lack of ideas.

May 7, 2003

Full Review

Jen Johans

Film Intuition

Clocking in at roughly ninety minutes, Mostow's film plays like a gritty yet glossy entry into the universally relatable Ordinary Person in Extraordinary Peril subgenre

Oct 13, 2021

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A turbo-charged thriller.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 24, 2021

Full Review

Allison Rose

FlickDirect

Despite a few hiccups, Breakdown is a solid movie and Paramount Pictures made a very good choice adding to their Paramount Presents collection.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 23, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

On their cross-country drive, a married couple, Jeff (Kurt Russell) and Amy Taylor (Kathleen Quinlan), experience car trouble after an accident. Stranded in the New Mexico desert, the two catch a break when a passing truck driver, Red Barr (J.T. Walsh), offers to drive Amy to a nearby café to call for help. Meanwhile, Jeff is able to fix the car and make his way to the café, only to find his wife missing and Barr claiming ignorance. Jeff then begins a frenzied search for Amy.

Director: Jonathan Mostow
Producer: Jonathan Fernandez, Harry Colomby
Screenwriter: Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery
Production Co: Dino De Laurentiis Company
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.2M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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