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Breakdown

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Breakdown (1997)

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78 %
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Reviews Counted:46

Fresh:36

Rotten:10

Average Rating:7/10

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

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: After their new Jeep conks out on a desolate stretch of Arizona highway, a well-heeled Massachusetts couple accepts the help of a polite and seemingly honest trucker (J.T. Walsh), who drives the... After their new Jeep conks out on a desolate stretch of Arizona highway, a well-heeled Massachusetts couple accepts the help of a polite and seemingly honest trucker (J.T. Walsh), who drives the wife (Kathleen Quinlan) to a diner while the husband (Kurt Russell) stays behind to "protect" the vehicle. After saying goodbye, the husband gets two surprises--the Jeep starts, and his wife never actually arrived at the diner. What's more, the trucker doesn't recollect having picked her up at all. This taut suspense film, directed by Jonathan Mostow, is light on special-effects bombasticism and heavy on the old-fashioned Hitchcockian chills. [More]

Starring: Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan, M.C. Gainey

Starring: Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan, M.C. Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Rex Linn, Ritch Brinkley, Susan Brinkley, Moira Harris, Kim Robillard, Thomas Kopache, Jack McGee

Director: Jonathan Mostow

Director: Jonathan Mostow
Screenwriter: Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery
Composer: Basil Poledouris

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Breakdown

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
N/R

Urban Cinefile Critics

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 01 2000 12:00 AM

Urban Cinefile

tomato
4/4

David Nusair

...one of the most effective and flat-out engrossing thrillers within recent cinematic history...

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 06 2009 07:13 AM

Reel Film Reviews

N/R

Todd McCarthy

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 26 2009 03:18 AM

Variety

N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 03 2006 04:29 AM

Time Out

tomato
8/10

Chuck O'Leary

A first-rate nail-biter that packs more genuine white-knuckle moments into 100 minutes than a dozen overpriced volcano movies could ever dream of having.

comment Comment | Mar., 03 2006 08:58 PM

FulvueDrive-in.com

tomato
B+

Bill Clark

A taut, well-crafted suspense film that delivers the paranoid goods.

comment Comment | Oct., 28 2005 11:28 AM

FromTheBalcony

tomato
3/4

Michael Dequina

An engrossing, exciting nailbiter that makes the most of every single one of its efficient 95 minutes.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 03 2005 02:14 PM

TheMovieReport.com

N/R

Robin Clifford

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 09 2005 03:59 AM

Reeling Reviews

splat
C

Philip Martin

Are we really supposed to empathize with the empathy-proof Kurt Russell? I was actually hoping that his character's wife had run away with the trucker ...

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 07 2005 09:58 AM

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

tomato
6/10

Dragan Antulov

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 21 2004 03:38 PM

rec.arts.movies.reviews

splat
2.5/4

Susan Tavernetti

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 20 2003 05:22 PM

Palo Alto Weekly

N/R

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Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 08 2003 05:21 PM

Washington Post

N/R

Jack Mathews

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 08 2003 05:21 PM

Los Angeles Times

splat

Stephen Hunter

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

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 07 2003 06:19 PM

Washington Post

tomato
3/4

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 07 2003 05:21 PM

Globe and Mail

tomato
4/5

John Paul Powell

A well-crafted thriller.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 07 2003 05:11 PM

Jam! Movies

tomato
4/5

Louis B. Hobson

Pure free-fall fun.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 07 2003 05:08 PM

Jam! Movies

tomato
3/5

Robert Roten

It's a little silly and you do have to suspend your disbelief, but it's a thrilling ride.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 16 2003 08:11 AM

Laramie Movie Scope

tomato
3.5/5

Jeff Strickler

A taut suspense film.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 06 2002 02:56 PM

Minneapolis Star Tribune

tomato
3.5/4

Margaret A. McGurk

A spare, solid, sharply paced tale of terror that does what a thriller is supposed to do -- scare the bejesus out of you.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 15 2002 08:10 AM

Cincinnati Enquirer

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Breakdown

May 21, 2007: Four Directors Up for the Next "Bond" Flick?
Curious to know who'll be directing the next James Bond flick? Join the club. One source has a short list of potential helmers, all of whom would be pretty ... distinctive. More...

June 15, 2005: "T3" Director Hired to Remake "Swiss Family Robinson"
Jonathan Mostow, director of "Breakdown," "U-571," and "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," will step behind the camera for Disney's new remake of... More...

March 09, 2005: Paramount Looks Forward to Getting "Snow Blind"
More...

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