Breakdown - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Breakdown



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras: :
Final Score:


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Movie
Breakdown is a movie that I’ve long awaited coming to Blu-ray, and I’m happy to see that Paramount has remastered it in 4K for their Paramount Presents line. I will admit that part of me is sad that it isn’t getting a 4K UHD disc, but seeing my old 1997 DVD finally being able to be laid to rest is a happy day indeed. The movie is one of Kurt Russell’s lesser known lesser known thrillers before he semi retired in the early 2000s, but it’s still a taught thriller about a man trying to find his kidnapped wife. The movie doesn’t pretend to be anything that it isn’t, but still manages to be a very entertaining film some 24 years later.

Jeff (Kurt Russell) and Amy Taylor (Kathleen Quinlan) are on their way west to San Diego after a job move from Boston (even though they have not even a hint of a Boston accent). The two of them have packed up everything they own into their new Jeep, wrapped up their meager finances, and gone west. Only thing is that the west has a few surprises for them. Their car breaks down on the side of the road outside of a rinky dink town, and only a trucker named Red (J.T. Walsh) stops to help them. Jeff decides to stay back with the jeep and sends Amy with Red to the local town to call a tow truck. When a tow doesn’t arrive, Jeff is able to restart his over heated automobile and goes in to town to check on Amy.

However, Amy is nowhere in sight. No one in town has seen her, and Jeff is left pulling his hair out trying to figure out where she’s gone. The local Sheriff (played by Rex Linn) is kindly enough, but he’s not exactly motivated to find a woman whom he believes may have left her husband. But digging deeper reveals a nasty ploy. Red and his compatriots have kidnapped Amy and are holding her ransom for money. Money that is never coming as she lied about their meager finances being greater than they were. Playing along with the ploy that they have money hidden somewhere, Jeff manages to turn the tables on his attackers and hunts them down one by one until he can find his missing wife. Even if it means changing from a city slicker to a rabid animal to do so.

Breakdown is a simple thriller. Man loses wife, man hunts down the kidnappers and exacts his revenge. The 90s was filled with these types of thrillers. What makes the movie special is Kurt Russell at the peak of his game, and the almost horroresque tone to the movie. Every aspect of the movie is creepy and suspenseful, giving the audience the feeling that something horrible and terrifying is going to happen next. However, the movie is still JUST a revenge thriller at the end of the day, and not one of Russell’s best. It’s fun, but a little dated at times. But then again, only a little really.

I’m actually super glad that Breakdown got a chance to get remastered for Blu-ray. My old DVD looks rather crummy by comparison, and this is one of those long lost titles that I didn’t expect to come out any time soon. It’s cheesy good 90s fun, with plenty of goofy winks and nods to the camera (such as Red stating “you have 49 minutes left” to get the money, and ironically there is 49 minutes left of the movie at that point), as well as sloppy stunt doubles, and guns missing magazines in plain view.




Rating:

Rated R for strong violence/terror and language




Video:

Being that this is the first time I’ve seen the film in HD, it’s quite a comparison to the compressed old DVD. The movie has a sort of earthy, ruddy tone to it, with slightly red and orange push to the grading. Clarity is quite incredible though for the most part. Fine details along faces and clothing are stunning, and textural details in the dirty western arena show up amazingly well. There are some grainy shots (such as when Red comes out in the dark to meet his family) and a few soft scenes (such as when Jeff and Amy are looking down at Red’s body and the camera is looking up at them), otherwise this is an excellent 4K remaster on Blu-ray. Great details, good black levels for the most part (outside of those grain spikes), and a generally all around great looking disc.






Audio:

Given the 5.1 Dolby TrueHD lossless treatment for the first time, this sounds infinitely better than aging DVD’s lossy Dolby Digital track. The mix is front heavy with moderate surround activity and bass activity, but it’s a well done track none the less. Dialog is crisp and clean, although the mains tend to overwhelm the dialog sometimes. Surround activity is moderate, but when done is done well with some flurries of activity and excitement. What surprised me was how punchy the bass was. It’s not a massively bassy movie most of the time, but when it does hit (such as a semi slamming into their truck) the low end is powerful and slams you in the chest quite well.









Extras:

• Commentary by director Jonathan Mostow and Kurt Russell—NEW!
• Filmmaker Focus: Director Jonathan Mostow on Breakdown—NEW!
• Victory Is Hers - Kathleen Quinlan on Breakdown—NEW!
• A Brilliant Partnership - Martha De Laurentiis on Breakdown—NEW!
• Alternate Opening—NEW!
• Alternate Opening with commentary by director Jonathan Mostow—NEW!
• Isolated Score—NEW!
• Theatrical Trailers
-- Breakdown
-- Kiss the Girls
-- Hard Rain

Final Score: ​

Breakdown marks the 26th film from the Paramount Presents lineup, and while it’s never been out on Blu-ray before, it’s a nice new remaster as well as filled with brand new extra that weren’t available with the legacy extras on the DVD. The packaging is the same fold out as the rest of the Presents line, with the original cover art on the inside (which is the superior art in my opinion) as well as a new horror esque cover art to go on the slipcover. Breakdown may not be THE best thriller of the 90s, but it’s a fun movie and a great looking/sounding Blu-ray. Definitely a fun watch.

Technical Specifications:

Starring: Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan, M.C. Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Rex Linn
Directed by: Jonathan Mostow
Written by: Jonathan Mostow
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 AVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French DD 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, English, French
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R
Runtime: 93 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: September 21st 2021

Recommendation: Fun Watch