Kurt Russell is one of those actors that I always remember liking. When I was coming into my own as a lover of movies in the mid-80s, it seemed that he was everywhere in my life. Fox 16 out of Little Rock played THE MEAN SEASON constantly, my brother and I loved to rent BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, and my mom’s favorite movie was OVERBOARD. In some ways, he was like an extended member of the family! Even though he’s now 75 years old, if Russell is in a film or TV show, there’s a good chance I’m watching it. Well back in 1997, I went to see his BREAKDOWN in the theater, and I still find myself watching it just about every year to this day. I just enjoy it no matter how many times I watch it. Most people call it a suspense thriller, but this story is a genuine horror show for me.
Russell plays Jeff Taylor, a man traveling cross-country with his wife, Amy (Kathleen Quinlan). When their vehicle breaks down in the middle of the desert, it seems that they’re almost forced to take the help of a passing truck driver. Amy agrees to go with him to get assistance while Jeff stays behind with their vehicle. It’s the kind of situation any couple could find themselves in. The problem here is that when Jeff is able to get his vehicle running again and makes his way to the roadside diner where Amy’s supposed to be, she’s nowhere to be found. Even worse, everyone acts like they’ve never heard of her or seen her before. From that point on, the movie focuses on Jeff’s desperate search for his wife, and the more he learns about the people who took her, the more dangerous things become.
Here’s the thing about BREAKDOWN that has always made it work so well for me. The idea of a wife being taken from her husband, out in the middle of nowhere, with no explanation and no clear way to get her back, is terrifying. When I think of some of the long, lonesome stretches of interstate my wife and I have driven through in rural Wyoming, I’m not exactly sure what I’d do if our vehicle just stopped working. And one thing about Kurt Russell’s character here, he’s not some tough guy like Snake Plissken or Jack Burton. This character is named Jeff, and he’s preppy looking in his sunglasses, khakis and polo shirt. He kind of reminds me of myself at first, which means I know he’s in trouble! The brilliance of the film’s setup is that it takes an ordinary situation involving ordinary people and then turns it into the sort of nightmare that I wouldn’t wish on anybody.
Russell excels as the normal husband completely driven by the desperation to find his wife. He makes us feel what Jeff is going through, and that’s a huge part of why the movie works as well as it does. When he gets angry, we understand why. When he takes risks, we understand what’s driving him. I find myself completely invested in his predicament and want him to find Amy just as badly as he does. And then there’s J.T. Walsh, who’s particularly chilling as the truck driver, Red Barr. He seems like such a nice guy when he offers help but then seems like a despicable guy when he tells the police later that he’s never met Jeff or Amy before. The thing is, he’s basically playing the character the same in both scenes, which makes the whole thing quite unsettling. It’s an incredible performance and serves as a reminder of what a shame it was that J.T. Walsh would pass away the next year at just 54 years of age.
Another thing that works well is Kathleen Quinlan’s performance as Amy. She doesn’t get a lot of screen time, as we hang out with her and Jeff on the road for a little while before she gets kidnapped, but she gives off such an appealing vibe that helps establish a solid, likable relationship with her husband. To me that short time is vital as it helped me stay invested in Jeff’s search. I mean, who wouldn’t want her back?! Finally, I also want to give a shout-out to M.C. Gainey and Jack Noseworthy, who play a couple of really bad guys helping Red. This movie has some damn good villains.
Watching BREAKDOWN yet again, I still think it’s a near perfect thriller. Kurt Russell is terrific, the suspense holds up, and the story still resonates with me, maybe now more than ever. After all these years, I still find myself getting caught up in Jeff’s desperate search for Amy, and thinking about what I’d do if something like this ever happened to my lovely wife, Sierra. That thought remains every bit as scary as it did the first time I saw the film. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
