Breakdown (1997)
79%RT Audience Score: 68%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 2 nominations
A brainy and suspenseful — if somewhat uneven — thriller
Breakdown is a 90s thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat, even if Kurt Russell’s energy is lacking. The film’s simplicity is what makes it so striking, and the central premise is wholly believable. It’s a taut suspense film that twists and turns before accelerating to a wonderfully overwrought finale. Plus, who doesn’t love a good Ordinary Person in Extraordinary Peril subgenre? Despite a few hiccups, Breakdown is a solid movie that’s worth adding to your watchlist.
Production Company(ies)
Cinema ’84 Euro Film Funding, Hemdale
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
240 St E, Lancaster, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong violence/terror and language
Year of Release
1997
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): May 10, 2011
Genre(s)
Mystery & thriller
Keyword(s)
starring Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan, J.T Walsh, M.C Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Rex Linn, directed by Jonathan Mostow, written by Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery, Mystery & thriller, R rating, box office gross $50.2M, reviewed by Sara Michelle Fetters, Lisa Schwarzbaum, Stephen Hunter, Jeff Strickler, Roger Ebert, Peter Stack, Jen Johans, Matt Brunson, Allison Rose, Danielle Solzman, Mike Massie, produced by Martha De Laurentiis, Dino De Laurentiis, Paramount Presents collection, car trouble, New Mexico desert, truck driver, missing wife, suspenseful, brainy, uneven, gritty, glossy, ordinary person in extraordinary peril, horror movie tricks, actioner clichés, low-and-slow simmer, Blumhouse, tightly wound watch, filigree, flourish, top horror movies, RT Podcasts, most anticipated movies, most anticipated TV & streaming, all MCU movies ranked by Tomatometer, renewed & cancelled TV shows 2022, best 2022 horror movies ranked by Tomatometer, TV premiere dates 2022, worst horror movies of all time, best Netflix series & shows
Worldwide gross: $50,159,144
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $93,500,700
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,048
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 10,196,369
US/Canada gross: $50,159,144
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $93,500,700
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 782
US/Canada opening weekend: $12,307,128
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $22,941,482
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 588
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $36,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $67,106,911
Production budget ranking: 624
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $36,137,072
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$9,743,282
ROI to date (est.): -9%
ROI ranking: 1,443
J.T. Walsh – Warren “Red” Barr
Kathleen Quinlan – Amy Taylor
M.C. Gainey – Earl
Jack Noseworthy – Billy
Rex Linn – Sheriff Boyd
Director(s)
Jonathan Mostow
Writer(s)
Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery
Producer(s)
Martha De Laurentiis, Dino De Laurentiis
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 2 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (57) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (10)
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.
July 1, 2022 | Rating: 3.5/4
Sara Michelle Fetters
MovieFreak.com
TOP CRITIC
September 7, 2011 | Rating: A-
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
[Kurt Russell’s] lack of energy afflicts the film as much as its director’s lack of ideas.
May 7, 2003
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
A taut suspense film.
November 6, 2002 | Rating: 3.5/5
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune
TOP CRITIC
Taut, skillful and surgically effective.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
A 96- minute thrill ride that twists and turns before accelerating to a wonderfully overwrought finale.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/4
Peter Stack
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
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
October 13, 2021
Jen Johans
Film Intuition
A turbo-charged thriller.
September 24, 2021 | Rating: 3/4
Matt Brunson
Film Frenzy
Despite a few hiccups, Breakdown is a solid movie and Paramount Pictures made a very good choice adding to their Paramount Presents collection.
September 23, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Allison Rose
FlickDirect
Breakdown is a 90s thriller through and through.
September 20, 2021
Danielle Solzman
Solzy at the Movies
Dabbles in a few horror movie tricks and actioner clichés that weaken the momentum, but it nonetheless refuses to lose all of its steam.
September 10, 2020 | Rating: 8/10
Mike Massie
Gone With The Twins
Sometimes a tightly wound watch – with a little bit of filigree and flourish to set it apart – is all you need. The sort of low-and-slow simmer that Blumhouse might now push into 1,000 theaters at best.
September 21, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Nick Rogers
The Film Yap…
Plot
Jeff and Amy Taylor are moving to California and must drive across the country. When they find themselves stranded in the middle of a desert with hardly anyone or anything around, their trip comes to a sudden halt. Amy had taken a ride with a friendly trucker to a small diner to call for help, but after a long time, Jeff becomes worried. He finds that no one in the diner has seen or heard from his wife. When he finds the trucker who gave Amy the ride, the trucker swears he has never seen her. Now Jeff must attempt to find his wife, who has been kidnapped and is being held for ransom. But who can he trust?
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for the film Breakdown.
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