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The Movie:
Director Jonathan Mostow("U-571") debuted with "Breakdown" in 1997, a stunningly tense and effective thriller starring Kurt Russell. The film is a waking nightmare, as a couple (Russell and Kathleen Quinlan) find themselves stranded in the wide-open desert country. From there, things go wrong very, very quickly. Taking a ride from a helpful truck driver(J.T. Walsh), the husband stays by the car.
Later on, the husband can't find her at the place she's supposed to be. Russell's character catches up to the truck driver, who says he doesn't know where she is. With no help whatsoever, he has to find out who took her and where she's vanished to. I won't spoil any more of the plot, but, with a couple of exceptions, I felt the movie as a whole is still a solid piece of work.
The film constantly ups the tension and the performances help the film along immensely. Russell delivers one of his most powerful and intense performances, making for a successful and engaging character. JT Walsh plays the villian perfectly; subtle, yet incredibly menacing. Mostow's screenplay is solidly written, and he moves the film along at a rapid clip; once it starts, it really keeps moving. With only a few minor stumbles, "Breakdown" remains a solid thriller.
The DVD
VIDEO: This is a transfer done before Paramount started doing anamorphic transfers and although it's not unwatchable, there are some annoyances sprinkled throughout. The image is clear and sharp, with very good clarity. Colors are nicely saturated, too - looking deep and rich, never showing any signs of problems. Flesh tones are natural, if sometimes a little red.
Where the image quality goes wrong is shimmering; there are quite a few instances of shimmer and a couple of times, it got to be a little bit distracting. The print used shows occasional signs of wear with a couple of scratches and marks now and then, but those weren't hugely noticable. Sequences occasionally seem grainy, as well. Again, it's not unwatchable, but I think some of the problems could have been smoothed out had it been anamorphic.
SOUND: "Breakdown" sounds very good, but not particularly stunning. The best parts are certainly any of the driving/car chase scenes, which sound particularly intense as the cars speed by with a deep rumble. Surround use is occasionally agressive, but could have even been a little more frequent. The music score sounds pleasing, but doesn't make much of an impression. "Breakdown" sounds good, but could have even been a little more agressive to create a better sense of the wide-open outdoor scenes. Dialogue is clear and natural.
MENUS:: Basic film-themed menus with images from the movie; no animation, but easily navigated.
EXTRAS: Just the full-frame trailer.
Final Thoughts: Very good audio and video quality, but other than that, there's no major extras, which is unfortunate.
Film Grade
The Film C+
DVD Grades
Video 84/B = (336/400 possible points)
Audio: 89/B+ = (356/400 possible points)
Extras: 65/D = (195/300 possible points)
Menus: 65/D = (130/200 possible points)
Value: 80/B- = (240/300 possible points)
TOTAL: 1256/1600
DVD GRADE:C/78%
FILM GRADE: B+
DVD GRADE: C+
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