I heard about Breakdown through a friend.

They had heard about it from a TikTok channel about obscure movies. What got them interested was that the movie starred Kurt Russell.

This is what interested me as well. I can’t think of a Kurt Russell movie I haven’t enjoyed. The Thing. Escape from New York. Big Trouble in Little China. I even liked his cameo in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. He’s got a solid filmography.

I’d never heard of Breakdown, though. My friend explained the basic plot of the movie, and it reminded me of the European film The Vanishing.

Breakdown tells the tale of Jeff (Kurt Russell) and Amy (Kathleen Quinlan) driving cross-country to California. Along the way, they have a run-in with a few locals in a desolate town. Their car breaks down when these guys are following them. Before the locals make their move, Jeff and Amy are approached by a truckie. He offers to give them a ride to the nearest mechanic, but only Amy goes. Jeff wants to protect the expensive car.

That’s the last Jeff hears from her. He goes looking for his wife in all the wrong places, but all it leads to is more trouble.

I should mention that the truckie is played by J.T. Walsh. If you Google him, you’ll instantly know that he plays a bad guy in every role. As soon as he showed up, I knew something was going down.

While the plot of Breakdown sounds like The Vanishing, they are two very different movies. The Vanishing has more of a thriller vibe to it. You also got the perspective of the kidnapper, which helped explain the motive. Breakdown is more of an action film. It builds tension from the beginning before things start exploding and punches start flying. Breakdown doesn’t feel gratuitous. The movie earns the action elements.

I also like that Kurt Russell doesn't play his typical hero self in Breakdown. He's more of a preppy, snobby banker type. Kurt is nothing like Snake Plissken or any of the other badass characters I've seen him play. It works for the role of Jeff because he seems somewhat helpless and unable to defend himself.

Normally, for these types of movies, I would switch my brain off and enjoy the action. Breakdown kept me guessing along the way, though. The film doesn't play out like a normal action-adventure. It only runs for 90 minutes, which is a bonus.

My friend and the TikTok channel were right. Breakdown is a movie worth checking out. It’s an obscure film, but you can find it on Prime Video. If you ever come across it, press play and enjoy the ride.

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