A CROSS-COUNTRY TRIP. AN UNEXPECTED BREAKDOWN. THE TRAP HAS BEEN SET.Ā
Jeff and Amy Taylor’s (Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan) car suffers a breakdown in the middle of the desert; a helpful trucker picks Amy up so she can phone for help, but they both disappear… Several critics rightfully brought attention to this thriller that is equal shares Hitchcock mystery and action movie, with a resemblance to a Dutch film, The Vanishing (1988). It is taut, well-acted entertainment that offers its audience several surprises. The desolate countryside and its inhospitable people create an atmosphere of helplessness and isolation. Anyone who lives in a place like this will most likely be offended but the film is fairly believable, in spite of its extravagant ending.Ā
1997-U.S. 93 min. Color. Widescreen. Produced byĀ Dino de Laurentiis, Martha Schumacher. Directed byĀ Jonathan Mostow. Screenplay: Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery. Music: Basil Poledouris. Cast: Kurt Russell (Jeff Taylor), J.T. Walsh (Red Barr), Kathleen Quinlan (Amy Taylor), M.C. Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Rex Linn.
Last word: “‘Breakdown’ was [Walsh’s] second to last role. At his memorial service, they showed a 45-minute clip reel of his work, something like a minute or two from each film he was in. Everyoneās breath was taken away by the volume of films heād been in. Every time they showed a new clip, it was like, ‘Oh yeah, I forgot he was in that!’ Because he just became organically part of every one of those movies. When you strung it all together and saw them back to back, it was just amazing. ‘Breakdown’ was the first film where he really got some real attention that he hadnāt gotten before. His salary tripled after that and things were just starting to take off for him, so it was really tragic that he passed away so soon.” (Mostow, Flickering Myth)
