How others will see it. If white knuckle action films are your genre, this film could well rank among your favorites. The story may be implausible, the direction a bit on the dramatic side, and there may be plot holes. But if suspense and tension are for you, there's no need to look any further for your next Blockbuster rental. Those who can't take the heat should look elsewhere.
How I felt about it. Breakdown reminded me a lot of the old Hitchcock films, North by Northwest in particular, which had an innocent amateur led by circumstances into a role as an adventure hero.
Credibility goes completely down the drain about the time Russell decides to go after the kidnappers by driving down a closed road based on a dubious tip. Soon after, Russell is carrying a sack of money on a deserted road without backup, waiting for a pickup from the kidnappers which of course in real life would result in his immediate demise.
In Breakdown, however, it instead means that the plot now becomes completely farfetched. Russell is at the precipice of death on more occasions that can be listed in this review, and while the situations are sufficiently varied, that makes them no less preposterous. When a trained and fit spy, like James Bond, does these stunts, it's all part of the fun. When a rather clueless Easterner beats four experienced criminals at the same time at their own game, it's enough to almost make you tear your eyes away from the gripping action and suspense. Almost.
In the back of your mind, though, you suspect that things will work out alright for the couple. But they didn't in The Hitcher, an unpleasant adrenaline adventure from the eighties. The production code died with the advent of film ratings decades ago, yet people still expect the villains to get what's coming to them, while the heroes escape more or less intact.
The scene I wanted to see isn't Kurt Russell hanging for his life from the side of a bridge, with the chief bad guy whacking his hands with a steel chain. That sort of thing is a cliche, and we know that the hero never lets go, unless something is below to break his fall.
No, I want to watch Russell call up his auto insurance company and try to explain what happened to the fancy new sportscar. "Um, I drove onto a closed road to try to rescue my wife from kidnappers, then I got forced into a river by a killer with a rifle." At which time, the insurance agent replies, "Yes sir, please stay on the line while I attempt to find out if you have a criminal record or a history of mental illness."