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Movie
Poster for Breakdown

Breakdown

1997 · 93 min

A sweaty, white-knuckle chase through empty desert highways that keeps tightening the screws until the very last frame.

Tagline
It could happen to you.
Overview
On their cross-country drive, a married couple, Jeff and Amy Taylor, experience car trouble after their SUV breaks down. Stranded in the New Mexico desert, the two catch a break when a passing truck driver offers Amy a ride to a nearby café to call for help. Meanwhile, Jeff is able to fix the car and make his way to the café, but Amy isn't there. He tracks down the trucker ― who tells the police he's never seen Jeff or his wife before. Jeff then begins a desperate, frenzied search for Amy.
Stream in the UK
  • Paramount+ Amazon Channel
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
relentless, 4 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • survival
  • deception
  • crime
  • isolation
  • justice
Places
  • road trip
  • countryside
  • small town
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • twist ending
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex none
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action7
Horror4
Humour1
Realism7
Romance2
Tension9
Darkness6
Complexity4
Emotional weight6

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Where to watch in the UK

Stream
  • Paramount+ Amazon Channel
Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
crime, mystery, thriller, action, drama
Directed by
Jonathan Mostow
Written by
Jonathan Mostow, Sam Montgomery
Starring
Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan, M.C. Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Rex Linn, Ritch Brinkley, Moira Sinise
Music
Basil Poledouris
Cinematography
Douglas Milsome
Runtime
93 min
Country
United States of America, Italy
Languages
English

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