Breakdown - 4K Blu-ray Review

Movie
Breakdown is a movie that I’ve long awaited coming to Blu-ray, and I’m happy to see that Paramount has remastered it in 4K for their Paramount Presents line. I will admit that part of me is sad that it isn’t getting a 4K UHD disc, but seeing my old 1997 DVD finally being able to be laid to rest is a happy day indeed. Yup, 3 years ago I remember being excited as all getout for the new release, but sad that Paramount didn't deign to give it a 4K UHD release, even though it had been remastered in 4K for the 2021 Blu-ray release. Welp, guess what. It's nearly 3 years later to the day and Paramount is finally releasing it in the Paramount Scares: Volume 2 set, so to start out my reviews of the set, we're going to start with Breakdown (although, I'm kind of wondering why it's in a horror set, as Breakdown is much more of a thriller than it is a horror movie, but whatever, I'm not complaining as we FINALLY get this flick in 4K glory)

Jeff (Kurt Russell) and Amy Taylor (Kathleen Quinlan) are on their way west to San Diego after a job move from Boston (even though they have not even a hint of a Boston accent). The two of them have packed up everything they own into their new Jeep, wrapped up their meager finances, and gone west. Only thing is that the west has a few surprises for them. Their car breaks down on the side of the road outside of a rinky dink town, and only a trucker named Red (J.T. Walsh) stops to help them. Jeff decides to stay back with the jeep and sends Amy with Red to the local town to call a tow truck. When a tow doesn’t arrive, Jeff is able to restart his over heated automobile and goes in to town to check on Amy.

However, Amy is nowhere in sight. No one in town has seen her, and Jeff is left pulling his hair out trying to figure out where she’s gone. The local Sheriff (played by Rex Linn) is kindly enough, but he’s not exactly motivated to find a woman whom he believes may have left her husband. But digging deeper reveals a nasty ploy. Red and his compatriots have kidnapped Amy and are holding her ransom for money. Money that is never coming as she lied about their meager finances being greater than they were. Playing along with the ploy that they have money hidden somewhere, Jeff manages to turn the tables on his attackers and hunts them down one by one until he can find his missing wife. Even if it means changing from a city slicker to a rabid animal to do so.

Breakdown is a simple thriller. Man loses wife, man hunts down the kidnappers and exacts his revenge. The 90s was filled with these types of thrillers. What makes the movie special is Kurt Russell at the peak of his game, and the almost horroresque tone to the movie. Every aspect of the movie is creepy and suspenseful, giving the audience the feeling that something horrible and terrifying is going to happen next. However, the movie is still JUST a revenge thriller at the end of the day, and not one of Russell’s best. It’s fun, but a little dated at times. But then again, only a little really.

I’m actually super glad that Breakdown got a chance to get remastered for Blu-ray. My old DVD looks rather crummy by comparison, and this is one of those long lost titles that I didn’t expect to come out any time soon. It’s cheesy good 90s fun, with plenty of goofy winks and nods to the camera (such as Red stating “you have 49 minutes left” to get the money, and ironically there is 49 minutes left of the movie at that point), as well as sloppy stunt doubles, and guns missing magazines in plain view.




Rating:

Rated R for strong violence/terror and language




4K Video: Video:

Paramount announced on the press release for this set that all 4 films have been given new 4K remasters, but being that this is only a couple year old re-release of the 4K remastered Paramount Presents Blu-ray, I’m going to GUESS (unless corrected, please do if I’m wrong) that it’s using the same master, and that guess is pretty strongly indicated as the two formats look REALLY similar, just with the 4K UHD disc sporting the increased resolution and the Dolby Vision that the 1080p disc lacked.

Honestly, this is a gorgeous looking 4K transfer, and well worth the price of admission of the set to get this sucker. I raved over the image in the 2021 Blu-ray and my thoughts remain mostly the same. It’s a great looking disc that leans heavily towards ruddy browns and rust colors, with stunning fine detailing and great background imaging. I did notice right off the bat that the blasted out highlights that is in the Blu-ray are much dimmer and more tamed on the 4K disc. At first I was thinking that it looked TOO dim, but the longer I watched the 4K disc the more it grew on me, and I started realizing how natural other colors and backdrops looked. The red car is more dusky looking, but the green foliage and the blue river that Kurt Russell drives into to escape the murderous truckers just looks fantastic in 2160p. So much richer and fuller without that bright look to it. Honestly, this is the best the film has ever looked and it handily outclasses the already great looking Blu-ray we got a couple years back.






Audio:

Being that Paramount ported over the identical 5.1 track from the 3 year old Blu-ray, my thoughts below will be the same thoughts I had for said Blu-ray release

Given the 5.1 Dolby TrueHD lossless treatment for the first time on, this sounds infinitely better than aging DVD’s lossy Dolby Digital track. The mix is front heavy with moderate surround activity and bass activity, but it’s a well done track none the less. Dialog is crisp and clean, although the mains tend to overwhelm the dialog sometimes. Surround activity is moderate, but when done is done well with some flurries of activity and excitement. What surprised me was how punchy the bass was. It’s not a massively bassy movie most of the time, but when it does hit (such as a semi slamming into their truck) the low end is powerful and slams you in the chest quite well.









Extras:

• Commentary by director Jonathan Mostow and Kurt Russell—NEW!
• Filmmaker Focus: Director Jonathan Mostow on Breakdown—NEW!
• Victory Is Hers - Kathleen Quinlan on Breakdown—NEW!
• A Brilliant Partnership - Martha De Laurentiis on Breakdown—NEW!
• Alternate Opening—NEW!
• Alternate Opening with commentary by director Jonathan Mostow—NEW!
• Isolated Score—NEW!
• Theatrical Trailers
-- Breakdown
-- Kiss the Girls
-- Hard Rain













Breakdown was that one film from Paramount where I REALLY wished it had gotten a 4K release, and now it's here. As a member of the Paramount Scares: Volume 2 collection it is simply the Blu-ray from the Paramount Presents edition with a new 4K transfer. Extras remain the same from the Paramount Presents presentation (and are found on the Blu-ray itself) and the packaging for the disc is the same as the Blu-ray, but with an exclusive slipcover specifically for the Paramount Scares set. As of this moment there is no way to get the film on it's own, but that likely will change in just a few months as Paramount is prone to do. Good movie, great looking transfer, and in a classy set. Definitely Recommended.

Technical Specifications:

Starring: Kurt Russell, J.T. Walsh, Kathleen Quinlan, M.C. Gainey, Jack Noseworthy, Rex Linn
Directed by: Jonathan Mostow
Written by: Jonathan Mostow
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1, French DD 2.0, English DVS
Subtitles: English, French
Studio: Paramount
Rated: R
Runtime: 93 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: October 1st 2024