the fresh films reviews

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Breakout (1975)

Director:
Tom Gries
COUNTRY
USA
GENRE
Action/Drama
NORWEGIAN TITLE
-
RUNNING TIME
93 minutes
Producer:
Robert Chartoff
Irwin Winkler
Screenwriter (based on the novel "Ten Second Jailbreak"):
Elliott Baker
Marc Norman
Howard B. Kreitsek


Cast includes:

CHARACTER ACTOR/ACTRESS RATING
Nick Colton Charles Bronson
Jay Wagner Robert Duvall ½
Ann Wagner Jill Ireland
Harris Wagner John Huston
Hawk Hawkins Randy Quaid ½
Myrna Sheree North ½
Sosa Jorge Moreno ½

 

Review

Charles Bronson is a delight as a carefree opportunist pilot who's sent on a mission to rescue framed American Robert Duvall from a Mexican prison. Unlike his Death Wish-persona established a year earlier, Bronson deploys a charming, witty and easy-going characterization - right in the vein of Burt Reynolds. He carries a film that otherwise can be both naïve and inconsiderate, paying little attention to the politics or framework for the situation the Duvall character finds himself in, which is covered only by a pallid John Huston in a thin characterization. The direction, by Tom Gries, is uneven but industrious. Some crucial scenes miss their mark (e.g. the "rape" scene), but Gries shows some nice touches including an effective use of freeze frames. It is a film supported by engaging action, a clever plot and a nice humane touch that one might not have expected in a film like this.

Copyright © 7.12.2006 Fredrik Gunerius Fevang

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