AaronCapenBanner Tom Gries("Will Penny") directs this thin drama that casts Charles Bronson as independent pilot Nick Colton, enlisted by a desperate wife(Jill Ireland) who wants him to fly into a Mexican prison to rescue her husband(Robert Duvall) who she insists was framed by the mafia. Colton agrees for $50,000, though of course the plan doesn't go as smoothly as they had hoped...Though this has a good cast, there is little else about this film that is memorable, and credibility isn't that high either. Some goofy comedy involving costar Randy Quaid dressed as a woman doesn't help! Tom Gries did far better with "Will Penny"; perhaps his heart just wasn't in this?

Kieran Green Robert Duvall is Sentenced to 28 years in prison for a crime that he never committed. Only two things can get him out - A lot of money and Charles Bronson! Bronson is Colton a bush pilot who is hired by Duvall's wife Jill Ireland (Mrs Charles Bronson) to spring him from prison in Mexico. what follows is some excellent action sequences where they're are various attempts to spring Duvall. a post Last Detail Randy Quaid also stars as Bronson's sidekick, one of the highlights is Quaid's attempt to spring Duvall out of prison whilst being in drag. as ever with every Bronson film, there is excellent action sequences. The Wild Bunch's 'Mapache' Emilio Fernandez is the villain, John Huston also makes an appearance 'Breakout' is a great film that Bronson fans will truly enjoy.

hemiram I liked this movie when I saw it when it first came out, and it wasn't anything special, or so I thought, but when I compare it to most of the movies I've seen lately, it, along with so many of the action type movies, were special, and so much better than most of the crap I've seen over the last 10 years or so. I watched Mr. Majestyk a few nights ago, it's always been one of my favorite Bronson movies, and this one was right up there too. The movies anymore seem to either be full of special effects with no story, or inferior rehashes of older better movies. What point is there of remaking old non special effect movies? Every time they do it, it's almost always a failure. Look at "The Getaway", the 1972 one was great, just for the casting alone (Ali Mcgraw doesn't count, she's just bad in everything), but the remake was just horrible. It's not like I hate all movies made now, but a lot of them are really just not done very well at all, story wise.

wmjahn Recently I saw BREAKOUT again (I think the 3rd time in app. 20 years) and I liked it even more than I did remember! It's a really pleasant lightweight action-"comedy" and it shows a side of CHUCK, which many people have forgotten over the years: that he's a humorous guy and loves a smile once in a while.When CHUCK made this one, he was the hottest ticket on earth. DEATH WISH I, the movie which defined the 70ies (alongside with THE GODFATHER), had drawn lines in front of cinemas and made millions and millions around the globe and the one he did right after that box-office smash was BREAKOUT. His status as # 1 box-office star also shows in this perfectly made movie, it has one of the best camera-works in any Bronson-movie and the supporting cast (Bob Duvall, John Huston, Randy Quaid, ...) is stellar and does a wonderful job, too. The music is composed by Jerry Goldsmith, who did quite a number of other scores for Bronson-movies, and Goldsmith is at the peak of his creative powers in the early to mid-70ies. The no-nonsense direction is delivered by veteran-director Tom GRIES, who made BREAKHEART PASS with CHUCK a little later (another nice one, but not as good as this movie).Of course the story is nothing special, just another prison-flight-movie, but that's not the point. Dismissed as lightweight entertainment, critics in the 70ies (when great action-pics were not uncommon, contrary to today) completely overlooked the above achievements and turned down the wonderful good-natured performance CHUCK delivers in this one.Just take the scene, in which nose-up Jille IRELAND arrives at his lot, Randy Quaid is just burning stinking fish (!) and a dirty Bronson with a smile (and a worthless cheque) engages in truly funny dialogue with his real-life wife. BREAKOUT has many such moments and the action scenes, which come in at a perfect timing, are also well-staged and well-delivered.Looking at this movie, one can't resent the idea that everybody on the set must have had a great time and any audience will have the same great time watching CHUCK smile and deliver a truly beautiful performance while kicking ass only once in a while in this rather untypical Bronson-movie.