Breakout (1975)

	Directed by: Tom Gries	COUNTRY USA GENRE Action/Drama NORWEGIAN TITLE Breakout RUNNING TIME 93 minutes
	Produced by: Robert Chartoff Irwin Winkler
	Written by (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 is sent on a mission to rescue framed American Robert Duvall from a Mexican prison. Unlike his Death Wish persona established a year earlier, Bronson's character here is charming, witty and easy-going – right in the vein of Burt Reynolds. He carries a film that otherwise can feel both naïve and inconsiderate, paying little attention to the politics or context of the Duvall character's predicament, which is covered only by John Huston's pallid character. 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. Breakout is a film elevated by engaging action, a clever plot, and a pleasant humanistic touch that you may not expect in a film of this genre and era.