Breaker! Breaker! Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Breaker! Breaker! Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 11, 2016

Don Hulette's "Breaker! Breaker!" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of independent distributors Olive Films. The only supplemental feature on the disc is an original theatrical trailer for the film. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The visitor

Veteran truck driver J.D. Dawes (Chuck Norris, An Eye for an Eye) meets his younger brother Billy (Michael Augenstein) at a truck stop and asks him to make a delivery for him. Shortly after, the boy is tricked by some shady cops to drive through Texas City, a hellhole in the heart of California run by a nasty judge (George Murdock, Firepower) who loves putting strangers behind bars -- and releasing them as soon as they pay for their 'violations'.

Young Billy refuses to pay and attempts to escape, but the cops and some of the judge’s trusted 'assistants' quickly apprehend him. Then someone suggests that they simply get rid of Billy and save themselves the inevitable drama rebels like him bring to the town.

Meanwhile, J.D. begins looking for Billy and learns that he was last seen heading towards Texas City. When he arrives in town the judge’s people assume that he is yet another loser who will willingly empty his wallet, but he quickly declares war on the whole bunch of scammers. Eventually, J.D.’s buddies also show up to support his efforts.

It isn’t that difficult to argue that Don Hulette’s Breaker! Breaker! is just as bad as Sam Peckinpah’s Convoy, but it is an even rougher looking film and there is something about this roughness that actually makes it quite attractive. A rather large number of Italian spaghetti westerns are always fun to revisit for a similar reason -- their stories are quite ridiculous, but they have a certain style (typically defined by over-the-top action) that makes them work.

Breaker! Breaker! even looks like a low-budget western. The big trucks temporarily spoil the period atmosphere, but otherwise it sure feels like Hulette was going for some sort of an exotic western vibe. It is the only way one can justify the existence of a place like Texas City and the henchmen serving its ruler, the mad judge. So the whole thing does look borderline surreal, but once Hulette’s intent becomes clear everything begins to make sense.

Whether Norris was right for this film, however, is difficult to tell. His body language suggests that he might have been far more comfortable in a serious crime drama, which is why with the people around him he routinely looks out of sync. The fights are awkwardly choreographed as well, with a number of them literally pushing the film into a territory that some exploitation gems like to visit.

Ultimately, Breaker! Breaker! will likely appeal only to a select group of viewers who have a soft spot for low-budget wacky Americana pieces. Everyone else, long-time fans of Norris and those who enjoy straightforward action films from the era included, are almost certainly going to be disappointed.

Breaker! Breaker! was one of only three films Hulette directed. He was a lot more prolific as a composer. His credits include some really good alternative scores for a number of films with Harold Lloyd, including Safety Last!, The Freshman, and Speedy.

The film was edited by Oscar-winning writer/director/editor Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List, Gangs of New York).

Breaker! Breaker! Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Don Hulette's Breaker! Breaker! arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films.

There are a few rough spots where density certainly could be better, but I actually like the technical presentation quite a lot. Indeed, plenty of the daylight close-ups boast very good depth and overall image balance is equally convincing (see screencaptures #1, 15, and 17). The larger panoramic shots also do not break down; fluidity is actually very pleasing (see screencaptures #3 and 14). Contrast and sharpness levels remain stable. Grain is quite well exposed, though if a new master emerges it will certainly offer improved grain stability. The important thing here is that no attempts have been made to repolish the film and as a result its basic organic qualities are very much intact. Colors are stable and quite well saturated, but some nuances can be expanded. Lastly, there are no large cuts, damage marks, and distracting marks, but some tiny flecks and scratches can be spotted. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Breaker! Breaker! Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are not provided for the main feature.

There is no indication that the lossless audio track has been remastered, but I think that it serves the film really well. During the big action scenes with the trucks, for instance, depth and clarity are as good as one can expect them to be in a film from the late 1970s. There are no balance issues either -- during and after the action scenes transitions are excellent and the dialog is never plagued by sporadic flatness. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report.

Breaker! Breaker! Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Breaker! Breaker!. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Breaker! Breaker! Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Breaker! Breaker! has some pretty obvious flaws, but there is an exotic element in it that makes it great to see very late at night. To be honest, I much prefer this film to Sam Peckinpah's Convoy, which was released a year after it and rehashes some similar ideas. Olive Films' technical presentation is good, but the only bonus feature on the disc is an old trailer for the film. RECOMMENDED.