Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Breakout Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov July 11, 2019

Tom Gries' "Breakout" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swill label Explosive Media. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer and a gallery of archival promotional materials for the film. In English or German, with optional English and German subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The pilot

Even though there are a few stories out there that sound a bit more legit than the rest, the complete story that actually reveals who the real Joel David Kaplan was is missing. In 1971 this ‘businessman’ successfully escaped from the Santa Martha Acatitla prison in Mexico, and after he crossed into the United States eventually documented his adventure in a book titled The 10-second Jailbreak. But this is the important detail to remember -- while the book is very entertaining and, more importantly, its descriptions of the events that led to Kaplan’s arrest and planned escape are quite convincing, it sells a specific image of the man that was very carefully crafted. Consider this: right before he was arrested on murder charges, Kaplan was dealing with someone very important down in Mexico and the CIA was reportedly monitoring him. So, whatever it is that Kaplan was selling and regardless of whether his buyer was local or not, the CIA was paying attention; or, it could be that the CIA was actually an active party in Kaplan’s dealings to begin with and only after he was arrested and thrown in prison its involvement became more obvious. The bottom line is this: Kaplan was an interesting character that was making money with some equally interesting people, not a clueless ‘businessman’ that accidentally got in a lot of trouble for nothing.

The businessman Robert Duval plays in Tom Gries’ film is named Jay Wagner and does not exactly look like the kind of international player Kaplan apparently was. In fact, at least initially he seems like the type of wealthy snob that could very easily do something incredibly stupid that would irreversibly alter his life. On a beautiful day in Mexico, Duval gets arrested in front of his wife Ann (Jill Ireland) and after a quick trial, whose outcome is predetermined by his powerful uncle (John Huston) back in New York, is thrown in a tiny prison cell. The devastated Ann then begins looking for a way to get her supposedly innocent husband out and quickly hooks up with veteran pilot Nick Colton (Charlie Bronson), who has the reputation of a man that does ‘difficult jobs’ for the right amount of money. Colton crafts a perfect plan that requires the assistance of his business partner (a very funny Randy Quaid) and a former girlfriend (Sheree North) which culminates with him landing a helicopter right in the middle of the prison where Gries is kept, but on the day when the crew heads to Mexico a lot goes wrong and the old pro is forced to improvise.

The best and only compliment that one can pay this film is to say that it is refreshingly loose with its humor, which is what gives it that special sense of freedom that political correctness slowly eliminated after the ‘70s ended. (The hilarious rape jokes for instance would not make a final cut of the film in the present socio-cultural environment). The rest is just straightforward action and some good chemistry between a few of the leads.

Many Bronson fans have argued the exact opposite and a few have even attempted to legitimize the film as one of the iconic actor’s best, but it is very difficult to take such claims seriously. The truth is that despite the undeniable appeal of the original story the end product does not have the energy and ultimately that unique edge that Bronson’s most memorable films do. Indeed, it is a light and breezy film that essentially relies on the star power of its leads to hide the average quality of the script that was used to produce it, and once this becomes obvious, which is very early on, the rest becomes too predictable and repetitive.

The technical merits are solid, and there really isn’t anything specific that Gries could have done differently to deliver a better film. And yet, it feels fair to speculate that with the exact same material that he had to work with Sam Peckinpah would have done precisely that.

Breakout Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Tom Gries' Breakout arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Swiss label Explosive Media.

I wanted to see if this release was sourced from the same Sony master that Indicator/Powerhouse Films used for this release earlier this year, and the answer is yes. Quite predictably, all of the limitations that we highlighted in our review of the UK release are retained, only here a few occasionally appear slightly more pronounced. For example, some edges can appear a bit thicker, and overall the visuals can be a tad more contrasty. But the highlights still break down in exactly the same manner, and all of the weaknesses of the color scheme remain the same. There are some minor flecks and scratches that pop up here and there that are also visible on the other release. My score is 3.25/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

Breakout Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and German DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English and German subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

I think that the lossless audio track is excellent. On my system it sounds very nicely rounded, stable, and very clean in the upper register where usually older unrestored tracks show signs of ageing. I don't if the folks at Sony did any extensive remixing work when the current master was prepared, but if I had to guess, I would that they did.

Breakout Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Breakout. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Photo Gallery - a collection of vintage promotional materials for Breakout. With music. (3 min, 1080p).

Breakout Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

When Charlie Bronson agreed to do Breakout the big bosses at Columbia Pictures concluded that they had a big blockbuster coming their way. However, back in 1975 the film did not exactly set the box office on fire; the surprising hit that year was Floyd Mutrux's Aloha, Bobby and Rose. I personally do not see anything seriously wrong with this film, but I don't think that Tom Gries should have directed it. The original story that inspired Breakout should have landed in the hands of Sam Peckinpah, or another director with an attitude, and the end result would have been a lot more exciting. Then again, the cast of this fictional 'better' film almost certainly would have been different as well.

I wanted to see if this release was sourced from a better master than the one that the folks at Indicator/Powerhouse Films used for their release of Breakout earlier this year, and the answer is no. They are both sourced from the same older Sony master. This release should be most suitable for folks that need optional German subtitles, or a German dub, to enjoy the film. RECOMMENDED.