Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Breakout Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 13, 2019

Tom Gries' "Breakout" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Indicator/Powerhouse Films. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailer and TV spots for the film; audio commentary by film historian Paul Talbot; vintage featurette; and more. The release also arrives with an exclusive booklet featuring writing on the film and technical credits. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The prison

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 Indicator/Powerhouse Films.

The release is sourced from an old and unfortunately rather weak master that comes from Sony's vaults. There are quite a few limitations that quickly reveal themselves, but the most persistent one is the lack of consistent density that usually makes new 2K/4K masters so pleasing. Additionally, there are highlights that break down and occasionally even impact color stability. Grain exposure is also somewhat uneven, though unlike the older masters that have emerged from Universal's vaults here there are no traces of the problematic sharpening that usually wipes out most native filmic qualities. Color stability can be better, and the supporting nuances definitely can be expanded. Image stability is good. However, there are quite a few dirt spots and specks that pop up throughout the film, so the larger your screen is, the easier it will be for you to spot them. 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 is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional Enlgish SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

It is very easy to tell that some sort of remastering work was done on the original audio because stability and clarity are excellent. During the chase footage, and there is plenty of it, dynamic intensity is also very nice for a film from the '70s. There is no background hiss, pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report.

Breakout Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

NOTE: All of the supplemental features on this Blu-ray release are perfectly playable on North American Blu-ray players, including the PS3.

• Commentary - Paul Talbot, author of Bronson's Loose! The Making of the 'Death Wish' Films and Bronson's Loose Again!, delivers yet another excellent commentary with a tremendous amount of factual information about the production history of Breakout (covering even the type of automobiles that were used), Charlie Bronson's career and relationship with Jill Ireland, and the film's theatrical release and reception. If you are interested in the iconic actor's legacy, find the time to listen to the entire commentary. It is excellent.

• Filming Breakout - this short vintage featurette contains raw footage from the shooting of Breakout at Fort de Bellegarde and quick comments from Charlie Bronson and Emilio Fernández. The featurette was made for French television in 1974. In French and English, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (6 min, 1080p).

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

• TV Spots - five vintage spots for Breakout. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Radio Spots - vintage radio spots for Breakout produced by Columbia Pictures. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).

• Image Gallery - a large collection of original promotional materials for Breakout from around the world. (1080p).

• Super 8 Version - a vintage Super 8 version of the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (18 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - a limited edition exclusive booklet with a new essay by Paul Talbot, an overview of contemporary critical responses, historic articles, and film credits.

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. Indicator/Powerhouse Films' upcoming release is sourced from an older and rather shaky master that was prepared by Sony Pictures, so ideally the film should look better in high-definition. However, this release has an outstanding audio commentary by Paul Talbot, a huge and very knowledgeable Bronson fan, so I definitely think that it is worth picking up. RECOMMENDED.