Der Mann ohne Nerven

"Breakout" is a lightweight action film but worth a peek, especially if you're a Charles Bronson fan. It's not one of his best movies but manages to be entertaining, albeit corny, most of the time. If you want to see a great movie with Bronson in it, check out "The Magnificent Seven;" if you want to see a great Charles Bronson movie, watch "The Mechanic."

In a rare show of his comedic talents as well as having more lines of dialog to read then in his last two or three films put together Charles Bronson as crackerjack pilot Nick Colton is really enjoying himself in the movie "Breakout". Together with his wife, in real life, Jill Ireland as Ann Wagner the wife in the film who's husband Jay, Robert Duvell,Nick Bronson is out to rescue Jay from a brutal Mexican prison.

Jay was framed by non-other then his grandfather Harris Wagner, John Huston, who together with his silent partners in the fruit and transportation business The CIA. Wagner feels that Jays free spirited and revolutionary ideas are a treat to the future of his company and has Jay arrested in Satiago Chile for a murder in Mexico some 2,000 or so miles away. Thrown before a Mexican kangaroo court, with a paid-off judge presiding, Jay's guilt despite the illogic fact that he can't be at two places at the same time, Mexico & Chile,is a forgone conclusion and he's sent up the river for 28 years in a castle-like Mexican prison.

Nick hired by Ann to rescue her husband is stifled by Jays sleazy grandpa Harris Wagner who Ann, unknowing that he had her husband set up, is totally trustful of. Nick realizing that the best way to get Jay freed is to do it by air and to keep the plan only to himself and his fellow rescuers Hawk Hawkins & Myrna, Randy Quaid & Sheree North, which leads to the exciting final. Nick not only rescues Jay but also finds out who that lousy creep Cable, Paul Mantee, really is by him making sure, for Harris and the CIA, that his rescue of Jay falls flat on it's face. Cable is to murder Ann's husband if he ever makes it back to the USA, where the Mexican police can't touch him.

Charles Bronson as Nick Colton and wife Jill Ireland as Ann Wagner really touch off sparks in all their scenes together even though Jill isn't married to him in the movie and they have no romantic scenes in the film at all. Nick's trying to learn how to fly a helicopter didn't go that well at all at the start of his lessons from helicopter pilot Harve, Alan Vint. Later when he took off by himself, Harve felt that the rescue attempt was to dangerous, with only three flying lessons under his belt had even Herve surprised and shocked at just how good he was at the controls.

Tense action when Nick tries to land and then rescue the very sick Jay Wagner who escapes from the prison hospital with the help of fellow prisoner Sosa, Jorge Moreno. Sosa who ironically was part of the frame-up that put Jay there in the first place may have gotten guilt feelings about what he did to Jay.

Some really great stunts in the movie with a man falling some 100 feet from a helicopter straight through the roof of a house, with what looked like nothing to break his fall. Later at the airport across the border in Texas at the end of the movie one of the baddies is sliced to pieces, by an oncoming jumbo passenger plane, as if he were a roll of salami.

Charles as Nick plays the character of Victor(Vic). Typically the movie doesn't follow the actual story so accurately. If you want the real story, Vic is still alive and well into his 80's. I haven't seen him in a few months but, he truly was the first to break anyone out of prison using a helicopter. Leave me a message on here, i am sure he would enjoy telling you the real story as he seems to get a bit bored now and then sitting in his office for hours on end. Anytime you see a helicopter in a move breaking someone out of prison, well, this is where it all started. Knowing him as well as i do, i am certain he wouldn't mind some conversation on the story, the movie, or anything for that matter.

An innocent man , Jay Wagner (Robert Duval) is set-up , betrayed , blamed and sent to prison in Mexico . A bush pilot called Nick Colton (Charles Bronson) is hired by a wife called Ann (Jill Ireland) whose husband is imprisoned . As Nick for fifty thousand dollars to go to Mexico to free the prisoner wrongly framed and held captive at an impregnable Mexican prison . And thanks to the abundant reward Colton is all to eager to do it . But the nasty people (John Huston , Paul Mantee) who accused Jay will do what they have to make sure he doesn't break out . Only two things can get him out - A lot of money and Charles Bronson! No prison is strong enough to hold Bronson! Impossible? Not for Bronson! .Charles Bronson in action in BREAKOUT ¡

The producers of this action movie use an initial foreword to tell us that the prison getaway method shown in the film has actually been used . Enjoyable and stirring screenplay , though there are a lot of implausibilites in the plot , which gets by on the moving action sequences . Of course , highlight of the movie results to be the thrilling and exciting escape , plenty of nail-biting tension , suspense and noisy action . This is a Charles Bronson show , playing in his usual style , here as devil-may-care bush pilot to execute an extremely dangerous assignment . While not exactly Bronson at his best , this thriller does have its moments as the star carries out the risked mission by flying a helicopter throughout the attractive landscapes and into the penitentiary . And his real life wife Jill Ireland gives an acceptable acting as inmate's spouse who attempts to get him out . Support cast is pretty good with a variety of notorious secondaries , many of them playing in all in light-hearted vein , such as : Randy Quaid attempting to convince the prison guards he's a girl in spite of his weighs 200 pounds and more six feet , John Huston as the villain grandfather , Paul Mantee as a heinous henchman , Alan Vint , Alejandro Rey , José María Caffarel , Luis Prendes , Roy Jenson and special mention for Robert Duval as the prisoner sentenced to 28 years in prison for a crime he never committed and Shree North in a comical/serious role as a ploy to free the inmate.

Superbly photographed by Lucien Ballard on impressive outdoors , this cameraman when he's given the chance is awesome . Being shot on various locations from Spain and Mexico and the prison fortress was filmed in the Pyrenees in the south of France , there , on a mountaintop near Perpignan, sits the grim pile known as the "Fort de Bellegarde". Kudos for the rousing as well as spectacular musical score by maestro Jerry Goldsmith , composed in his peculiar style . Goldsmith charging along to some of the best film soundtracks has ever written . The motion picture was professionally directed by Tom Gries , though hard to tell at times . Tom replaced Michael Ritchie as filmmaker early during production , he was an expert director of Western as ¨Breakheart pass¨ also titled ¨Nevada Express¨ , ¨100 Rifles¨ , and ¨Will Penny¨ that is the best work ever made ; Gries also directed other successes as ¨Breakout¨, ¨The glass house¨ , ¨Helter Skelter¨ and TV series as ¨QBVII¨ , but he also made some real duds . His later output in other genres was routine and flopped in theatres.

I would recommend this file just so you could see a very young Randy Quaid dress up like a Mexican prostitute, but this film offers so much more. Its an excellent prison movie. The acting is very good, especially from Bronson. This is the perfect late night file.