Breakout (12)
Directed by: Doug Lodato
Starring: Ray Liotta, Alexandra Breckenridge and Colin Ford
A mother takes her children and flees an abusive ex-husband.
Jocelyn (Alexandra Breckenridge) seeks a divorce from her abusive husband Dennis (Billy Burke); an abusive father who has traumatised his family so much that his young son trembles at the very presence of his father.
The Judge in charge of the custody hearing grants joint custody to both parents due to the influence Dennis has on the town they live in. Sadly things turn out for the worse when Dennis comes to look after the kids. But Jocelyn finds hope in the form of a business card offering assistance.
There is an underground group that will shelter and re-house families who live in fear of domestic abuse and thanks to Jocelyn’s quick thinking, she is visited by Jim (Ray Liotta) a guardian angel of sorts who whisks Mommy and kids away. But the past has a habit of catching up and Dennis is soon hot on the trail of his family….
Breakout is an interesting thriller that has some great performances (Ray Liotta and Billy Burke), mixed with some cringeworthy ones (Ciara Bond as the young daughter), the plot and script are pretty tight, though there are one or two points that leave you scratching your head, but it’s still an interesting thriller. Director Doug Lodato has taken the difficult issue of domestic violence and tried (successfully at times) to spin it in to a tight thriller. The standout performances by Ray Liotta as the against type good samaritan and Billy Burke as the the evil father certainly bring an equal sense of thrills and danger into a fairly short running time.
The cinematography is quite exhilarating; especially towards the film’s climax and the use of the breath-taking scenery really does add an extra dimension to this above average B-Movie.
That said, there are a number of points in the film where the audience will simply want scream out at Mary Sue, the young daughter in the film. However, if it wasn’t for her, there may not have even been a film so perhaps you could call her character a necessary inclusion.
All in all an interesting thriller that ends all too soon but with some great and sadly not so great casting, definitely one to watch if you are you are in need of a feel good movie.
3 out of 5 Nerds
Irwin Fletcher
I'm an LA journalist who really lives for his profession. I have also published work as Jane Doe in various mags and newspapers across the globe. I normally write articles that can cause trouble but now I write for FTN because Nerds are never angry, so I feel safe.
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