Breaker! Breaker! (1977) American International/Action RT: 86 minutes Rated PG (violence, language, mild sexual content, drunkenness) Director: Don Hulette Screenplay: Terry Chambers Music: Don Hulette Cinematography: Mario DiLeo Release date: May 6, 1977 (US) Cast: Chuck Norris, George Murdock, Terry O’Connor, Don Gentry, John Di Fusco, Ron Cedillos, Michael Augenstein, Dan Vandegrift, Jack Nance, David Bezar, Douglas Stevenson, Paul Kawecki, Larry Feder, Miranda Garrison, Amelia Laurenson. Box Office: $12M (US)
Rating: ***
Movies don’t get much more dated than Breaker! Breaker!, a simple-minded but enjoyable little actioner that brings together two popular trends of the late 70s, CB radio and martial arts. Throw in a fleet of 18-wheelers in the climax and you have a Saturday matinee flick from ’77. Chuck Norris (A Force of One) plays J.D. Dawes, a kung fu trucker whose younger brother Billy (Augenstein) goes missing while making his first solo run. He falls prey to a speed trap set up by the corrupt police department of Texas City, CA. They haul him in front of town leader Judge Trimmings (Murdock, Thunder and Lightning) on false charges. When he’s found guilty, he tries to make a run for it only to be cornered by two brutal deputies, Strode (Gentry) and Boles (Cedillos).
Acting on a tip, J.D. goes to Texas City to look for his brother. Naturally, he’s not given a warm welcome by the uncooperative locals. The local diner owner won’t even let him use the phone. The deputies try to strong-arm him but J.D. handles it in the only style befitting Norris. The only friendly he meets is waitress Arlene (O’Connor), the widow of Trimmings’ late son. There’s some bad blood there. It isn’t long before they get a little PG romance going. And so it goes. J.D. goes around asking questions. The judge, not wanting his illegal doings exposed, orders his guys to take care of J.D.
A movie with a title like Breaker! Breaker! isn’t likely to be deep. Did you expect otherwise? It’s exactly what it looks like, a dopey B-movie with a flimsy plot, bad acting, idiotic dialogue and dim-witted characters. It also has big trucks, kung fu action, redneck baddies and CB lingo- e.g. “10-4, good buddy” and “Breaker, breaker”. Directed by Don Hulette, it’s a low-budget production that was shot in 11 days for $250,000. It’s mainly notable for being Norris’ first starring role. There’s not a lot to say about his performance or any of the others either. He does what he does best only he doesn’t do it as often as one would like. Either way, he’s still upstaged by the fleet of trucks that come to his rescue.
While the ending is certainly cool on a basic level, it’s not a satisfactory conclusion. At a certain point, it just stops, shows the aftermath and goes to the end credits. I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a more conclusive conclusion, not even from a silly, inconsequential action flick like this one.
Oddly enough, I like Breaker! Breaker! I probably would have loved it if I was still 10. It’s tailor-made for young boys that love anything on wheels. Me, I like it for the fight scenes. They’re not among the best ever filmed, but it’s always fun to see Norris in action. PLUS, it predates CGI which means Norris did all his own fighting and stunts. I highly doubt 21st century kids would like it. A lot of it, especially those ancient CB radios, will seem alien. That’s the charm of this film. For those of a certain age, it’s fun to sit back and laugh at how dated it is. I half-expected to see an expiration date in the closing credits. It’s not high art or even good cinema; it’s simply dumb B-movie fun and makes no apologies for it. Can I get a 10-4, good buddy? Over and out!
