Breaking Point (1976)

To me, this movie is perfection.

A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Completely average vigilante flick, following loosely in the footsteps of Death Wish (1974). The only negligible action takes place near the end, by that time, we don't care.Has reliable actors in it such as Robert Culp (The Outer Limits (1963–1965), the classic "Demon with a Glass Hand", The Greatest American Hero) as Frank Sirrianni, John Colicos (he played the Klingon Commander Kor in Star Trek episode "Errand of Mercy" (1967), Battlestar Galactica) as Vincent Karbone, Belinda J. Montgomery (Doogie Howser, M.D.) and Bo Svenson (Walking Tall, Part 2, The Inglorious Bastards).Also recommended: Vigilante (1983) Death Wish II (1982) Rolling Thunder (1977)

Breaking Point: Bob Clark's lost vigilante epic finally gets a shameful full frame release from the ornery bastards at Fox, most likely in an attempt to cash in on the man's fatal car wreck. Bo Svenson, a full and lanky vertical 7'8", is taking his stepson home from an intense sports game when he sees two gangsters beating a poor man right outside his home. He interferes like a true neighbor would, bludgeoning the attackers with his gargantuan fists. Predictably, after the Bo's testimony, the mob sends out torpedoes to rub him out in some truly baffling hit-man reasoning and logic like throwing a Molotov cocktail at a man standing right next to a river. There's nothing here that distinguishes itself from any other Death Wish clone or Walking Tall entry, with minuscule action scenes peppered throughout the final third. If you're lucky enough to stay awake that long, you'll be treated to a magnum facial, a 2x4 used as a spear and Svenson flipping a house over a cliff. Robert Culp plays a weary police officer that's half Boggs and half, well, nothing. Love the music credit which actually lists a computer for the synthetic score!

This is a glum little on-the-run-from-the-mob story not worth your time. It's filmed in Canada and is no advertisement for our northern neighbor. Grimy locations and grainy photography makes this film hard to watch, and the writing leaves us nobody to care about. Sure, it's always a pleasure to see the hero (Svenson) get pushed to the wall by the cocky bad guys and then take their arrogance and stuff it back in their faces. But what took Svenson so long, and why is it so darn easy when he does? The mafioso, lead by Colicos, act like idiots (even scared off by Svenson pointing his finger at them like it's a gun!) Then there is the obligatory car tumble leading to an explosion... followed later by the topper: A house tumbling over and exploding! Not sure what would make the small home/office burst into flames but it provides the last moment of the film, our hero Bo sitting atop his convenient bulldozer in glum triumph. Of course it's hard to tell what you're seeing since this film looks like it was filmed through the moist gauze of someone's armpit sweat. And the soundtrack is just as oft-putting, consisting of that dreadful 70's horror movie-like synthesizer drivel. But Svenson at least tries, and at his size he can't help but fill the screen (and makes sure to wear tight jeans---a common sight for our male heroes back in the mid-seventies). Bob Clark went on to do 'Porky's' and 'A Christmas Story' but there's no humor to be found here.

Not too bad not too good. Bo Svenson is cool but the "action" is pretty cheesy and the bad guys are sappy. I don't know whether a lot of what I found to be humorous about the movie was meant to be funny... but what the heck. Svenson's character outsmarts his pursuers with a number of neat tricks, like pretending his finger is a gun even though he is carrying a gun. I love the fact that Svenson pushes a house over a cliff and the house explodes when it hits the ground... great stuff. There is also a nice Malatov cocktail incident that results is a gratuitous flaming man stunt and one of the weakest car chases ever. I recommend this movie if you are a fan of 70's action and are in the mood for a good laugh.