Breathless (1983) – Review

This American remake of a classic French film kicks off with some steel toe booted sleaze as playboy Jesse Lujack (Gere)zips through a Las Vegas parking lot attempting to snazz up the surroundings. Then it’s time to flip through a Silver Surfer comic to pump himself up before jacking a classic Porsche. As he pushes the ride through the red desert night away from one city and towards the next, he plans to take a girl named Monica (Kaprisky) to Mexico.

Beers, the open road, music and a nice car. What would go wrong?! Well, sloppy driving, a construction site and a cop lead to disaster. Shucks. As a panicked, yet still annoyingly cocky, Jesse runs through the streets of Los Angeles, he feels jinxed. But, what about when he finds Monica? Will Mexico still be in the cards, or will it be nobody home on that plan? Maybe a frilled red shirt is his answer. We’ll certainly find out.

While I found the original to be a decent enough watch, it didn’t blow my mind story or character wise, so this one was more of the same on that front, if not a touch worse all around. Gere’s Jesse is not someone I give any shits about. His self-mumbling and cockiness did not inspire my sympathies. The best trait of Jesse is that he reads Silver Surfer. Monica needs to get the hell away.

Maybe that’s my main issue here, no romance would really heighten this film for me, especially when I think the main dude is a gigantic toolshed with little to no redeeming virtues. Jesse just kills all vibes here, yet the film really leans into the romance and tries to push sexiness.

The film is well shot and presents a stylized atmosphere via color, editing and musical cohesion. It makes for an okay experience to watch, but enjoyment will likely depend on the ability to stand the main characters and handle its somewhat slow movement at times. The plot is fairly basic and I didn’t find the camera work to be as innovate as the 1960 French original, but it remains a nice comparison and is not poorly constructed.