Breaker (2019) - full transcript

A troubled young veteran returns to his rural home and forms a friendship with a hermit rancher who offers sanctuary from his dysfunctional family.

- What are
you doin' here?

Thought you didn't
come until tomorrow.

- Today.

What are you wearin'?

- My house, I can
dress how I want.

- Why don't ya
put some pants on.

- Why, 'cause you're here?

Last time you were, you
said it wasn't good enough.

- Couldn't last six
months, huh, J.C.?

Our boy's got quite the
discipline problem, Linda.

- Hey, give your
brother a ride to the store.



- I haven't
eaten since yesterday.

- Give your brother a ride.

I'll rustle somethin' up.

It'll be on the table
by the time ya get back.

- Ah!

No discipline, huh?

- Tom!

Tom!

- All right, boys.
- Okay.

- Glad
you could make it.

- Mornin', Darrell.

- You get lost?

- Nah, how ya doin'?

- We're okay, this is
one of the buildings



we gotta do.
- Yeah.

- It needs a lot.

We can get her done
quick, make more money.

- That's Tom Enterprises,
quick, right there.

- We got some drywallin'
to do in here.

You guys do hang Sheetrock?

- Oh yeah, yeah that's our
in-house pro right there

at hangin' drywall.

Ain't that right, J.C.?

He's the best.

- What's wrong with him?

- Military.

- Oh, you served, son?

- He did.

Kicked his ass out.

- Well my dad was military.

- Now where you goin'?

- I gotta pick up some
plastic siding for tomorrow.

I'll be back in an hour.

- That's a piss poor job.

That looks like shit.

Job's runnin' into
more time and money.

I bid everything on
materials and time,

but the longer you
take doin' this job,

the less money I make.

I want an itemized receipt.

We need to get this job done.

You're not gonna get
paid, ya understand?

Burnin' daylight.

- Hey!

Hey!

- Why you back?

The hell you ridin'
a bicycle for?

You get a DUI?

- No.

- Then come on, let's
go get you a real bike.

This guy that I work
for, he's got more money

than he knows what to
do with, so hop on.

Hop on.

- Seriously?

- He won't care.

Just bring her back.

Or don't, I won't say nothin'.

Start her up.

You look like James Dean.

Woo!

- Where'd ya get that?

- Harris.

Why you drivin' Tom's truck?

- Well, I was late to
a client's meeting,

and Tom's in a bar,
doesn't need it.

- You're kidding me.

- What's that?

- Supplies for a job Tom
was supposed to be on.

- Well, you know Tom.

He's the brains behind
it, not the worker bee.

You get money for
those supplies?

- Yeah, from Darrell,
contractor at the middle school.

- Spare $10 for gas,
consider it my commission?

- All I got is 20.

- That'll do.

Love ya, honey.

- What the hell was that?

- Daytime activities.

- Well, well, well.

Took ya long enough to
finish that wall, junior.

- You're never gonna
amount to anything.

- Hey.

Ah!

- Hey,
hey, knock it off.

- Expect me to do
all the work for you?

- Hey, okay, hey.

Okay, leave him alone.

Get him a beer.

- I'll get ya a beer.

I couldn't decide

what my table was on.

- Here.

Good work today, though, junior.

- Is he goin' to the
speedway next week?

- Why don't you ask him.

- Speedway?

- Yeah.

- You guys
still doin' that?

- As long as the old
dog still owns it.

Hey, I'll call.

- I can't go.

Got dinner with the in-laws.

- They'll be outlaws
in a couple of years,

isn't that right,
J.C.?

Isn't that right, J.C.?

He knows how it is.

Damn fool, went and
got himself engaged.

Can I buy ya a drink?

- My boyfriend
may not like that.

- Who's your boyfriend?

- He's
not from around here.

- If I was to talk

to your boyfriend,
- Mm-hmm.

- and he said it was okay,

- Yeah?

- you'd drink with me?

- What are you buyin' me?

- Anything you want.

- Okay.

- Hey!

The hell outta here!

So listen for--

- Wake up, you
got paintin' to do.

- Other than
the stain on your record,

Mr. Phillips, the military
isn't interested in pursuing it.

- Any chance of reenlistment?

- There's no
chance of reenlistment.

You have RE-4 status, which
means you can never again

apply for a military position.

You have a good day.

- Come on in!

It's for you, babe.

- You want some food?

- I'm all right.

- You sure?

- Have some food, stay.

- Hey, babe, we're gonna
go in the other room, okay?

What's wrong?

- Can I stay here?

- I don't think so, man.

We don't have enough room.

I need you to stay at Mom's.

- What about work?

- Nothin' that you'd
be interested in.

- I can do anything.

Clean toilets,
drive the backhoe.

Whatever.

- How do you feel
about killin' animals?

- Like a slaughterhouse?

- My boss and his brother's
got shitter horses on his land

and they're eatin'
up all of his grass.

And it's costin'
'em a lot of money.

- Can't ya sell 'em off?

- Nothin' they can do with 'em.

Bunch of studs kicked
over some fences

and tried to mate
with the nicer horses.

So, the old lady
wants 'em to go.

- How much you offerin'?

- Couple hundred apiece.

Don't say anything to her.

I've put her through
enough already.

- All right.

- What's with the drone?

- I
forgot to charge it.

- They spotted a herd out
here a couple of nights ago.

Guess we just gotta
go find, 'em boys.

- This legal?

- BLM can't figure it out,
so we gotta do it ourselves.

- Can't let the government
do anything by itself.

- I mean, ranchers call
it in all the time, man.

- Why don't they
just drive them out?

- See, the ranchers pay
for the land, right,

but they don't got enough grass.

Now you don't have enough grass,

you can't pay your bills,
feed your families.

Ranchers are this community,
but BLM, they don't care.

Just politics, man.

- You get one?

- I missed.

- Scared
off the whole herd.

- I saw it.

Great big white one
right down there.

He fired a shot into the
air and spooked him off.

- I'll take that.

- What the hell is wrong

with you?
- Leave him!

He can take it, he's tough.

Come on.

- You're on my land.

What are ya doin'?

- I was campin' with friends.

We got separated.

- Well you're away from town
if that's where you're headed.

- How far?

- 10 or so miles.

That way.

You huntin' or fishin'?

- I'm sorry.

- This one's got no tack on it.

You can jump on him.

- I don't know how.

- You'll find out.

Other side.

Hold on to his mane.

He won't do much.

Come on.

- This your place?

- Last time I checked.

Get off.

Take that.

Need a ride someplace?

- No, I appreciate it.

Borrow a phone?

- I'll give ya a ride.

Come on.

What kind of job do you work?

- Construction, odd
jobs, whatever really.

Why, ya got somethin' for me?

- These are all my horses.

Picked 'em up at the BLM corral.

- I keep hearin' that.

What is that?

- Bureau of Land
Management agency.

Set up to manage federal lands.

- How many ya got?

- Oh, 20 or so.

Otherwise they just round 'em
up and ship 'em off to Canada.

- They got more room up there?

- No.

They got legal slaughtering.

- Is it illegal here?

- For now, thank God.

My aim is to set
up a non-profit,

pull out as many as
I can, rescue them,

set up a kind of a
destination point, ya know.

Get the public involved,
maybe the veterans.

- That one there the alpha?

That banged up one.

- The old mares tend
to be the alphas.

- And the stallions?

- Strength doesn't
make you an alpha.

Stallions generally
just fend off predators

like coyotes and
things like that.

- And the mares?

- See, her job is to
create submissiveness,

dependency with the others.

I mean look, you see
how alert she is?

The others look to her
to know how to react.

- She vicious?

- Can be.

- Oh!

- Round of applause!

Woo!

- Mornin'.

- Mornin'.

You lookin' for Linda?

- I work for the Bureau
of Land Management.

Some folks in town
said that they saw you

ridin' a green KLX motorbike.

Is that true?

- I don't own a motorbike.

- We found it on a road
near some dead horses,

mustangs, near Ana reservation.

- I work up near there.

- We find out that you been
ridin' that kind of bike,

lotta people in the
sheriff's office

are gonna be very
interested in seeing you.

- All right, gimme
a few minutes.

- Yeah.

Name's Collins.

- You get a call from
a neighbor again?

- We found some dead
horses not too far from here,

near Ana Reservoir.

- Ranchers?

- Probably hired some
kids to do it most likely.

You know this guy?

Said he worked for you.

- Yeah.

He's runnin' late.

Better get to it.

Kids, huh?

- Yeah.

Well, take care.

- How much did them
ranchers offer you?

- Nothing.

- My guess is that
there was a few of you.

Somethin' happened,
they took off.

You scrub out that trough.

I'll finish this.

- You're the last person
I expected to see.

How you been?

- Can I borrow a car?

- Who's ridin' this one?

Thought you didn't
drive anymore.

Come on then, killer.

- Have you spent time in
detention as a juvenile?

Private!

There's gonna be an
investigation into this.

- Woo!

You in a hurry?

Where you off to, Daytona?

- Do you want a job?

- I already got a job.

- No, I mean
workin' with horses.

I need a hand with the feedin'
and doin' some odd jobs.

- Do I get to ride 'em?

- You get to work.

You get to doin' that
well, then we can talk.

- How much?

- Not much.

- 15?

- 10 bucks to start, and
all the fresh air you want.

You know where to find me.

Tomorrow mornin', six a.m.

- Where the hell you been?

- Tom, you know I
don't like that cussin'.

- I better not find
you been workin'

for one of my clients.

If I find you've
been screwin' me.

- Tom!

- Screwin' ain't a cuss word!

Who's it for?

Interesting.

He need any paintin' done?

I'll come by and talk to him.

- He doesn't need you.

- Oh, we'll see, we will see.

- Nobody wants you to
come around leechin'.

- Hey!
- Callin' me a leech?

Huh?
- What'd I say?

You livin' under my
roof, I don't wanna hear

any goddamn cussin'.

That goes for you, too.

Wipe that smirk off your face.

- Don't you be
comin' back drunk.

- What's
he gonna be givin',

relationship tips next?
- I mean it.

- Hey!

- Don't keep
drinkin' and drivin'!

- Tom runs a business.

You don't need to
worry about him.

- That's right, you're
talkin' to an entrepreneur.

- Can you even spell that?

- Oh you should talk.

- Yeah.

- At least I'm not cheap.

- Who you callin' cheap?

Who you callin' cheap?

You think just because you
were in the military, huh?

Ooh, he had to
work for a livin'.

You know what, ever
since you come back

every time I ask you to
borrow just a little bit

of money, you make me
feel like I am this small.

You are livin' in my house

and I haven't seen
any rent money.

Shut up!

Son of a bitch.

- I was supposed to
be goin' out to see--

- Hey.
- Hey!

Here!

Here, take it.

Here.

- Go ahead, grab your purse.

We ain't lettin' this little
shit spoil our evenin'.

- Here she goes, see
what happens now.

Oh, she's off again.

- She's lettin' me on
this side a little better.

- J.C., this is Matt.

Matt helps us out
with the horses.

- Nice to meet ya.

- Nice to meet you, too.

- What do you think, Matt,

think we can make a
cowboy of J.C. yet?

- I think it'd be good to
have some help around here.

- Show him how to do it.

- She's a little tricky today.

- Hey.

Let's go for a ride.

- All right.

- Here ya go.

Here.

Mount up and follow me.

Grab those.

Spread 'em out over
there on the bench.

Why'd they discharge
you from the military?

- Fighting.

- Thought that's what
they paid you for.

- Not your own men.

- Come on, get up.

- Won't be workin'
in the afternoons anymore.

I'm sleepin' in the afternoons.

- Shittin' ass brother.

- Gettin' a
little headway.

- Woo!

- Feel good?

- Yeah.

- Little steps.

- Is it always that easy?

- He's been started before.

He likes to trust
people, he's got a past.

You want his respect, you're
not gonna get that by quittin'.

Go again.

Okay just, now, I want
you to turn side onto him.

Stop, just stop,
just stop, stop.

See, look, he's
curious, he's comin' in.

He's comin' in.

Just stay still, stay still.

Give him some attention,
then just walk away.

It's not about winning.

It's about gettin' a
partnership with him.

Let him come to you.

Look at that!

Look at that, eh?

You earned his trust.

You didn't get it by
quittin', good boy.

- You better take care of this.

- He was such a sweet kid,
easy, wouldn't even cry.

I don't know, I just,

I thought, ya know,
that the military

woulda straightened him out.

You have kids?

- My wife and I were,
we never got that lucky.

- First time you hold 'em...

You don't plan for the rest.

- Linda, does J.C. know
how to ride a motorbike?

- Him and his brothers

been ridin' their whole lives.

Dirt bikes, stock cars.

In fact he was ridin'
a bike last month.

- Was it green?

- Yeah, one of Harris's I think.

- You wanna eat?

What do you think
about helpin' me out?

Run the farm.

- What do you
think I been doin'?

- No, I mean like, runnin' it.

Let me tell ya how I
came to get this ranch.

There was this old timer,
he just left it to me.

It was just a weed patch.

All the buildings
were fallin' down.

We didn't have any phones
with cameras back then,

so we only took pictures

intended to be for
somethin' special.

Yeah.

There it is, that's it.

I was as skinny as a whip
back then.

So, why do you think he
let this place fall apart?

- I don't know.

- 'Cause he had no
one to leave it to.

He had no family, he had
no kids, he had nobody.

He just let all his
hard work go to waste.

That's him.

His skin's like worn
out old leather,

hands are like
shovels, all dried out.

If it wasn't for him I don't
think I would still be here.

He never said much, but when
he did it was just slander.

- So why are you helpin' me?

- 'Cause I got all
this and I got nobody.

I got no one to leave it to.

- What about that boy in the
picture in the other room?

- I can give
you a ride home.

- Just can't believe
Harris would do--

- Honey,
who's at the door?

- It's been nice seein' ya
again, Lauren, thank you.

- Thanks for comin' by.

- You got the balls to
snitch on your brother?

What the hell were
the sheriffs doin'

over at my house, J.C.?

What were the sheriffs doin'?

- Hey!

- I didn't say anything.

- Go on.
- Get the fuck off of me.

- Come on.

- Shoulda never came back here.

I got nothin'.

- It's warm.

I know a guy up in Stenson
runs a construction company.

- Stenson?

- Ah!

California?

You won't make much,
but get ya outta here.

- I actually like
what I'm doin'.

- With the horses?

- Yeah, I like it
more than money.

I got a horse now.

They got problems, just like us.

- You make a livin' off that?

Can I come see it?

- The horse?

- Tomorrow.

- I'll think about it.

- That's it.

Go on.

- Are you serious?

- How long's this gonna take?

- As long as it takes.

- I'll just stay here
and listen to the radio.

- No, you'll drain my battery.

- What else am I supposed to do?

Go on, get this

over with, I'm bored.
- Why are you always drunk?

- This is it, huh?

Nice lick of paint on
this house right here,

she'll look brand new.

- Who are you?

- Tom, J.C.'s brother.

I run a paintin' company.

- You got a business card?

Let me guess, you run out.

Well, no matter.

J.C. can give me all
your information.

Thanks for comin'.

- When can I expect
your room and board?

- I already gave it to you.

- When?

I haven't seen it.

- I been puttin'
it on your dresser.

- Yeah, don't listen
to him, he's a liar.

- I don't get my room and board,

you're not comin'
back into my house.

I didn't raise you to be a liar!

- Your family doesn't
seem to like you, J.C.

- That's family, though.

- You're not tied to someone
because you share a bloodline.

Be respectful, but it's
not a life sentence.

- She won't remember what
she said by tomorrow.

- Look, just stay here.

She needs money,
so she needs you.

Makes you dependent.
- I'm not a horse.

Who are you to tell me?

- I've lived it.

- It was a hundred bucks.

- Yeah, for 10 hours
that you worked.

It's simple, just stay here.

I won't charge you for anything.

And you listen to me, kid,
I'm givin' you good advice.

- Advice?

Who are you to tell me?

- I'm sorry?

- You can't even take
care of your own.

- You get out.

Wait up.

- Is that why your
family left you?

- Don't you ever confuse
kindness with weakness.

Now get off my land.

- Ya know, paintin'
ain't that bad.

You know that, right?

- Yeah.

Look at the place.

- How's it goin'?

- Well, we got some
walls to do in here.

Now the walls need
to be cleaned.

Gotta be clean.

- Yeah, we got it.

Clean.
- We gotta do somethin'

with the ceiling
tiles there, too.

- Same color?

Si, Jose.

Unload the.

Oh, J.C.?

- This guy is a clown.

- Complete clown.

- Can I get this case of beer?

- $10.59.

- Where are you goin'?

- Out.

- Showin' houses again, huh?

- More than you'll be doin'
by the looks of things.

So'd they settle up with ya?

- I can get you room
and board next week.

- Where are the keys?

- They're in the truck.

- Food's on the table.

- You ever seen a horse kick?

I mean really
kick, for its life.

It can kick right
through a two-inch board,

break it in half.

See,

in the fall three years ago

my wife and I were
up on the ridge

lookin' for lost cattle.

We'd been up for about 30 hours.

We came across this ravine.

My wife, she points
out down to the bottom

a horse trapped in the mud.

She pops off her horse
like a box spring

and races down to it,

mud up around her ankles.

I raced down after her,

but before I can get to her

the horse starts buckin'.

He catches her right
upside the head.

She survived.

They kept her for a few
weeks in the hospital.

I knew that she'd never
be the same again.

She was gettin' these
terrible nightmares

where she'd be ragin' and
screamin', wakin' up the kids.

We fought sometimes.

Physically.

- Where is she now?

- She was plannin' on
movin' up to her sister's.

It's further up north.

They were headed out
of town on Highway 20,

when your car ran
into them, racin'.

- Lauren, open the door.

Lauren, please open the door.

- Let me get
two of them slaw dogs.

- Everything's gone to
hell since you came back.

- You deserve it.

- Now it's my turn to
take something from you.

- Finch,
where are the horses?

The gate's unlocked.

- J.C., J.C.!

J.C.!

J.C., Jesus.

Gimme that, gimme
that, gimme that.

Go.

Let me do this, son.

Go.

Go.

Go, get out!

- Uncle Tommy there?

- He's in the back.

- I just need a place to crash.

- He doesn't wanna
come to the phone right now.

He said you should
stay with your mom.

- We got a
lot of horses to work

and a short period
of time to do it,

so there's not gonna
be a lot of time off.

I don't have a whole
lot to offer ya.

You know, it's up to
you if you're willin'

to sign on and try
to make this work.

- Would I be workin' with
horses every day, or?

- Every day.

- As your counselor
probably told you,

I run a horse
rehabilitation program

just outside of town here.

I know exactly
what it feels like

to be where you're
sitting today.

My dad left when
I was really young

and I didn't respond
very well either.

I got into all sorts
of things, racing cars,

any way to lash out.

And eventually I
got in a car crash.

I know you're angry.

After I was discharged
from the military

I came back home and
I got a job on a ranch

workin' with wild horses.

It taught me a lot,
a lot about myself.

More than I learned about them.

I don't know, if you're
lookin' for somethin' to do,

maybe even learn
somethin' about yourself,

I'd love to have ya.

Your counselor can give
you my information.

- It's for you.

What's it say?

- It mentions you.

Is Finch gonna be okay?

- He didn't do anything wrong.

- Do you know who he is, Finch?

- I saw him at your court
hearing after the incident.

He just sat in the corner.

He was sad, didn't move.

- How do you repay
someone like that?

- You're doin' it.

He came and visited
me at the hospital.

He gave me time.

And I don't wanna
waste any more.

Ever.

- Me either.

- I'm glad you did it.

- You cleaned up nice.

- They did
it at the hospital.

- Come on.

- This is Grace.

- Harris.

- He's my brother.

♪ The father to his son ♪

♪ Says ya have to be
weak to be strong ♪

♪ Ya have to be
scared to be brave ♪

♪ Ya have to know
fear to be saved ♪

♪ The son to his father ♪

♪ Says I'm too
scared to be a man ♪

♪ I'm too dumb to be a fool ♪

♪ Father, help me understand ♪

♪ And he says ♪

♪ Run, run, run, run
to catch your soul ♪

♪ Every man must learn
to love his demon ♪

♪ Your demon's name is yours ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh,
ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh,
ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh,
ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪

♪ War, war, war, war
against your soul ♪

♪ Dig, dig, dig, dig
your coffin's hole ♪

♪ Everyone must
face their demons ♪

♪ And now the turn is yours ♪