''Breaking Point'' is a 1989 American

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

thriller Thriller may refer to: * Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television ** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre Comics * ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

directed by

Peter Markle Peter Markle (born September 24, 1952) is an American film director, television director and screenwriter. He has directed episodes of ''Everwood'', ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''The X-Files'', as well as many other programs. He was dir ...

and written by

Stanley Greenberg Stanley Bernard Greenberg (born May 10, 1945) is an American pollster and political strategist affiliated with the Democratic Party. Greenberg is a founding partner of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research (GQR) and Democracy Corps, political consu ...

. It is a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of the 1964 film '' 36 Hours'', which in turn was based on the 1944 short story "

Beware of the Dog Beware of the dog (also rendered as beware of dog) is a warning sign posted at the entrance to a building or other private area indicating that a dangerous dog is within. Such signs may be placed to deter burglary even if there is no dog, or if ...

" by

Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British author of popular children's literature and short stories, a poet, screenwriter and a wartime Flying ace, fighter ace. His books have sold more than 300 million copies ...

. The film stars

Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series ''L.A. Law'',

Joanna Pacuła Joanna Pacuła (; born 30 December 1957) is a Polish actress and model. Born in Tomaszów Lubelski and immigrating to the United States in the early 1980s, she first gained prominence through her modeling work for '' Vogue''. Her breakthrough pe ...

, John Glover, and

David Marshall Grant David Marshall Grant (born June 21, 1955) is an American actor, singer and writer. Life and career Grant was born in Westport, Connecticut to physician parents. Immediately after graduating from Connecticut College with an M.F.A. and receivin ...

. It aired on

TNT Troponin T (shortened TnT or TropT) is a part of the troponin complex, which are proteins integral to the contraction of skeletal and heart muscles. They are expressed in skeletal and cardiac myocytes. Troponin T binds to tropomyosin and helps ...

on August 18, 1989.

Plot summary

The story unfolds with D-Day less than 72 hours away. Jefferson Pike, portrayed by Corbin Bernsen, is a top US intelligence officer who is captured by the enemy. Pike is one of the few officers who knows where the Allies will strike, and the Nazis, aware that he will not succumb to torture, devise an elaborate scheme to deceive him. They set up a scenario in a US hospital in Germany, making Pike believe that the war is over and he is recovering from memory loss. His doctor (John Glover) and nurse (Joanna Pacula) are part of an elite Nazi psychological team tasked with convincing Pike to reveal top-secret information. As the narrative progresses, the pressure mounts for Pike to reach his "breaking point" as the captors intensify their efforts to extract the critical information. This plot explores themes of deception, war, and psychological manipulation, highlighting the lengths to which adversaries may go during wartime to gain strategic advantages.

Cast

Corbin Bernsen Corbin Dean Bernsen (born September 7, 1954) is an American actor and film director. He appeared as divorce attorney Arnold Becker on the NBC drama series ''L.A. Law'',

as Pike *

as Anna / Diana * John Glover as Dr. Gerber *

as Osterman *

Lawrence Pressman Lawrence Pressman (born David Milton Pressman; July 10, 1939) is an American actor. He is best known for roles on '' Doogie Howser, M.D.'', '' Ladies' Man'', a recurring role on '' Profiler'', the title character on '' Mulligan's Stew'' and as a ...

as Gen. Smith *

Ken Jenkins Ken Jenkins (born August 28, 1940) is an American actor, best known for his role as Dr. Bob Kelso, the chief of medicine on the American comedy series '' Scrubs'' (2001–2009). He has also had notable appearances in many popular TV shows. Ea ...

as Col. Lowe * Dennis Creaghan as Ungerland * Joris Stuyck as Braga *

Andrew Divoff Andrew Daniel Divoff (born July 2, 1955) is an American actor and producer. Divoff has played many villains in film and on television, including drug cartel leaders, terrorists, and organized crime bosses, though he is best known for playing the ...

as Aide * Kathryn Miller as Catherine * Douglas Roberts as Dr. Johns * John Alden as Abbot * Alan Toy as Leroy

References

External links

*
''Breaking Point'' at AllMovie
* * 1989 films 1989 thriller films 1980s American films 1980s English-language films 1980s war films American thriller television films American World War II films Films about amnesia Films about the United States Army Films based on adaptations Films based on British short stories Films based on works by Roald Dahl Films directed by Peter Markle Films scored by J. A. C. Redford Films set in 1944 Operation Overlord films Remakes of American films Television films based on short fiction Television remakes of films TNT (American TV network) original films World War II television films English-language war films English-language thriller films {{1980s-US-film-stub