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| Joy Ride |
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  (8/10)
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Runtime: 96 m |
| Public Rating: 7.18 (28 votes) |
Director: John Dahl |
MPAA Rating:  |
| Genre: Thriller/Comedy/Horror |
Year: 2001 |
| Writer(s): Clay Tarver, Jeffrey Abrams |
| Reviewed by: Arturo García Lasca |
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For some unknown reason "Joy Ride" didn't get as much piblicity as most Hollywood films with they come out, specially if they have stars of the moment. Young actor Paul Walker, who was in a successful action film this year (The Fast and the Furious) and Leelee Sobieski, who was in the not-very successful "The Glass House" star in this thriller that hasn't been viewed by a very big audience up to date, and that's just wrong. From the trailers it caught my attention very rapidly, I knew I had to see it.
Lewis Thomas (Walker) is having a break from College and on his way home he decides to pick up his friend Venna (Sobieski), and drive the rest of the way home, in an attemp to finally conquer her. He doesn't have a car, but he buys a neat 1971 Chrysler and hits the road. He makes a stop before picking up Venna, he bails out his older brother Fuller (Steve Zahn), who was in jail for being drunk. They make a stop and Fuller manages to get a CB radio on the car for only $40 bucks; He's pretty inmature, helikes to make jokes and have 'fun', and he's planning on entertaining himself and his little brother in their journey.
He convinces Lewis to make a female voice over the radio and 'chat' with some of the people on the frequency, it's "like a prehistoric internet", he says. Lewis, with a girly voice and nicknamed "Candy Cane", starts a chat with "Rusty Nail"; Fuller, who had a little encounter with a guy who was sttaying in the room 17 of a motel in the road, talks Lewis into telling Rusty Nail "she" will meet him in that hotel room. Rusty Nail agrees, and the boys are staying in the room next door. By midnight, the time they said he should get there, Lewis and Fuller hear voices and rather weird noises in the room next door, apparently Rusty Nail didn't like what he saw. Well, to make it short, next morning they found the guy from room 17 in the middle of the highway, and he was badly injured. The Thomas boys are told to leave town, and they do. They probably know Rusty Nail must be angry, what they don't know, is that he's following them and knows everything they do.
This was a grea film. It's not the kind of movie with great performances or plot twists that would make you think a lot, but it's very, very thrilling, from the very first time they talk to Rusty Nail. Walker, Zahn and Sobieski all did a good job, specially Zahn who was very convincing as the funny and risky type of guy. I also thought Ted Levine did a great job as the voice of Rusty Nail.
Yes, you heard me, the voice. How, you wonder? Well, this is one of those very unique films where you never actually see the bad guy's face! They talk through the radio, or phone, but they never see him, all they can see is his huge truck. Now that's creepy! You don't know what to expect, and a mad driver on a big truck chasing you through the road.. It's perfectly understandable why they were paranoid.
Rusty Nail has his own methods, and the things he does are just cruel. John Dahl has proven to be a great director, after "Rounders" I knew he was talented (He has done others, but I haven't seen them), but with this film now I'm convinced, he's good. With the exception of the first few minutes of the film, Dahl managed to maintain the suspense and the paranoia through the entire film, something rather hard to achieve. Good job by the scripwriters too, the ending wasn't actually bad, a surprise nowdays. If you know what kind of film this is, then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
Note: I was reading Roger Ebert's review for this film (3.5 out of 4 possible stars) and he says that no film critic could write a review about this film without mentioning Steven Spielberg's directing debut "Duel". Now, I always remember watching a film when I was younger (no older than 8) where this truck whose driver you never see chases a man on a car, and "Joy Ride" definitely reminded me of that one. I never knew it's name or any of the actors, but by checking out some info on "Duel" I noticed it's that one! I could vaguely rememer that film, and "Joy Ride" seems to have reminded some critics about it too, that's cool. I should find "Duel" and watch it again sometime.
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