Road Kill (Joyride) – Simple and effective

The simple films are sometimes the best. ‘Roadkill’ (or ‘Joyride’ as it’s apparently known in the US) is about two brothers who travel across America to pick up one of their girlfriends, but fall foul of a particularly nasty truck driver (in fact, I always think that ‘Roadrage’ would be a more apt title for the movie!).  What follows is a cat and mouse tale as the juggernaut chases their car across one freeway after the next.

Back when this was released (2001), I think it’s safe to say that there are no real stars in the film (Paul Walker had yet to rise to fame).  Just like there are very little special effects needed for one vehicle driving after another throughout the movie.  Therefore, it’s technically quite low budget and yet I remember distinctly watching it in the cinema, meaning I wasn’t the only one who thought it deserved its ‘theatrical’ release. 

What works so well is the dynamic and chemistry between the two leads.  The dialogue is all very believable and you could just see the two of them being brothers in real life.  I’ve mentioned Paul Walker who plays the straight-laced ‘Lewis,’ while Steve Zahn plays his older, more roguish brother, ‘Fuller.’ Leelee Sobieski makes the third passenger in the car.  She’s Lewis’ girlfriend and there’s a vague hint of a love triangle between her and the two boys, however that’s all part of the sub-plot when it came to the ‘meat’ of the story.

They decide to use the old CB and ‘prank call’ (using telephone terminology) a random trucker.  Naturally, the driver in question (going by the handle ‘Rusty Nail’) doesn’t have much in the way of a sense of humour and decides to persecute them beyond anything they could have anticipated.

‘Roadkill’ falls somewhere between a horror and a thriller.  It’s almost like a ‘slasher’ flick, in terms of one man trying to kill a bunch of youngsters.  However, another aspect that works well is that you don’t really see Mr Nail that much, leaving us – the audience – to speculate on what he really looks like behind the wheel of his ride.

Some people have likened ‘Roadkill’ to Stephen Spielberg’s classic early road movie, ‘Duel.’ There are definitely some similarities regarding the psychotic trucker and the simple plot, but this film is far more up to date and brings the story to life in a new way.  Yes, if you watch it now you’d probably be asking why they didn’t just ‘tweet’ the police from their cell phones – it’s hard to believe that no one had social media at their fingertips back then. 

Anyway, if you like horror or thriller films, do give this one a go – it’s simple, but very effective at just being what it is.  It never tries to be anything it isn’t.  Just enjoy it.

8/10 The Force is definitely strong with this one