Reel Critics

Peggy Rogers

Two brothers driving cross country pick the wrong trucker to play a

prank on resulting in a demented case of road rage.

“Joy Ride” sucks the pleasure out of what should be a romantic road

trip for Lewis and his potential girlfriend, Venna (LeeLee Sobieski,

“Eyes Wide Shut”). Before picking up Venna, Lewis, played by Paul Walker

(“Fast and Furious”), makes a side trip to bail out his reckless brother

Fuller (Steve Zahn, “Saving Silverman”).

Bored with the drive Fuller goads Lewis into playing a practical joke

on a truck driver. Unfortunately Fuller and Lewis miscalculate the effect

of the prank on their intended victim, who goes by the handle Rusty Nail.

“Joy Ride” joins ranks of other road-rage trip scenarios such as

Steven Spielberg’s classic “Duel” and the more recent “Breakdown”

starring Kurt Russell. While most terror films feature a female in the

lead being stalked, setting the story on lonely stretches of highway,

this film gives the men a turn at being stalked and scared without doing

damage to their image.

For a college student Lewis is not too bright as he proceeds to pick

up the beautiful Venna even though a psycho is determined to turn him

into road kill. What was difficult to fathom was the idea of the trio

being secretly stalked in Venna’s college town with it’s narrow streets

that could not possibly accommodate a big rig camper.

Ted Levine plays the unseen tainted Rusty Nail. Gaining fame as the

serial killer in “Silence of the Lambs,” Levine remains faceless

throughout the film, tormenting his victims by way of CB radio and the

occasional telephone call. Choosing to keep the character of Rusty an

unseen demonic force is a clever device that cranks up the terror

effectively throughout the film. Like the rarely seen shark in “Jaws,”

the evil in “Joy Ride” is always lurking somewhere close by.

“Joy Ride” incorporates all the devices of urban terror/horror films

guaranteed to make the audience jump and scream from the safety of their

seats. Without breaking new ground, however, the movie is a predictable

replay of recent films regarding its twists, turns and final outcome.

* PEGGY J. ROGERS, 39, produces commercial videos and documentaries.