Non-stop suspense in thrilling new movie 'Joyride'
Joko E.H. Anwar, Contributor, Jakarta
Joyride (*** out of four stars); Suspense/Thriller, 96 minutes; Starring Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, Leelee Sobieski; Directed by John Dahl; A Twentieth Century Fox presentation
Those who are not familiar with director John Dahl's films must have missed some little gems he has made such as Red Rock West and The Last Seduction.
Like all of his well-crafted films, Joyride has also been highly anticipated by many moviegoers, even though the money it has made at the box office may not be as impressive as heavily publicized entries. That is probably because his films always pose as small movies.
Solidly directed and competently handled by all production departments, the film offers more than 90 minutes of pure fun -- an enjoyable ride.
It all starts when two brothers, Lewis (Paul Walker from The Fast and the Furious) and Fuller (Steve Zahn), decide to take a road trip from Colorado to New Jersey. They also plan to pick up Lewis' estranged girlfriend Venna (Leelee Sobieski) on the way.
In order to make the trip more enjoyable, Fuller decides to buy a CB radio so they can chat with other drivers on the road.
Not long after they hit the road, Fuller has a silly idea to create a fictitious hooker character, named Candy Cane, to chat with truckers and his brother reluctantly poses as the temptress.
When a deep-voiced trucker they take as a pervert buys the joke, they go too far by setting a date in a motel room, next to the unit they stay in.
Things start to get ugly when the mysterious man actually receives the invitation, resulting in a gruesome attempted murder.
Before the two brothers realize what kind of mess they got themselves into, the trucker vows to get even with them.
In the hands of less talented directors, the film might just turn into another innocent-people-being-chased-by-a-crazed-truck- driver flick. But Dahl turns every seemingly cliched scene into a heart-stopping show.
Once the suspense starts, there won't be enough time to draw breath. You will find your eyes glued to the screen and your hands gripping your seat.
However, there will be some concern that the movie is starting to run out of gas as it enters its second half.
You may feel that the film is going to take a drastic turn into teen slasher territory when Sobieski's character joins the two brothers, especially if you have watched the recent terror-on-the-road movie Jeepers Creepers.
Fortunately, where the latter becomes silly in its second half, Joyride only gives us time to take a breath before continuing its non-stop terror.
Dahl has always been successful creating films which are very involving, even with this seemingly simple premise.
An interesting example is Dahl's The Last Seduction (now available on authorized VCD), starring Linda Fiorentino and screened here about four years ago.
Our beloved board of censorship must have found the content of the film, about a manipulative woman willing to do anything to get what she wants, very morally challenging. So much so that they had to add words, as if they were subtitles, saying that the character was eventually arrested and jailed.
The story in Joyride is definitely not as heavy as in The Last Seduction but is, nevertheless, just as gripping.
This is an audience-friendly, highly entertaining film you may want to see after a busy month full of film events in the capital showcasing mostly arthouse films.