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Freeway (1996)

6.7
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Ratings: 6.7/10 from 17,943 users   Metascore: 61/100
Reviews: 190 user | 55 critic | 15 from Metacritic.com

A twisted take on 'Little Red Riding Hood' with a teenage juvenile delinquent on the run from a social worker traveling to her grandmother's house and being hounded by a charming, but sadistic, serial killer/pedophile.

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Title: Freeway (1996)

Freeway (1996) on IMDb 6.7/10

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6 wins & 4 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
Chopper
Paul Perri ...
Cop #1
...
Cop #2
Ben Meyerson ...
Cop at Truckstop
Craig Barnett ...
Cop #3
G. Eric Miles ...
Cop #4
...
Detective Mike Breer
...
Chris Renna ...
Doctor
...
ER Nurse
...
Female Anchor
...
Kitty Fox ...
Naomi Frohlegger - Grandma
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Storyline

Little Red Riding Hood for the 1990's: After her mom and step-dad are arrested, 15-year-old Vanessa Lutz decides that instead of once again being put into a foster home, she'd rather go and search for the grandmother she's never met, and live with her. "On the way to grandma's house," (actually a trailer park) Vanessa's car breaks down, and she's picked up from the side of the road by Bob Wolverton, a counselor at a school for troubled boys. Bob slowly earns Vanessa's trust, and eventually convinces her to talk about her sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather. When Vanessa realizes that Bob is enjoying what she's saying, she realizes that he's "The I-5 Killer," from the news. She tries to get out of his truck, but the inside door handle has been removed... Written by Daniel Aubrey White <white@mortimer.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Her life is no fairy tale. See more »


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong lurid violence and sexual dialogue, some sexual situations, drug content and language | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

3 September 1997 (France)  »

Also Known As:

Auto-Estrada do Inferno  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (cut)

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The photo of Vanessa's father that she shows to Bob is of mass murderer Richard Speck. See more »

Goofs

The late 1950s model trailer that the Grandma lives in is only ten feet wide. In the interior shots the rooms are as large as a roomy site-built house. An impossibility in only ten feet of width. See more »

Quotes

Vanessa: Well look who got beaten with the ugly stick. Bob, is that you? My God, I can't believe such an itty bitty gun could make such a big mess out of someone! You are so ugly Bob! Oh and hey I heard you have one of those poop bags where the shit comes out the side, you're just a big old shitbag aren't you Bob! I hope you think of me every time you shit in that thing motherfucker!
See more »

Crazy Credits

Except for the main characters of Bob (Kiefer Sutherland) and Vanessa (Reese Witherspoon), the rest of the cast is listed alphabetically according to the character's name. See more »

Connections

Followed by Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby (1999) See more »

Soundtracks

"SURE FEELS GOOD"
Written by Marty Wereski
Performed by John Rowin
Published by Mar-Cabud Music
Courtesy of Mar-Tune Music
See more »

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User Reviews

That's not all I did to grandma.
4 October 2004 | by (Bookseller of the Blue Ridge) – See all my reviews

While watching this film I was disgusted, disturbed, and horrified while all the while LOVING THIS FILM. Living in a house where fairy tale literature is commonplace (my wife studies Children's Literature), I was surprised by this film. Seeing it in the value bin at most video stores, I expected poor production, horrible direction, and a pathetic cast. We have all seen these films that boast big names, but somehow never fully follow through. Freeway is nothing of the kind. It is a carefully written and delivered retelling of one of our most beloved fairy tales with a extremely dark twist.

Reece Witherspoon (pre-Legally Blonde) gives a performance that surprised me. I did not realize that she was so capable of bringing this character to life. Her counterpart, the illustrious 'Wolf', played by 80s child Keifer Sutherland, is yet another powerful force in this film. The two of them nearly carry this film on their shoulders. This is one of those perfect examples of a film that did not have much publicity after its release, but has since then obtained 'cult' status through avid viewer's word of mouth. This is definitely a film for all movie critics, film buffs, and fanatics to gaze at just once. I know there were some poor reviews when it was first released, but I am sure that a second viewing would bring this gem back to life.

I would also like to add that director Matthew Bright is a film genius. He successfully took a very wholesome and good natured story (or that we think) and transforms it into the fearsome dark story that it should be. Our society has the consistency of taking dark elements and transforming them into stories for our children. A wolf eats a grandmother in this story … how happy and uplifting is that? I applaud Bright for taking this story and transforming it into a modern day fairy tale. It is gripping, fascinating, and downright beautiful.

If you enjoyed Natural Born Killers and was hoping for a nicer twist, this film is your answer. I also suggest that if you couldn't get enough of Freeway that you try to get your hands on the very rare Freeway 2: Confessions of a Trickbaby. See how Bright delicately transforms yet another dark fairy tale (Hansel and Gretel) into a modern masterpiece.

Grade: ***** out of *****


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