Joy Ride (2001/I)

Director:

John Dahl

Writers (WGA):

Clay Tarver (written by) &
J.J. Abrams (written by)

Release Date:

5 October 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Don't screw with people you don't know (UK)

Plot:

Three young people on a road trip from Colorado to New Jersey talk to a trucker on their CB radio, then must escape when he turns out to be a psychotic killer.

Plot Keywords:

Truck | Truck Driver | College | Prank | College Student

Awards:

1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Mon. Jan. 4

2:35 AM

MAX

Cast

Steve Zahn	...	Fuller Thomas
Paul Walker	...	Lewis Thomas
Leelee Sobieski	...	Venna
Jessica Bowman	...	Charlotte
Stuart Stone	...	Danny, Lewis' Roommate
Basil Wallace	...	Car Salesman
Brian Leckner	...	Officer Keeney
Mary Wickliffe	...	Salt Lake City Police Desk Clerk
McKenzie Satterthwaite	...	Assistant Salt Lake City Police Desk Clerk
Dell Yount	...	Gas Station Mechanic
Kenneth White	...	Ronald Ellinghouse
Luis Cortés	...	Night Manager (as Luis Cortes)
Michael McCleery	...	Officer Akins
Jim Beaver	...	Sheriff Ritter
Rachel Singer	...	Gas Station Manager

Also Known As:

Road Kill (Australia) (New Zealand: English title) (UK)
Candy Cane (USA) (working title)
Highway Horror (USA) (working title)
Joyride (USA) (alternative spelling)
Squelch (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence/terror and language.

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | USA:R (certificate #37763) | Singapore:NC-16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Germany:16 | Hungary:16 | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Arvin, California, USA

Company:

Regency Enterprises

Trivia:

Was renamed 'Road Kill' in the UK, since taking a 'Joy Ride' is not the pleasant journey it is in the states, rather the name for when youths steal cars and race each other or the cops and eventually total and dump the car.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: In the scene where Fuller and Lewis walk naked into the truck stop it is supposed to be set in Nebraska. Yet when they are walking into the truck stop you can clearly see mountains in the background.

Quotes:

Lewis: You should call home every once in a while. You know, when you don't need bail money?
Fuller: Yeah, but how often is that?

Movie Connections:

References The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Soundtrack:

Shut Your Mouth

A nice well made B-movie, a little winner!

After KILL ME AGAIN and RED ROCK WEST director Dahl has again made a nice good-looking, really thrilling little B-movie! He must have watched DUEL (which is still better, maybe the best S. Spielberg movie ever, and rates 10/10) and has added something here and there. The Trauma Spielberg handled in his movie is not to be found in here, but it's still and nevertheless a highly enjoyable, also well photographed movie with believable actors and a nice twisted ending (improbable, yes, but still nice). Whereas in DUEL one just had the man (Dennis Weaver is his best movie) and a truck (without the driver ever to be seen), Dahl added more characters and a more visible (actually audible) driver + police, etc, but the basic plot, people running away from mad truck/driver, is left intact. I just wish more such movies would still be made today ...