Route 666 (2001)

User Rating:

4.1/10   

Director:

William Wesley

Writers:

Scott Fivelson (writer)
Thomas Weber (writer)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Smith, a mob informer hiding out with the Witness Protection Program, decides to make a break for it and hide out in the Arizona desert...

Plot Keywords:

Chain Gang | Desert | Witness Protection | Native American | Black Comic Relief

Cast

Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Jack La Roca
Lori Petty	...	Steph
Steven Williams	...	Rabbit aka Fred
L.Q. Jones	...	Sheriff Bob Conaway
Dale Midkiff	...	P.T.
Alex McArthur	...	Nick
Mercedes Colon	...	Mary
Rob Roy Fitzgerald	...	Joe
Adam Vernier	...	Deputy Gil Conaway
Chester E. Tripp III	...	Deputy Tim Conaway
Rhino Michaels	...	John La Roca
Gary Roberts	...	Pickaxe aka Miles Hackman
Pee Wee Piemonte	...	Jackhammer aka Steve Pikowski (as Peewee Piemonte)
Michael Chance	...	Sledgehammer aka Frank Slater
Dick Miller	...	Bartender

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and language.

Runtime:

Germany:86 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | Denmark:15 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:MA (cable rating) | Germany:18 (cut) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Joshua Tree, California, USA

Company:

Lions Gate Films

Trivia:

There actually was a route 666. US Highway 666 ran from Gallup, New Mexico, to Cortez, Colorado, the gateway to Mesa Verde NP. Most of the route crossed the Navajo reservation and passes Ship Rock and near four corners, the only point in the US common to four states. The road itself still exists but has been renumbered by the New Mexico Department of Transportation because of superstitions about the number 666.

Goofs:

Continuity: The agent hot-wires the Suburban because the keys are lost. Later on, at the rest stop, the keys are in the ignition.

Quotes:

Rabbit aka Fred: Don't leave me here with Helen Keller and the Three Blind Mice! I am not safe with these guys!

Movie Connections:

References "The X Files" (1993)

Soundtrack:

I'm Walkin'

Take the road less traveled.

Are you ready for some weird entertainment? What seems to be a decent cop show turns into a horror flick. Yes, there is plenty of action...but you find yourself wondering how much stranger can this thing get. Some pretty good actors assembled to do this thing for producer Terence M. O'Keefe. William Wesley directs no doubt with a grin. This is a toss up between being really bad and being just a below average B-movie.

Lou Diamond Phillips and Lori Petty are government agents that track down a Federally protected witness(Steven Williams)hiding in the desert along Route 66. After convincing him to return to LA for his appearance in court things get crazy. It is decided to take a shortcut on a piece of closed highway, Route 666, where the now small FBI caravan is attacked by four zombies. The undead are four prisoners/murderers that were slaughtered while working on a road crew several years earlier. One of the zombies happens to be Phillips' estranged father.

Phillips has starred in worst...check out BATS. Somehow he keeps his dignity without embarrassing his following too much. I found Miss Petty pretty much irritating throughout. Williams is outstanding and has most of the best dialogue. Dale Midkiff is notable as a pompous FBI agent. And kudos to the veteran actor L.Q. Jones playing the corrupt county sheriff. The road less traveled is finally rid of its phantoms. Worth your test drive.