Joy Ride review

JOY RIDE (2001) / ***

Directed by John Dahl. Screenplay by Clay Tarver and Jeffrey Abrams. Starring Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, Leelee Sobieski. Running time: 98 minutes. Rated AA for coarse language by the MFCB. Reviewed on October 31st, 2001.

By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN

Synopsis: Lewis (Walker) leaves college and heads cross-country to pick up would-be girlfriend Venna (Sobieski), along the way collecting black sheep brother Fuller (Zahn). Fuller purchases a CB radio and gets Lewis to pose as a woman, attracting the attention of a trucker named Rusty Nail. Their harmless prank turns deadly, though, when the psychotic Rusty Nail realises he's been played for a fool, and pursues the brothers, intent on vengeance.

Review: Since "Scream" brought young-adult horror back into vogue, the genre has mostly been bogged down by inferior knock-offs. It is, then, a bit of a relief to find an example which achieves its requisite quota of chills while maintaining a standard of coherence and characterisation. There's nothing really new in "Joy Ride"; audiences will find many of the movie's set pieces familiar, though it generally does not cross the line into cliche. But this is a case of the familiar done well: "Joy Ride" is one of those rare thrillers where characters aren't gripped by moments of plot-serving stupidity, where the frights are doled out intelligently and not gratuitously. Dahl's direction is assured. He knows when to amp up the tension and when to focus on his characters; only a tepid middle segment drags at all. Walker and Zahn offer superior acting for the genre, imbuing Lewis and Fuller with realism and humour. These guys aren't caricatures, nor typical horror movie heroes (or victims). They come across as regular guys, flaws and all, inciting much viewer pathos. Sobieski's character is less well-defined, and she seems to mostly exist as the token girl. "Joy Ride" does not measure up to recent horror sensation "The Others", lacking that film's originality, subtext and atmosphere. But it does offer a good story with good scares, and that's nothing to complain about.

| Shannon Patrick Sullivan | shannon@mun.ca | +---------------------------------+---------------------------------+ / Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) go.to/drwho-history \ \__ We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars __/

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Joy Ride (2001)

Review of Joy Ride (2001) by Shannon Patrick Sullivan