User reviews

This movie was excellent, its a true story about this girl who can't stand living with her parents any more so she runs away and she hitches up with this trucker and his friend only she's 18 so her parents can't force her to come back and she finds this guy isn't as nice and great as he appeared to be, he has a past of being in jail and in and out of mental institutions. Eventually they need money so they come up with an idea they'll fake a ransom. They call her parents and demand money but eventually the girl sees how he really is and she wants to get away from him but he won't let her go and he becomes violent towards her and his friend and he holds her hostage in a hotel room for 12 hours. The ending is really good and kind of sad in away its a good movie, I recommend it.

In contrast to the other two posts, I'm sorry but I thought this movie was terrible. The acting was dreadful, especially from the two leads (Gold & Calabro). I've never thought of Tracey Gold as that great an actress anyway and she did nothing to change my opinion here.

I couldn't sympathise with her character one bit and Thomas Calabro was just ridiculous. I cringed so many times during this movie, and the real tragedy is, it could've been so darn good -- especially as it was based on a true story.

The only saving grace is Matt Letscher as Rick's "friend" Eddie. He acted well and was far more believable than the other two. Rick was a psycho, Stacy was just plain stupid. Eddie made you feel SOMETHING at least, especially when Rick turns on him and treats him like dirt. Eddie also seems to have a genuine fondness for Stacy and fear of Rick, and portrays this well in the movie.

Final verdict: a woeful account of what was obviously a very serious incident that was turned into something laughable and unbelievable thanks to bad acting and a corny script.

I'm only 51 minutes into this movie, and I want to turn it off. The only reason I'm not is because I'm pretty sure I've seen this before back when it first was released when I was younger and I'm just curious. But reading the other reviews on this, "the acting was superb"????? This is what people consider great acting? What the actual f*#k?!?!?! The acting in this is atrocious. The dialogue is so cringey and I know that this is inspired by true events, but I feel like this movie is an absolute slap in the face of said events. It may have been made for tv but that does not excuse this poor excuse of a travesty masquerading as a movie. And I haven't even finished it yet!!!

This is a made-for-television film that isn't easily forgotten. It's a psychological drama, memorable more for the excellent character development and acting than the plot. The story might be hard to believe, particularly the ending, were in not based on a real events.

Tracey Gold plays an 18-year-old runaway from a lower-middle class home, determined to break out of an contentious relationship with her mother. Basically a good girl but naive, Gold's character, Stacy, ends up in the world of cross-country truckers, where a smooth operator named Richard (expertly played by Thomas Calabro) convinces her to take a ride west with him and his driver partner in an empty rig. Richard comes across immediately as a slick con artist, and Stacy is impressed.

Once the pickup is made, the viewer watches as Richard is revealed slowly and methodically to be a criminal, a hustler, and ultimately a violent, paranoid psychopath. A level of suspense is maintained as the viewer sees each change in Richard's demeanor before Stacy herself understands the mess she's gotten herself into.

But it's not a simple tale of "madman grabs girl." Richard is a conflicted man, Stacy his perfect prey. The interaction between them shows the complexity of the personalities of all involved, from Richard's dominated and abused accomplice to the vulnerable and guileless Stacy. But Richard is the character that fascinates most. Everything he does suggests a troubled past, a tendency to unpredictable mood swings, and ultimately, when Stacy's fear becomes overwhelming, a compulsion to possess her and control her, even to the point of threats to take her life.

Still, a curious bond is formed between them. And that's what makes the story so poignant. This is a well-made film; it has the sort of subtlety that makes it worth watching more than once.