Une virée en enfer

In "Joy Ride", two brothers (Zhan & Walker) get involved with a big rig driver over the CB radio while on the open road. They set him up as a practical joke and unleash all hell on themselves as the unseen subject of their prank, known only as "Rusty Nail", turns out to be a maniacal killer. "Joy Ride" is a well crafted thriller which methodically builds suspense while avoiding the usual gore and guts of horror flicks. With only a few plot holes, this thriller should keep most on the edge of their seats. Worth a look especially for those who enjoyed "Duel" (circa 1971) which is now circulating on cable.

It would be very easy to overlook 'Roadkill' (the title 'Joy Ride' is known by here in Australia), especially considering the leads are mainly known for asinine teen movies. But dig a little deeper and you will see that it is directed by the underrated John Dahl, also responsible for the crackerjack thriller 'Red Rock West' a decade ago. Paul Walker ('The Skulls') is very effective as your average joe college kid, and Steve Zahn ('Out Of Sight') is even better as his smart ass older brother. Zahn is a talented comic often better than the movies he appears in, and he is in fine form here. The chemistry between the two is believable and amusing without becoming tired. Leelee Sobieski ('Eyes Wide Shut') has yet to make much of an impact on me, and there's very little to change that here. She is passable but little more than eye candy as Walker's potential love interest. The real star of the movie is the mysterious and frightening trucker Rusty Nail ('The Silence Of The Lambs' Ted Levine). Of course the whole scenario is hugely indebted to Spielberg's suspense classic 'Duel', but Dahl and co. manage to put a fresh and exiting spin on familiar material. 'Roadkill' won't change your life, but it is a genuinely exciting and effective thriller, a real rarity in Hollywood these days. Hitchcock it ain't but it's a very entertaining popcorn movie with plenty of thrills and twists. Recommended.

I thought it a good popcorn thriller. Suspenseful, and lots of action. I'm no film critic or anything, but I was entertained by this and that's all that matters to me. Plus, I'm secretly in love with Leelee. Marry me!

It's got plenty of suspense, and as long as you're not looking for anything too deep, this will satisfy you. I have the idea that the original review posted was by someone who prefers a more chilling horror movie, which I do not. This is pure entertainment with a scary element thrown in.

I highly respect Steve Zahn as an actor, and Paul Walker isn't bad either. The "unknown" rig driver is properly menacing, and I can completely suspend disbelief and place myself in either of these actors' roles (more likely Walker's role as he originally goes with the prank and then thinks otherwise when the prank starts to get into the "iffy" category but his buddy eggs him on).

Like I said, pop yourself some popcorn, don't expect a deep and mind-bending thriller, turn the lights off and cozy up with your guy or girl and enjoy a satisfyingly entertaining movie with a solid storyline that will not give you nightmares.

Cheers :)

This turned out to be one the few movies I liked that was geared toward a teen audience. Steve Zahn and Paul Walker weren't natural in the roles as brothers, which embodied the very nature of their relationship. While the story became rather convoluted near the end, Rusty Nail's voice and detached presence brought some actual fear to the heart of the viewer. While the sound editing made this film, the relatively simple yet complex plot really turned this film into a satisfying movie experience.

The idea of this movie is actually pretty good; two teenagers do a prank call on a CB radio, but the prank turns on them. Most teenagers have probably been in a situation where they themselves made a prank call. At the very least, everyone knows about it. The film has some excellent shocks throughout the movie, and all of the 'thrilling' sequences are very intense, sometimes bordering on the extreme. The plot is pretty good, even pretty original, as far as I know. The acting is good enough. The characters are believable and their actions are understandable, most of the time. The movie has some very good cinematography and some pretty good cinematic effects. The ending, though a bit far-fetched, was the perfect way to end it, in my opinion. I couldn't have imagined a better way to end it. I recommend this to pretty much any teen who enjoys thrillers, especially the ones who like to relate to the theme and plot. Nearly every teenager in the world can in some way relate to at least one of the main characters in this film. 7/10