Exit Speed

I would not have expected much from a film titled 'Exit Speed'. However, my brother recommended it and I decided to give it a shot. In a nutshell, 'Exit Speed' is a thriller about a group of passengers travelling to Texas when, on the way, they are attacked by a murderous biker gang. It is pretty much what one would call a popcorn thriller. The film would have been more fun to watch had the execution been up for the marks. It looks like a past midnight TV movie or a straight-to-video flick. It certainly would have benefited with a bigger budget and more style. The cinematography is dull. The background score is awful. Most of the cast, with the exception of Lea Thompson act from mediocre to bad. Thompson is the only one who's up for the mark. But perhaps a bright side is that the worst actors are killed off. The suspense is maintained well enough. Surely it is easy to predict who will die and what will happen next and so on but the tension between the gang and the passengers and within the passengers is well conveyed. 'Exit Speed' will perhaps be best enjoyed if the viewer took it for what it is rather than nitpick. It's nothing more than a popcorn thriller.

All along, I felt like I was watching a classic B-lister from a previous decade. A good one, entertaining, with atmosphere and character. Well written (which is rare enough nowadays), well acted... The pleasure taken translates into my note, a solid 7/10.

Then I watched that extra on the DVD, the making of, and I couldn't believe how tiny the budget actually was. Plus, they were cursed with bad weather all along their three days filming, forcing them to be even more clever to hide any signs of rain on the film. Well, if true, and I have no reason to disbelieve, then all I can say is bravo! If I was to rate according to budget, this one would deserve a 10.

It's Christmas in Texas. Military Police Archie Sparks (Fred Ward) is hunting AWOL Corporal Meredith Cole (Julie Mond). She escapes and boards a bus with a variety of passengers. The bus is harassed by a passing biker gang. One of the bikes fall over and the bus runs over it. The biker starts shooting killing the bus driver and others. They manage to kill the biker but the rest of his friends come looking for revenge. They drive into an isolated scrap yard and must fend off the criminals.

The story is thin and worthy of any number of B-movies. It's not that believable in the age of cell phones and interconnectivity. The whole movie isn't that realistic. The biker gang seems more like central casting rejects. It's a cross between Mad Max 2 and Home Alone. The junk yard is stock full of MacGyver material. There is some cat-and-mouse stuff in the night. It does have some fun 80s action. There are some solid actors here doing it for the paychecks.

"Exit Speed" just became available on DVD via Blockbuster, here in the southern New England area. In looking to get a "two-fer," i.e., rent one and get one free, I picked it up. I think they had two copies, total for this very fine and very exciting 'road warrior' kind of movie.

OK, I must confess to having a Jones for Lea Thompson, who gets a top tier billing in this ultra-violent survival adventure. She was truly so very, very good in "Back To The Future". She does well here, too, as 'a soccer Mom'. She goes from scared stiff to resolute in a big hurry.

If I had anything to complain about, it might be that the author(s) put two of the better characters out of action, as in dead, very early in the story. That was, I think, a modest mistake. The palpable sense of fear and loathing which carries this adventure is truly one of the film's most admirable elements. Some of the best action happens at night but in the way it was all photographed, there's really nothing missing.

There is definitely a fine sub-routine in this film, too, revolving around the moral conundrums facing Good Mom ( Lea Thompson's role as an ultra-yuppie returning from a funeral ), and The Not At All Bad Girl, which is Alice Greczyn as a Vegan illustrator and role-playing archer.

Julie Mond sparkles in this film, for sure, as the Really Really Bad Girl -- who is an Army deserter and Iraq veteran -- and Fred Ward does a great job as a typical Fred Ward character, i.e., long-suffering.

As noted this film is short at 88 minutes but it's worth the rental and it is worth the time and yes, I've watched it twice already. Then again, I am thinking of going for a third viewing ( done ! ), 'cause it is pretty much a deeper film than it seems to be, and so unappreciated.

Eight stars out of ten and I am happy to say there ain't no Zombies !!

Let me start off by saying that it blew away all my expectations. The trailer looked good so I picked it up expecting yet another low budget, straight-to-DVD action flick with small appearances by a couple of semi-recognizable stars (Fred Ward, Tremors; Lea Thompson, Back to the Future). Big mistake; this movie was so much more.

This was not your standard action movie. The characters start out as one dimensional cardboard cut-outs that all find themselves on the same bus to El Paso (ex-GI chick with mysterious past, angry coach, horny teen, artsy chick, foreign guy, worried mom... you get the idea). But when the action picks up and situations start to arise, each character shows a second or third dimension. Seriously, even people who die early on become more than just cardboard cut-outs. Props to the screenwriter and director for creating such great characters.

Another great thing about this movie is its strong female characters. There are no damsels in distress who need to be saved here. Every woman, in her own way, is an absolute bad*ss. I'll even go as far as to say that there is a character in this movie who ranks among Ripley and Sarah Connor in the most bad*ss woman in cinema category.

If I have to nag about something, though, it's the pacing. There are a couple of long stretches in this movie where little to no action happens, but I guess that's where character development fills in nicely.

I'll end by saying I recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good action and that this movie deserves a much higher rating than its current 5.0/10.