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Movie Description
Director John Dahl knows his way around a thriller as few contemporary filmmakers do. He revitalized the film noir with his darkly witty films, RED ROCK WEST and THE LAST SEDUCTION. With JOY RIDE, Dahl streamlines the plot and ratchets up the tension. Two brothers, Lewis (Paul Walker) and Fuller (Steve Zahn) are driving home cross-country. Fuller bullies Lewis into using the CB radio ("Prehistoric internet," Fuller calls it) to play a mean-spirited practical joke on a trucker, and it backfires horribly. The psychotic trucker comes after them, but they get away. Foolishly thinking they're out of danger, they pick up Venna (Leelee Sobieski), the girl Lewis has been pining for, on the way home. The mysterious trucker, who they know only by his CB handle, "Rusty Nail," goes further than they could ever imagine to exact his revenge. Zahn is pitch-perfect here, capturing both Fuller's charm and his stupid recklessness. Dahl builds the suspense beautifully, creating a real sense of being out on the highway in the middle of nowhere. The script, by Clay Tarver and J.J. Abrams, brings three strong characters to life with sharp, funny dialogue, fleshing out the bare bones of the plot.
Industry Reviews
"...Sobieski is lovely and self-reliant as the love interest..."
Film Comment - p.77 - Andrew Lewis Conn (09/01/2001)
"...[A] hot-wired, white-knuckle thriller....Walker registers a personable impression here and fully convinces....Sobieski once again demonstrates her canny instincts for acting naturally and persuasively..."
Variety - p.58 - Robert Koehler (09/10/2001)
"...[Zahn is] likable as the fun-loving screw-up....[Sobieski] reveals an interesting toughness..."
Box Office - p.60 - Shlomo Schwartzberg (10/01/2001)
"...JOY RIDE is stylized and referential without being arch or secondhand....It's also surprisingly funny..."
New York Times - p.E23 - A. O. Scott (10/05/2001)
"...Dahl's neo-noir sensibilities lend a stylish sheen to this pulpy suspense thriller..."
Sight and Sound - Matthew Leyland (04/03/2003)
"...This is one of the smartest, most enjoyable youngsters-stalked-by-lunatic thrillers in years....[It] also scores big by delivering laughs..."
Total Film - p.98 - Dorian Lynskey (05/01/2002)
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