plot : a dude and his brother are driving cross-country and decide to fool around with a trucker on their cb radio .
it isn’t long before their little prank gets someone put into a coma ( long story ) and the next thing you know , the trucker is following them too .
lotsa nuttiness ensues and then , they pick up their other friend , venna , a girl who the dude has a crush on .
but what’s this . . . ?
the trucker is still on their tail and is now harassing all three of the young whippersnappers . . . ?
you bet !
buckle up , dorothy . . . this is gonna be one bumpy ride !
critique : a good ol’ time at the movies !
here’s a film that actually gives away most of its plotline in its trailer and doesn’t really bring anything ” new ” to the forefront ( if you’ve seen flicks like duel and breakdown , you’ve crossed this path before ) , but still manages to entertain you gangbusters , with realistic situations , believable characters , funny moments , thrills , chills , the whole shebang .
let’s give it up for director john dahl , who continues to put out solid films every other year ( if you haven’t seen red rock west , do yourself a favor right now , and jot it down on a piece of paper and rent it at your earliest convenience ) .
and much like that film , this one has an excellent premise and sets everything up at an even pace .
it gives you a little bit of background on each of the main three characters , and then shows you how one small prank , can lead to a whole lotta trouble for everyone !
paul walker really surprised me in this movie , since i’ve never much thought of him as anything more than a pretty face ( and damn , is it ever pretty or what ? ! )
but here , he actually manages to put some depth behind the looks and that’s always appreciated in films in which you are so closely tied to the main characters .
sobieski is also good , but she isn’t in the movie for as long as you’d think , but the man who really takes this film to another level , is steve zahn .
if you’ve loved this guy as the ” goofball ” in most of his previous roles , you’ll appreciate him even more here , as the dude who starts off as one of the most manic and excited human beings i’ve seen in quite some time ( ” this is so awesome ! ! ” ) ,
only to turn into a man scared out of his wits by the end of the flick .
and speaking of the ending , boy , does this movie deliver some chilling moments during its final 15 clicks or what ? ! ?
the arrow and i were practically in each others arms ( well , maybe i’m exaggerating , but you catch my drift ) as each minute brought about another turn of events which in turn , took it all to an even higher level .
once again , kudos to director dahl for being able to generate that type of intensity , suspense and tension , with a great score , editing , style and camerawork .
plot-wise , i too did wonder how the ” bad guy ” was able to track them so well , but it didn’t really bother me all that much ( you can assume that he had bugged their car ? ) .
but pretty much everything else in the story stuck like glue and i couldn’t help but put myself in their shoes and appreciate their thoroughly desperate circumstance .
a great movie with an even cooler ending , this film will likely be remembered as one of the better thrillers of the year .
” this is amazing ! ! ! ”
where’s joblo coming from ?
american psycho ( 10/10 ) – deep blue sea ( 8/10 ) – eye of the beholder ( 4/10 ) – the fast and the furious ( 7/10 ) – final destination ( 8/10 ) – the glass house ( 6/10 ) – no way out ( 8/10 )