An engaging road thriller helmed by Richard Franklin, Roadgames keeps everything on the move: the plot, the characters, and the lovely Australian milieu. There's a serial killer on the prowl, and our leading man Pat Quid (an artsy American truckie), with his new load of pork, is travelling across the outback with his adorable pet dingo. Pat is quick to connect the dots (regarding a murder) when he witnesses certain incidents from his truck and during conversations with people he meets. Jamie Lee Curtis shows up as a mysterious hitchhiker a good 3 quarters into the film, adding further layers to an already-intriguing plot.
The storytelling style is reminiscent of Hitchcock's and it's no surprise that Richard Franklin went on to direct Psycho 2 after Roadgames. Stacy Keach gives Pat enough nuance for us to care for his character's eventual fate. Curtis, for the relatively little time that she gets, owns the screen completely. The music (by Brian May) during some tense moments threw me off a bit but the performances had me invested throughout. Franklin stages thrills well (the service station scene is a standout) and that's one of the film's biggest pluses. I watched it for the first time in 2021 and still enjoyed it!
The storytelling style is reminiscent of Hitchcock's and it's no surprise that Richard Franklin went on to direct Psycho 2 after Roadgames. Stacy Keach gives Pat enough nuance for us to care for his character's eventual fate. Curtis, for the relatively little time that she gets, owns the screen completely. The music (by Brian May) during some tense moments threw me off a bit but the performances had me invested throughout. Franklin stages thrills well (the service station scene is a standout) and that's one of the film's biggest pluses. I watched it for the first time in 2021 and still enjoyed it!