An American truck driver working in Australia believes a man driving a green van on the highway to be a serial killer.
Roadgames is a movie I've wanted to see for a while, and it didn't disappoint. Stacy Keach stars as eccentric truck driver Pat, who along with his pet dingo engages in a game of cat and mouse with the driver of a green van whom he suspects is killing hitchhikers. Jamie Lee Curtis co-stars as the spunky character 'Hitch' and does a good job in one of her early roles. Keach carries the entire movie though; he's in almost every frame and has to monologue a lot due to the fact his character is alone the majority of the time. I was really impressed with his performance.
The movie is more of a mystery with thriller elements than a straight up horror flick. Its focus is mainly on the mystery of whether Keach's overworked, under-rested character is making too much out of a series of coincidences, or the man he keeps crossing paths with is the serial killer that the radio is talking about. In other words, there are similarities to Rear Window, which was an inspiration for this movie apparently. Roadgames does have some horror/tension though; there was one scene in particular that had me clenching the cheeks of my rear end together.
Roadgames is well directed by Richard Franklin, and the film has impressive cinematography. There aren't many sets in this film; 90% of the movie takes place in the cab of Keach's truck, or on the highway. Yet, thanks to the talent behind the camera the movie never feels stale, and is another great example of a movie that does a lot with a little. Surprisingly this was the most expensive Australian film ever made at the time, with a budget of $1.8M.
I do have a couple nitpicks, and the biggest one is the music. Though the score is good from a purely objective standpoint, it did NOT belong in this type of movie. It sounds like something you might hear in a family movie; it's way too optimistic sounding for the subject matter at hand, and I would even say jarring at times due to sounding so out of place.
There was also some black comedy that made some random appearances, and those scenes didn't really work for me. And it obviously is a bit strange that the movie stars an American, who later picks up another American hitchhiker, but the movie takes place in Australia. Was it just me, or did this movie feel a lot older than 1981?
Nitpicks aside, really solid movie. I think I'll watch this one again sooner rather than later.
Roadgames is a movie I've wanted to see for a while, and it didn't disappoint. Stacy Keach stars as eccentric truck driver Pat, who along with his pet dingo engages in a game of cat and mouse with the driver of a green van whom he suspects is killing hitchhikers. Jamie Lee Curtis co-stars as the spunky character 'Hitch' and does a good job in one of her early roles. Keach carries the entire movie though; he's in almost every frame and has to monologue a lot due to the fact his character is alone the majority of the time. I was really impressed with his performance.
The movie is more of a mystery with thriller elements than a straight up horror flick. Its focus is mainly on the mystery of whether Keach's overworked, under-rested character is making too much out of a series of coincidences, or the man he keeps crossing paths with is the serial killer that the radio is talking about. In other words, there are similarities to Rear Window, which was an inspiration for this movie apparently. Roadgames does have some horror/tension though; there was one scene in particular that had me clenching the cheeks of my rear end together.
Roadgames is well directed by Richard Franklin, and the film has impressive cinematography. There aren't many sets in this film; 90% of the movie takes place in the cab of Keach's truck, or on the highway. Yet, thanks to the talent behind the camera the movie never feels stale, and is another great example of a movie that does a lot with a little. Surprisingly this was the most expensive Australian film ever made at the time, with a budget of $1.8M.
I do have a couple nitpicks, and the biggest one is the music. Though the score is good from a purely objective standpoint, it did NOT belong in this type of movie. It sounds like something you might hear in a family movie; it's way too optimistic sounding for the subject matter at hand, and I would even say jarring at times due to sounding so out of place.
There was also some black comedy that made some random appearances, and those scenes didn't really work for me. And it obviously is a bit strange that the movie stars an American, who later picks up another American hitchhiker, but the movie takes place in Australia. Was it just me, or did this movie feel a lot older than 1981?
Nitpicks aside, really solid movie. I think I'll watch this one again sooner rather than later.