Joy Ride

Starring: Paul Walker, LeeLee Sobieski

Directed by: John Dahl

RS: Not Rated

2001 Action

Packs a nasty B-movie jolt that doesn't jibe with the easy-does-it tenor of the times. Still, there's no denying the skill director John Dahl (The Last Seduction) brings to this genre thriller about two brothers - college student Lewis (Paul Walker) and fuck-up Fuller (Steve Zahn being Steve Zahn, which is fine by me) - on a road trip from Berkeley, California, to Boulder, Colorado, where Lewis hooks up with girlfriend Venna (Leelee Sobieski). Trouble starts when the guys use a CB radio to play a practical joke on an unseen lonely-hearts trucker known as Rusty Nail. The joke backfires when the trucker retaliates in a revenge plot that combines Steven Spielberg's Duel, Jonathan Mostow's Breakdown and a touch of the recent horror cheapie Jeepers Creepers to create a thriller that gets the job done in high style. If you're looking to have your nerves fried and your pulse pounded, this is your ticket to ride.

PETER TRAVERS
(RS 881- Nov. 8, 2001)