Joy Ride (2001)

Really Surprised!

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

PROS: If their is one thing that I can say was the best part about this movie it would be how intense it was. There was a really nice section in the movie where you got to actually dive into the plot. The progression of intensity was slow but impactful, because by the time you got to the end you were on the edge of your seat, white knuckling the arm rests, with your mouth dropped to the floor. You really got invested in what was happening, and you wanted nothing more but to help the characters. You felt pain when they felt pain and you felt scared when they felt scared. This quality makes for a great horror.CONS: I understand that this was a car horror, but there was so little believability in the second half of the movie. This aggravated me. What got you from point a to point b in the film was abstract in a bad way. The things that you would normally find to be interesting were so loosely connected that you ended up getting lost in the process and not in the actual film itself.www.chorror.com

Without a notable road horror movie since The Hitcher, Joy Ride came out and became a hit with younger audiences and established itself as one of the better horror films at the start of the twenty first century in 2001. The idea of two brothers playing pranks on a trucking radio systems is a good initial concept of a thrilling road movie. Not being able to see the trucker but his car, the voice had to sound creepy and believable. The rugged voice hit the mark pretty well and led to some highly quotable remarks, for instance "Candyy Cannne"… The film is exciting overall but the beginning, middle and ending seemed a bit detached at times, a blemish on the writing and editing throughout.

Three young people on a road trip from Colorado to New Jersey talk to a trucker (Ted Levine) on their CB radio, then must escape when he turns out to be a psychotic killer.This film is sort of like "Duel", though some or most of the action takes place outside of the car. Play a prank on a trucker and this is what might happen. Especially when the trucker has the voice of Buffalo Bill.I thought this film was great. A bit far-fetched at times, because there is no realistic way the trucker could hunt these kids down. But giving him the benefit of the doubt, maybe he is an expert tracker and caught their license plate at some point...

Joy Ride (2001): Dir: John Dahl / Cast: Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, Leelee Sobieski, Jessica Bowman / Voice: Ted Levine: Effective thriller about a ride home that becomes less than joyful when a prank turns foul. Paul Walker and Leelee Sobieski are heading for Colorado but along the way Walker ends up bailing his brother, played by Steve Zahn, out of jail. There is a C.B radio in the rental car so Zahn suggests they play a prank where Walker imitates a female wanting a good time. They are answered by a deep voice from a guy calling himself rusty Nail. When the prank results in a murder the two realize that they are being stalked. Tense up until its action violence ending where improbability plays a strong factor. Director John Dahl adds suspense by using atmosphere to his advantage. He previously made a similar film called Red Rock West. Walker and Zahn deliver strong performances as they come to realize that sometimes a prank can go into overkill. Leelee Sobieski also factors in once she is kidnapped and facing a shotgun trap. Jessica Bowman is featured briefly as her college friend who is also kidnapped. Rusty is only partially effective because it is never known how he stays ahead of the game. Ted Levine, who played the nasty Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs, voices the less impressive Rusty. It plays off the "cry wolf" theme well resulting in an eerie ride in suspense. Score: 8 ½ / 10