lojitsu
A-Z Horror Movie of the Day..."Joy Ride" (R - 2001 - US)Sub-Genre: Stalker/ThrillerMy Score: 7.6Cast=7 Acting=7 Plot=6 Ending=9 Story=8 Scare=8 Jump=5 F/X=8 Stalker=10 Thrill=8Three young people on a road trip from Colorado to New Jersey talk to a trucker on their CB radio, then must escape when he turns out to be a psychotic killer. "Now they know what it feels like to be the butt-end of the joke. Your palms sweating, your face burning up. Now they know what it's like to be the f***ing punch line." No it's not the rubber duck that's after them...it's NUSTY NAIL!! I love the antagonist...he's right up there with "Wolf Creek" or "The Hitcher". It doesn't quite live up to those, but it's a solid movie. If you want to see Paul Walker before he got fast and furious (RIP Paul), you should check this out!!
SeanJoyce
Recently revisited JOY RIDE for the first time in years. John Dahl is a guy I can get behind...his early noir triumvirate (KILL ME AGAIN, RED ROCK WEST and THE LAST SEDUCTION) is marvelous while ROUNDERS is as essential to my existence as my heart flow.I love southwestern road movies...they're eerily transfixing, with their varied landscapes and desultory byroads that contain the very essence of America's identity. DUEL, RACE WITH THE DEVIL, THE HITCHER, BREAKDOWN, that stuff's great.JOY RIDE excels in all the same areas those movies did for exactly half of its running time. Two brothers bonding to outwit and evade a psychotic trucker (voiced by the wonderfully menacing Ted Levine) is pitch-perfect in pacing, thrills, and atmosphere.Everything changes once Leelee enters the picture. The plot becomes incoherent, the chemistry is sabotaged, and the well-earned tension is shattered. Worse yet, the decision to reveal the antagonist is not only jarring (this is clearly not the Mr. Lotion we all know fondly), it evaporates the air of mystery around his character. Had this movie stuck with the brothers while relegating Rusty Nail to just some deranged, detached voice on a CB radio, we'd have a near classic on our hands.JOY RIDE comes recommended, with a caveat that it could have been better.
gavin6942
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...
aldri-feb
From the beginning "Joy Ride" tries to entertain and thrill viewers with it's simple storyline which really effective. The movie is mostly about journey of 2 guys making fun with wrong stranger at their CB radio that would cause them many troubles. The first 20 minutes is more like comedy movie which bringing laugh especially when Steve Zahn involved. Then the rest minutes would keep audience interested and sometimes increased heartbeat to see what are going to happen to the three main characters. Overall "Joy Ride" is a smart thriller combining with some dark comedies that would give a 97 minutes full of enjoyable ride experience.
