A college girl, her best friend & his rebellious brother are hunted across the highways by a mad trucker after a practical joke with a CB goes wrong.
Inspired by such classic road movie thrillers as Duel & The Hitcher John Dahl gives us another warning about long distance driving in the states with Roadkill (UK title). Visually this film is great as has come to be expected from Mr Dahl. It looks very moody with good lighting (effective use of reds, blues & greens) & atmosphere, particulary when the pranksters are listening in on next doors activities, rain lashing down the camera pans into a painting of a storm swept boat on a midnight ocean. However the film itself whilst not terrible just doesn't live up to the direction.
Steve Zahn is excellent as always but the remaining protagonists are pretty one dimensional cardboard college kids & as such you don't really care what happens to them. There are a few good thrills to be had here - never before has the indicator on a CB been as atmospheric or foreboding - although it is a bit to long. Occasionally the pace falters when it should be pretty much non-stop once the game begins. There are of course the obvious stupid things done by the young cast akin to walking alone into the cellar in a slasher film, but unlike recent teen-horror movies this film is refreshingly free of knowing in-jokes concentrating mainly on the predicament of the hapless trio.
Overall this is an okay if instantly forgettable thriller, better than many of the recent teen-horror movies but that isn't really a huge complement. A bit disappointing for fans of John Dahl who has given us the excellent modern noir films such as Red Rock West & The Last Seduction. However it is good to see a movie which doesn't go down the tired route of heavy irony or end up with a man in a rubber suit chasing screaming teens.
Inspired by such classic road movie thrillers as Duel & The Hitcher John Dahl gives us another warning about long distance driving in the states with Roadkill (UK title). Visually this film is great as has come to be expected from Mr Dahl. It looks very moody with good lighting (effective use of reds, blues & greens) & atmosphere, particulary when the pranksters are listening in on next doors activities, rain lashing down the camera pans into a painting of a storm swept boat on a midnight ocean. However the film itself whilst not terrible just doesn't live up to the direction.
Steve Zahn is excellent as always but the remaining protagonists are pretty one dimensional cardboard college kids & as such you don't really care what happens to them. There are a few good thrills to be had here - never before has the indicator on a CB been as atmospheric or foreboding - although it is a bit to long. Occasionally the pace falters when it should be pretty much non-stop once the game begins. There are of course the obvious stupid things done by the young cast akin to walking alone into the cellar in a slasher film, but unlike recent teen-horror movies this film is refreshingly free of knowing in-jokes concentrating mainly on the predicament of the hapless trio.
Overall this is an okay if instantly forgettable thriller, better than many of the recent teen-horror movies but that isn't really a huge complement. A bit disappointing for fans of John Dahl who has given us the excellent modern noir films such as Red Rock West & The Last Seduction. However it is good to see a movie which doesn't go down the tired route of heavy irony or end up with a man in a rubber suit chasing screaming teens.