Road Games (1981) / Thriller
aka Roadgames

MPAA Rated: PG for violence and sexuality (This rating is ridiculous -- I'd rate it R)
Running Time: 101 min.

Cast: Stacy Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis, Grant Page, Marion Edward, Thaddeus Smith, Alan Hopgood, John Murphy, Bill Stacey, Robert Thompson, Colin Vancao
Director: Richard Franklin
Screenplay: Everett De Roche

 

 

Self-declared pupil of Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Franklin (Psycho II, Cloak & Dagger), worked closely with screenwriter Everett De Roche (Razorback, Visitors) to create an homage of sorts to Hitch's Rear Window, except this one isn't set in one room, but out on the road in the cab of a semi.  Along for the Hitchcockian ride is Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween, Freaky Friday), daughter of Psycho's Janet Leigh, who along with truck driver Stacy Keach (American History X, Escape from L.A.), tries to get to the bottom of a story which might connect a series of body parts which have surfaced around Australia to a mysterious driver of a creepy looking van that's on the road with them. 

The story is simplistic, and in many ways nonsensical, as the semi and the van seem to always run into each other everywhere they go.  With a thriller such as this, suspension of disbelief is a must, but if you are able to maintain it throughout, it's a nifty b-movie that offers a good deal of fun and mystery in modest fashion.  Although it clearly lifts heavily from Hitchcock (Curtis' character is called "Hitch" by Keach, and the Master himself manages to make his trademark cameo), Road Games makes it on its own terms as something wholly different than anything you're seen before.  It's actually quite an odd little thriller, lackadaisical in its approach, and even though it is predictable in where it ultimately ends up, how it gets there is refreshingly off the beaten path.

Road Games isn't really essential viewing, but for those who love Hitchcock, quirky Australian films, or are big fans of Keach, this is a fun rehash of a great classic film.  It may not really hold up to scrutiny, especially when you think back to strange events when it's all through, but by the time you get to that point you'll most likely have gotten enough mileage out of it to make this a worthwhile ride in the end. 

©2004 Vince Leo