Joy Ride (2001 film)

Joy Ride (known as Road Kill in the UK and Roadkill in Australia) is a 2001 American thriller film directed by John Dahl and written by Clay Tarver and J. J. Abrams. It stars Steve Zahn, Paul Walker, and Leelee Sobieski. It follows three young people on a road trip who talk to a trucker on their CB radio, then must escape when he turns out to be a psychopathic killer.

The film had its world premiere at the 26th Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2001, and was theatrically released in the United States on October 5, 2001, by 20th Century Fox. It grossed over $36.6 million worldwide against a $23 million budget. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised Dahl's direction, the screenplay, and performances of the cast (particularly Zahn), and was nominated for Best Action, Adventure, or Thriller Film at the 28th Saturn Awards. The film has since become a cult classic and spawned two direct-to-video sequels, Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead (2008) and Joy Ride 3: Roadkill (2014).

Plot
While traveling from California to Colorado to pick up his childhood friend and crush Venna, Lewis Thomas is forced to stop in Salt Lake City after he learns his estranged brother Fuller has been arrested. Lewis bails him out and Fuller tags along for the ride.

Fuller has a CB radio installed in Lewis's car and the two begin listening in on truckers' chatter. Fuller coaxes Lewis into playing a prank on a truck driver nicknamed Rusty Nail, asking him to pretend to be a woman named Candy Cane. They set up a meeting with Rusty Nail in a motel where Lewis and Fuller are spending the night; they tell Rusty Nail that Candy Cane will be in room 17, the room of a rude businessman with whom Fuller had an encounter at the front desk. When Rusty Nail arrives, the brothers listen from the adjoining room; an argument and sounds of a scuffle are briefly heard.

The next morning, Lewis and Fuller learn that the police found the businessman on the highway, with his lower jaw ripped off. Lewis admits they were involved and Sheriff Ritter accosts them for their role in the incident, but lets them go. Back on the road, Rusty Nail is heard again on the radio looking for Candy Cane. Lewis reveals the prank to Rusty Nail and he demands an apology, but Fuller insults him instead. Rusty Nail then notes they should get their taillight fixed, indicating he is following them.

They drive to a nearby gas station and unsuccessfully attempt to contact Sheriff Ritter. Seeing a large truck pull into the gas station, they flee from the scene into a dead end, with the truck driver chasing them. The driver turns out to be a kind stranger trying to return Lewis's credit card, which he left behind in panic. The real Rusty Nail then shows up in his truck and, as he slowly crushes Lewis's car against a tree, Fuller hysterically apologizes. Rusty Nail drives away, declaring his actions to be simply a retaliatory joke.

Believing themselves safe, the brothers arrive in Colorado and pick up Venna. They stop at a motel and, as Lewis falls asleep, Rusty Nail calls his room, revealing he has noticed Venna has joined them. They flee from the motel, but see messages from Rusty Nail spray painted on road signs, instructing them to look in the trunk; they find the CB radio Fuller had previously thrown from the window of the car. Rusty Nail then contacts them again via the radio, announcing that he has kidnapped Venna's friend Charlotte, and he directs them to a cornfield where the three get split up. Rusty Nail kidnaps Venna.

Rusty Nail sets up a meeting at another motel in room 17, mirroring the false date with which he was pranked. He sets up a trap that will kill Venna if the room door is opened. Fuller attempts to get in the room by a back window, but is injured by Rusty Nail and gets stuck outside. Lewis attempts to free Fuller as the police arrive to help Venna. Meanwhile, Rusty Nail's truck appears uphill and begins rolling down towards the motel. The brothers free Venna in time and everyone escapes as the truck crashes into the motel. As the police investigate Rusty Nail's truck, they see a dead body in the driver's seat and Charlotte, still alive, in the back.

While Lewis, Fuller and Venna are treated for their injuries on scene, they learn that the dead man inside the truck was the friendly truck driver who returned Lewis's credit card. From the CB in the ambulance, the group hears Rusty Nail's voice, learning that he is alive and free.

Cast

 * Paul Walker as Lewis Thomas
 * Steve Zahn as Fuller Thomas
 * Leelee Sobieski as Venna Wilcox
 * Jessica Bowman as Charlotte Dawson
 * Matthew Kimbrough (uncredited) as Rusty Nail. He is credited after all cast and crew in Spanish as "Clavo" meaning "nail".
 * Ted Levine (uncredited) as Voice of Rusty Nail
 * Stuart Stone as Danny, Lewis's roommate
 * Brian Leckner as Officer Keeney
 * Jim Beaver as Sheriff Ritter
 * Hugh Dane as Man at door
 * Jay Hernandez as Marine
 * Basil Wallace as Car salesman
 * Rachel Singer as Gas station manager
 * Satch Huizenga as Mr. Jones
 * Luis Cortés as Night manager
 * Kenneth White as Ronald Ellinghouse
 * Walton Goggins (deleted scenes) as Cop
 * Anna Malle (uncredited) as Cable TV porn actress

Alternate footage
On the DVD release, there is a 29-minute-long alternate ending, and four other shorter alternate endings. The main one featured Rusty Nail's shotgun suicide and numerous bodies are found by the police in his trailer. One featured Rusty Nail being arrested, another being beaten in a fight with both Thomas brothers, another wherein he is blown up in his truck, and another saw Rusty Nail run over with his own truck. The ending featured in the actual theatrical cut of the film is the only ending in which Rusty Nail lives. There are also numerous deleted scenes.

In the alternate ending where Rusty Nail's truck explodes, there is a water tower behind the truck as it burns. The original intention was to have the truck hit the water tower and have the water come down and put the flames out so that it would be believable if Rusty Nail survived. However, time constraints kept the scene from being filmed. The water tower cost over $100,000.

Sobieski filmed two romantic interludes, one with Zahn and one with Walker during the shooting and re-shooting of the film. Both scenes ended up getting cut. This may explain why Venna appears to be romantically interested in both of them.

Production
In July 1999, it was announced that Leelee Sobieski was set to star in Squelch, the film's working title, with John Dahl directing from a screenplay by Clay Tarver and J. J. Abrams. The other parts had not yet been cast, although Tobey Maguire and Steve Zahn were understood to have been offered roles. In the next month, Paul Walker joined the cast alongside Sobieski and Zahn. The film's budget was initially reported to be $20 million.

Joy Ride was produced by Abrams and Chris Moore, while Arnon Milchan, Patrick Markey, and Bridget Johnson served as executive producers. The film was shot in Nevada, California, and Utah.

Release
The film premiered in the Special Presentations section of the 26th Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2001. It was released in the United States on October 5, 2001, and in the UK under the title Road Kill on April 26, 2002, and in Australia as Roadkill. The alternate titles were because of the negative connotations of “joy rides” as stealing cars rather than fun roadtrips. 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released a special edition DVD on March 12, 2002.

Box office
Joy Ride grossed $21,974,919 in the United States and Canada, and $14,667,919 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $36,642,838.

Critical response
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called the film "terrific escapist fare, stylish, outrageous and compelling." Thomas stated, "Joy Ride is a high-wire act, full of risks and shameless in resorting to old ploys only to put a fresh spin on them. As an action comedy played at the darkest pitch, Joy Ride is a plus for all concerned, especially its actors."

A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that the film "is much more effectively terrifying than the usual overplotted, underwritten Hollywood thriller." Scott also commented, "It's also surprisingly funny, thanks to a playful script by Clay Tarver and J. J. Abrams and a mischievous performance by Mr. Zahn."

Stephen Hunter of The Washington Post opined, "In noir, everybody's guilty, and that's one of the pleasures of Joy Ride" and "The flaw in Joy Ride isn't the ride at all — that's the cool part — but the arrival. The movie, like so many other American products of late, turns dully obvious at the end. […] Joy Ride, as much fun as it conjures, just ends up going no place fast."

Desson Howe of The Washington Post remarked, "The story, although it's scripted with impressive gravitas by Clay Tarver and J.J. Abrams, seems more like a conduit for suspense. That's why I call this movie an "exercise," because Dahl is almost playfully trying to scare the bejesus out of you. Joy Ride is about running — or driving — for your life, plain and simple."

Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly stated, "Joy Ride zigzags across the conventions of genre, occasionally driving on the shoulders of black humor — it's a road movie for the way we process suspense today, and very recognizably the zany-brainy work of John Dahl, the urbane neo-noirist."

Joe Leydon of Variety called the film a "hot-wired, white-knuckle thriller" and wrote that it "maneuvers more smoothly, and avoids plot holes more consistently, as it steadily gains momentum while speeding through familiar territory."

Paul Lê of Bloody Disgusting opined, "The film yields every now and then so viewers can catch their breath, but once this taut and frantic thriller picks up speed again, Joy Ride earns its place as one of the best movies of its kind."