Review: Joy Ride

Joy Ride (2001)

Ten years ago Joy Ride hit cinema screens across the globe with the idea of an aggrieved truck driver that was in search of love. What sounds like an innocent romantic comedy in the way I described it, is actually an action orientated horror film that spawned direct-to-DVD sequel (that to my understanding was poor) Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead. For whatever faults a seemingly misguided sequel bemoaned upon the original’s name, is Joy Ride actually a decent horror movie, or is it overrated and frankly disappointing?

As I said, Joy Ride revolves around a truck driver looking for love over a highway radio communiqué. That is however, a misleading description of when the truck driver finds out he was the victim of a prank, courtesy of the film’s protagonists, Lewis and his ex-con brother Fuller, and the pursues them with no end in sight, to stake his personal vengeance. There’s also a brief flutter of romance thrown into the mix, with Lewis’s childhood friend Venna being the objective of Lewis’s cross country road trip in the first place, which develops into the briefest of love triangles.

The film’s antagonist, Rusty Nail, is a no nonsense killer, and comparable in his sadism to Leatherface from ‘The Texas Chainsaw Massacre’ or the antagonist from ‘The Collector’. The only objective of this man is to humiliate his victims and possibly kill them in the process. Whereas in other horror films, the enemy tries to sadistically kill, there are some more ‘unconventional’ methods of vengeance depicted by Rusty Nail in Joy Ride. One of these notable methods involves an almost ‘Truth or Dare’ scenario as the protagonists have to enter a fast food chain with no clothes on.

One of the best things Joy Ride has going for it, is its originality. Although many have compared the film to Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Duel’, it’s something that hasn’t been seen in cinemas for a long time, and audiences will appreciate something that they perhaps haven’t seen before. It certainly isn’t comparable to Inception on the originality scale, but for a horror film it is particularly innovative. One complaint I do have though is the use of horror cliché in certain segments. I mean, a chase through a corn field, how many times can film makers get away with it?

The film may drag slightly through its midpoint, but by the end things hit an exciting climax which do somewhat make up for the slow pace of the first hour. Doors booby trapped with shotguns, a Rusty Nail holding a friend hostage, and just about the only bloodshed in the entire film culminate in a fast paced, an wholly satisfying finish to what otherwise would have been mediocre. The fates of the characters intensify towards the finish, with the ominous motel chase scenes reminiscent of the 2007 film ‘Vacancy’.

Conclusively, Joy Ride comes out of the gates with refreshing originality (to a degree), and an antagonist that is well worth hating. The first hour is rather slow, even the ‘action scenes’ or slow up until the corn field chase, but the climax of the film is strong and worth sticking around for. I can recommend a rental for Joy Ride, if you’re looking for a very watered down Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or perhaps even something similar to Vacancy. A fairly typical modern action/horror, Joy Ride is decent enough to watch, but falls short of being remembered.

Score: 6.0

Recommendation: Rent for Action/Horror fans