Freeway * (1996, Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Bokeem Woodbine) – Classic Movie Review 2570

Writer-director Matthew Bright’s exploitative, really nasty 1996 revenge thriller stars Reese Witherspoon as abused juvenile delinquent teenager Vanessa Lutz, who is travelling to her grandmother’s trailer park home on the run from a social worker.

Vanessa sets out to mess up charming but sadistic serial killer Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland), a counsellor at a school for troubled boys, after car breaks down and he gives her a ride on the freeway and starts to hound her.

Bob convinces Vanessa to talk about her sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather, but when she realises he’s turned on it clicks that he’s The I-5 Killer from the TV reports. She finds she can’t get out of his truck…

Supposedly a twisted take on Little Red Riding Hood, it is sombre, unpleasant and oozing bad karma and violence. And it is none too credible or well acted, either, despite an extra-fine cast, including also Dan Hedaya, Amanda Plummer, Brooke Shields, Wolfgang Bodison, Michael T Weiss, Bokeem Woodbine, Guillermo Diaz, Brittany Murphy and Conchata Ferrell.

However, it was two thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert at the time.

Rated R or cert 18 for strong lurid violence and sexual dialogue, some sexual situations, drug content and strong language. It’s down as a comedy crime drama on the IMDb, but there aren’t many laughs.

Bright also wrote Guncrazy (1992) with Drew Barrywmore as a vengeful abused teenager. Bright’s Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby followed in 1999.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2570

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