Rating: 
Summary: Not a Bad Thriller; Not "Duel" Either
Review: "Joy Ride" is released in Japan with the changed title "Road Killer," and probably this alternate title will tell you what you see in this thriller. Frankly, it is a B-movie, but not without merits.Basically, the concept itself has been what Steven Spielberg did in his made-for-TV-movie "Duel," which deservedly put his name on the map. So, if you have never heard about it, just check it out first. And if you have seen "Duel," you might have known that there are so many followers of the masterpiece, and "Joy Ride" is one of them. But don't get me wrong; this is not to complain. I rather enjoyed watching "Joy Ride," and the reason is its director, John Dahl (of "Rounders" and "Unforgettable." Director John Dahl is good at using light (mainly red) and here certainly delivers a sinister atomospher in a local motel, where the two young boys, Steve Zahn and Paul Walker, are staying to witness and eavesdrop the embarrassed "Rusty Nail," who, deceived by them on CB radio conversation, comes to the appointed room to meet "Candy Cane." Here is the director's skill at its best. With his trade-mark red lighting and slow camera moving, Dahl surely succeeds in creating a really scary moment. We regret that the story cannot hold the tension for long. After that, the movie gradually goes downhill, though as a thriller it still has its moment. However, some of the plot twists are predictable, and what is worse is the character of Leelee Sobieski joins the "ride" only in the latter half of the movie. And the final surprise (now this is becoming a sort of clithe) seems to defy the logic. Overall, this is an enjoyable ride, and as I like Leelee Sobieski, I won't dislike it. But as I like her (especially her in "Soldier's Daughter Never Cries," I am disappointed by the way they used her character.@I feel so all the more because the two leading males are doing very good job.
Rating: 
Summary: A Modern "Duel" on Premium Fuel
Review: If you're in the mood for an uncommonly witty, decidedly unpredictable, savagely
sardonic, and oppressively ambient adrenaline pumping suspense thriller, than
look no further than Joy Ride. Starring Paul Walker (Lewis Thomas), Steve Zahn
(Fuller Thomas), Leelee Sobieski (Venna Wilcox), Jessica Bowman (Charlotte Campbell),
and Ted Levine (Rusty Nail), John Dahl's (Rounders, Last Seduction, Red Rock
West) effervescently dynamic Joy Ride is a spaciously well performed thrill
ride which weaves a thematically eloquent and morbidly psychological laced narrative
that habitually leaves the viewer breathlessly craving more and hesitantly doing
so. Graced with an abnormally textured and unreservedly robust cast of characters,
an astoundingly effective ambiguous antagonist that harkens back to the insanely
unforgettable thriller villains of the 60's and 70's, outrageously wicked erratic
story twists that even contradict a hardened Thriller Fan predictions, and an
expertly evasive droll wit that reinforces Joy Rides unaccommodating manipulation
of intelligent fear with an unadulterated depraved sense of humor that spikes
the film's thrills with unexpected and uncomfortable laughs in typical Hitchcockian
style. Joy Ride seems to have it all. Joy Ride commences by the telling the tale of Lewis Thomas's college summer
break. Lewis has been platonically friends with Venna Wilcox for a while now,
and after impulsively selling an airplane ticket home in exchange for an inexpensive
automobile junk heap. Lewis decides to do the chivalrous thing and drive all
the way to Colorado to pick Veena up from college and take her home for break.
On the way there, Lewis discovers that his consistently immature older brother
Fuller has been arrested in Salt Lake City, Utah, and his mother would like
for him to pick him up. After picking Fuller up, Fuller purchases a CB player,
as a gesture of gratitude, and begins to pull verbal pranks over the CB player.
This leads them down an initially seemingly innocent trail of zestfully energetic
humor that eventually stales into a fully unadulterated descent into unfathomable
details of grisly horror and indescribable anxiety. Joy Ride represents the metaphorical zenith what a thriller should deliver on
a regular basis. Instead of providing the audience with overabundant gore and
exceedingly outrageous cleavage and nudity, why not just tell a comprehensively
sound story that amuses with ingenuity rather than excess. Charged with indulgently
clever shrewdness in its presentation, Joy Ride demonstrates acutely the rather
sparkling joys of suspenseful storytelling that as of late continue to be ignored
by a majority of the Hollywood establishment. As for Joy Ride's upcoming DVD release hopefully it includes a ravishing anamorphic
widescreen presentation, an informative John Dahl commentary track, deleted
scenes, and documentaries. We'll have to wait and see. Deliriously recommended to anyone who really enjoys a tearfully intense movie
and even those who don't. P.S. Never Buy Pink Champagne
Rating:
Summary: Superbly charged with suspense.
Review: The teen thriller genre gets a shot in the arm of extreme rejuvenation in "Joy Ride," one of the year's most exciting and intense rides. Director John Dahl directs a wonderful young cast through a smart, well-paced script that provides a great deal of suspense and thrills, all of which add to the effect that the final showdown will have. There was not a moment in the film that my interest dwindled, and when it was over, I was exhausted. It's the beginning of summer, and college student Lewis Thomas (Paul Walker) is on his way to Boulder, Colorado, to pick up girlfriend-hopeful Venna (Leelee Sobieski). On his way, he stops by to retrieve his brother, Fuller (Steve Zahn), who convinces Lewis to play a prank on a trucker by speaking like a woman on their CB radio. The prank works, so much so that they arrange to have the trucker come to a motel room next to theirs at midnight that same night. What ensues is a combination of gutwrenching suspense, and a great directorial effort. By this time, Dahl has built an incredible amount of unease and tension, much of which comes from the fact that the killer is never revealed in full form. We are never given a glimpse of his face, and much of the time it is his voice or the looming headlights of his truck that provides the fear factor. This high level of suspense keeps us so intrigued that we are able to overlook small details of logic, such as how the trucker so easily maneuvers such a large vehicle, or how he keeps track of their whereabouts. Accompanying this justly acclaimed suspense factor is an incredibly paced script, which stands out as one of the better scare plots to come out in recent years. Dahl takes the material and keeps it moving at a rate of speed that allows us to understand what's going on and, at the same time, want more and more. When the climax arrives, the pace reaches a fever pitch of energetic suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath. Part of the success goes the the convincing characters, each played by actors who give equally convincing performances. Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, and Leelee Sobieski each have a wonderful knack for playing themselves as upbeat and carefree one moment, and completely frightened the next. Zahn is particularly effective, providing much of the movie's laughs, while at the same time instilling in Fuller a sense of sheer terror. Sobieski has less onscreen time than her two costars, but manages to turn in a well-rounded performance that fits the story well. The good thing about "Joy Ride" is that none of these attributes diminish once it's time for the big showdown in the end. Up to and right past this point, everything moves quite rapidly and effectively, building us up for an ending that doesn't disappoint, and lives up to the standard set by the plot before it. The plot is full of suspense and energy, and the cast is, among other things, believable. The title is a perfect description of the film itself, which, in this humble critic's opinion, is one of the year's best films. Note: It may interest some to know that Ted Levine, who played James Gumb in "The Silence of the Lambs," is the voice of the trucker. A nice touch.
Rating:
Summary: One very well done suspence thriller
Review: Joy Ride is defiatly not your run of the mill teen thillers.Joy Ride uses different ways of suspence as apposed to someone jumping out at you and killing you.Joy Ride is about two brothers who have just bought a car and a CB radio and are on the way home for summer break.The brothers decide to play a joke
on a guy who goes by the name Rusty Nail.One of the brothers told Rusty Nail that that he was agirl and to meet him at hotel.Rusty Nail did not find their little joke ammusing at all and decides he wants revenge.
The movie is really suspencful and will have you on the edge of your seat through out the whole movie.The cast did a great job.The guy who did Rusty Nails voice was truely gave off a very creepy presence.A must see!!
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful, tense thriller
Review: What starts out as a light-hearted romp turns into a tense thriller that had my heart beating and my nails digging into the seat cushions at the movie theater. What was even nicer about it was the pacing which allowed for moments of humor and lightness -- perhaps these only increased the tension. Masterful work. Nicely filmed, and what eye candy!
Rating:
Summary: One of the scariest movies I've ever seen!
Review: JOY RIDE is a terrifying thriller! Definitely one of the scariest I've seen in my life. It's a very rare kind of movie, that seriously scares the pants off of you, and has you shaking like a manic in your seat! The extremely talented cast features Paul Walker (as Lewis Thomas), Steve Zahn (as Fuller Thomas), and Leelee Sobieski (as Venna Wilcox).
A bit of trivia: Ted Levine (who played Buffalo Bill in SILENCE Of The LAMBS) wonderfully performs the role of 'Rusty Nail', the psychotic and vengeful truck driver. For those who are looking for a scary (and quite funny) movie, go snd see this! Congrats to John Dahl for a solid hit!
Rating: 
Summary: Teen Horror is revived
Review: John Dahl's "Joy Ride" is an excellent thriller. Dahl, who made "The Last Seduction" has given the film a look that will terrify you until you're gripping your seat.
Rating: 
Summary: The Rules Of The Road
Review: "Joy Ride" directed by John Dahl has a nice visual style to it. There are some scenes that really work well. They were able to combine comedy, and suspense at once. Which might sound easier said than done. There were decent, fun performances by the cast which was heading by Paul Walker, Leelee Sobieski, and the person many say has a scene-stealing role Steven Zahn. I'm not going to lie, there were some parts in the very beginning and the end of the film that I liked. The ending is definitely what you would call a "nail biter". I think a good number of teens will probably enjoy the film to some extent. And I usually I'm ALWAYS defending "teen" movies. Just check my reviews if you don't believe me! But, the main and most important problem I had with this movie was the fact that it's too predictable! I saw this movie with some friends of mine, and I was literally calling the next scene. I knew when the film was "playing" or "teasing" us with certain scenes making of believe certain people could be the maniac that was after them.
Back in 1971 Steven Spielberg made his directing debut in a tv movie called "Duel" starring Dennis Weaver. That movie, while not a masterpiece, had more excitment to it than "Joy Ride" did. The most importmant thing when dealing with a movies like this is that the viewer must identify with the characters. The viewer has to find the characters likeable, we have to WANT to watch them for 90 minutes or 2 hours or whatever. "Joy Ride" does reach this goal, sorta. Most teens will like this movie for what it is. But, if you've ever seen a lot of movies, and I'm not talking about movies made in the last 2 or 3 years. I mean if your a serious filmbuff, you'll find "Joy Ride" to be predictable. If your looking for a good scare go and watch "The Others" or the just released "From Hell". Both films are much better than this. Just to give everyone an example of how stupid some scenes were I'll explain one to you. There is a scene were Sobieski, Walker, and Zahn are running away from the truck driver, who happens to be in his truck. Now, for the sake of arguement, lets just say this guy is driving 5-10 mph. How on Earth can these 3 people out run a truck!? And, just so you know, the truck was not going anywhere near 5-10 mph. I would guess at least 30. It's unbelieveable scenes like this and the predictablity rate that ruined this film for me. So, despite the fact I wanted to like it, I just couldn't. It was a nice try though. ** 1\2 out of *****
Rating:
Summary: Waited for 2 months
Review: Believe me, I thought I would enjoy this movie better than what I actually did. I had been waiting for this movie to come out 2 months prior to the release date. It kinda reminded me of a "Jason movie". I hate movies that leave the ending open for a sequel(s). Not knowing who the killer is, is a killer. In all, the movie plot was pretty good, but very predictable.
Rating:
Summary: Be Careful of the Next Voice You Hear
Review: Since it's that time of year this is a good Halloween movie. JOY RIDE is more than that however. This movie takes a bear minimum of a plot and creates shear paranoia and fear. Steve Zahn and Paul Walker play a practical joke on an unseen trailer truck driver via CB radio as they travel cross-country with devastating results. Zahn and Walker picked the wrong guy to play a joke on because he turns out to be a very demented, determined and unrelenting predator. There are some truly frightening and suspenseful scenes in this movie. It's a good movie experience and there are some genuine lessons to be learned.
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