Thirty-One Days O’Horror: Joy Ride (2001)

Let’s Ride #2!

The late Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, and Leelee Sobieski star in the 2001 thriller, Joy Ride. In the film, Walker portrays Lewis Thomas, an all-around decent guy who is on his way to pick up his friend, Venna (Sobieski), whom he has been crushing over for a long time. While en route, Lewis bails his brother, Fuller, out of jail. Fuller has a tendency to make poor decisions, and one of his worst decisions is to install a CB in Lewis’ car and then convince Lewis to play a joke on a trucker that goes by the handle of “Rusty Nail.” When their prank causes a man to get beaten into a coma, they attract the attention of the police. When Lewis decides that he needs to apologize to “Rusty Nail,” he and his brother find themselves in a life or death race with a the vengeful trucker.

This is a surprisingly good film. The action is suspenseful and fast-paced. Zahn delivers one of his best performances as Fuller. Walker and Sobieski also put in great performances. I actually found myself pulling for their characters as they attempted to escape from ol’ Rusty.

The film is a great example of how thrillers can be done right without relying on cheap thrills or gore. With a solid cast, strong direction, and excellent writing, Joy Ride takes a B-movie plot and makes it ten times better than other films with similar stories.

Thanks for checking out my review. The tank is still full on Thirty-One Days O’Horror, so get ready for the long haul!