Joy Ride
Packs a nasty B-movie jolt that doesn't jibe with the easy-does-it tenor of the times. Still, there's no denying the skill director John Dahl (The Last Seduction) brings to this genre thriller about two brothers — college student Lewis (Paul Walker) and fuck-up Fuller (Steve Zahn being Steve Zahn, which is fine by me) — on a road trip from Berkeley, California, to Boulder, Colorado, where Lewis hooks up with girlfriend Venna (Leelee Sobieski). Trouble starts when the guys use a CB radio to play a practical joke on an unseen lonely-hearts trucker known as Rusty Nail. The joke backfires when the trucker retaliates in a revenge plot that combines Steven Spielberg's Duel, Jonathan Mostow's Breakdown and a touch of the recent horror cheapie Jeepers Creepers to create a thriller that gets the job done in high style. If you're looking to have your nerves fried and your pulse pounded, this is your ticket to ride.