Joy Ride (2001)
Coming Out at 5 October 2001 in theaters.
“Roadkill”
Mystery, Thriller
Joy Ride is road horror thriller film directed by John Dahl and written by J. J. Abrams and Clay Tarver. Paul Walker stars as Lewis Thomas, a college freshman embarking on a cross-country road trip during summer break to pick up his childhood crush Venna (Leelee Sobieski). Along for the ride is Lewis’ brother Fuller (Steve Zahn), a practical joker who uses the car’s CB radio to play a cruel prank on a trucker known only by the handle Rusty Nail. The victim of Fuller’s gag, a psychotic murderer, pursues them relentlessly to get revenge at any cost.
Lewis Thomas (Paul Walker) and Venna Wilcox (Leelee Sobieski), his childhood friend and crush, prepare to go home for the summer holiday. Lewis, a University of California student, offers to come by Venna’s campus at University of Colorado to drive her home instead of both of them flying back; Venna happily agrees. After refunding his plane ticket to buy a 1971 Chrysler Newport, Lewis calls his parents to announce the change of plan and learns that his older brother Fuller (Steve Zahn), the family’s black sheep, has been arrested once again. Lewis drives to Salt Lake City and bails out Fuller, who then tags along for the trip.
At a gas station, Fuller has a CB radio installed on Lewis’s car for $40, and the two begin listening in on truckers’ chatter. Fuller coaxes Lewis into playing a prank on a truck driver nicknamed ‘Rusty Nail’ (voiced by Ted Levine (uncredited)). Lewis pretends to be a woman named Candy Cane and sets up a meeting with Rusty Nail in a Wyoming motel where Lewis and Fuller will be spending the night. Lewis tells Rusty that “she” is in room 17, the room of an irritable businessman with whom Fuller had earlier argued, but the guys are actually in room 18. When Rusty Nail arrives at the man’s room, an argument and sounds of a scuffle are briefly heard. The next morning, Sheriff Ritter announces to Lewis and Fuller that they found the businessman on the highway, still alive with his lower jaw ripped off. Ritter figures out the two are involved in the incident, but lets them go, as he already has his hands full, and they do not know anything other than the man’s nickname (CB handle). However, he orders them to leave the state by sundown.
Director: John Dahl
Writers: Clay Tarver, J.J. Abrams
Stars: Steve Zahn, Paul Walker, Leelee Sobieski, Jessica Bowman, Stuart Stone, Basil Wallace, Brian Leckner
Cast:
| Steve Zahn | … | Fuller |
| Paul Walker | … | Lewis |
| Leelee Sobieski | … | Venna |
| Jessica Bowman | … | Charlotte |
| Stuart Stone | … | Danny (Lewis’s Roommate) |
| Basil Wallace | … | Car Salesman |
| Brian Leckner | … | Officer Keeney |
| Mary Wickliffe | … | Salt Lake City Police Desk Clerk |
| McKenzie Satterthwaite | … | Asst. Salt Lake City Police Desk Clerk |
| Dell Yount | … | Gas Station Mechanic |
| Kenneth White | … | Ronald Ellinghouse |
| Luis Cortés | … | Night Manager |
| Michael McCleery | … | Officer Akins |
| Jim Beaver | … | Sheriff Ritter |
| Rachel Singer | … | Gas Station Manager |
| Satch Huizenga | … | Ice Truck Man |
| Terry Leonard | … | Bartender |
| James MacDonald | … | Local in Nebraska Bar |
| Gwenda Deacon | … | Truck Stop Waitress |
| Robert Winley | … | Truck Stop Manager |
| Ali Gage | … | Waitress |
| Jack Moore | … | Hotwire Consultant |
| Hugh Dane | … | Man at Door |
| Lee Stepp | … | Traveling Salesman |
| Jay Hernandez | … | Marine |
| Huey Redwine | … | Policeman #1 |
| John Maynard | … | Policeman #2 |
| Peter Weireter | … | Policeman #3 |
| Tim Cooney | … | Voice Actor (voice) |
| Sheryl Giffis | … | Voice Actor (voice) |
| Pamela Senatore | … | Voice Actor (voice) |
| Greg Bronson | … | Truckstop Patron |
| Chris Cummins | … | Deputy |
| Walton Goggins | … | Cop |
| Matthew Kimbrough | … | Rusty Nail |
| Ted Levine | … | Rusty Nail (voice) |
| Anna Malle | … | Porn Actress (archive footage) |
| Chuck Murphy | … | Medic |
| Patrick Robert Smith | … | Cop |
| Vern Urich | … | Officer Alexander |
| Brien Varady | … | Paramedic |
Sources: imdb & wikipedia