Road Games Movie Review

Steven Spielberg first attracted critical attention in 1971 when he directed a television movie called Duel starring Dennis Weaver. It's a suspenseful little saga about a battle to the death between a compact car and a truck, but there's very little character development, so Duel doesn't have much in the way of repeat value. A similar film with a lesser reputation emerged in Australia a decade later and the best thing about Road Games is the richness of its characters, which are played to perfection by American actors Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. The director, Richard Franklin, like Brian De Palma, is an avid fan of Alfred Hitchcock. Unlike De Palma, Franklin's sense of humor is suggestive, rather than graphic, and more in tune with what Hitchcock himself might enjoy. Keach's character insists that “just because (he) rides a truck, it doesn't make (him) a truck driver.” Keach talks to himself a lot, or rather he talks to his partner, a dog whom he thinks is a wild dingo. It's a dream part for an actor, and Keach makes the most of it. Curtis has less to do, but her comparatively few onscreen moments show why she was later able to steal A Fish Called Wanda and Fierce Creatures. The plot hinges around a daft killer whom everyone thinks is Keach, so he has to prove his innocence by finding the real madman. There's an interesting exploration of Keach's own assumptions about women which trip him up, as well as them. Road Games on video is an ingratiating 100-minute ride. If you check out The Killer Inside Me at the same time, you may wonder why Stacy Keach isn't approached more often with roles that are worthy of his considerable talent. Franklin later went on to direct Psycho 2, Cloak and Dagger, FX 2, and Sorrento Beach.

1981 (PG) 100m/C AU Stacy Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis, Marion Edwards, Grant Page, Bill Stacey, Thaddeus Smith, Alan Hopgood; D: Richard Franklin; W: Everett De Roche; C: Vincent Monton; M: Brian May. VHS