Joy Ride (US)

An intense and surprisingly good thriller. What started as a prank call turned out to be a chase of a lifetime. Funny at times, scary at times and always thrilling.
The video transfer is good. There are no compression signs and the numerous dark scenes are rendered beautifully.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is very good. The surrounds are used very nicely and are bound to give you a couple of scares.
The menus are animated with sound.
The extras include 3 commentaries, a behind the scenes look, a deleted scene and 4 (!!!) alternate endings (I preferred the original one).
Bottom line - a good thriller that`ll teach you not to mess with truck drivers and reduce to a minimum possible your prank calls. Recommended.

"Joy Ride" revisited - May 2003
*********************************
It`s been just over a year since I`ve reviewed this movie, and watching it for the second time was a pleasurable experience. The movie remains as intense and as thrilling as the first time.
The video transfer is very good. No compression signs can be spotted.
The DD 5.1 soundtrack is great. The surrounds do a superb job at keeping you at the edge of your seat.
The menus are nicely animated with sound.
The extras include 3 commentaries by the team, a behind the scenes look, a deleted scene and 4 alternate endings (which vary from one another quite a bit).
Bottom line - yeah, totally recommended, even the second time around.

Alfred Hitchcock often preached about the importance of creating suspense over surprise. His logic was based on the idea that cheap surprises shock an audience for all of five seconds, while suspense draws them into a heightened state of anxiety. John Dahl`s Joy Ride is one of few films in recent years to subscribe to Hitchcock`s theory of suspense, and it succeeds quite admirably. It is a simple story about a presumably harmless prank turned nightmare, and relies on subtlety to work its magic. I found the style of the film so skillful, that I am now thinking twice about ever playing another practical joke.

Someone does the wrong thing in the middle of nowhere and is pursued by a new enemy with a bloodlust like none other. It sounds run of the mill, and the notion of being chased by a trucker is not especially new (think Duel), but the performances and scenes are way above what you might expect from a movie of this type. Additionally, the pulse of Joy Ride is effective and steady, never accelerating so fast as to confuse the viewer or slowing down and leaving you looking at your watch.

Dahl gets solid performances from his leads. Zahn is easily the most entertaining of the three, providing some nicely placed comedic relief from the action of the picture. Sobieski, who looks even more stunning than usual, offers an emotional and involving performance with a character that`s not that well-defined. I`ve never been that impressed with Walker`s acting, but he`s good here.

"Joy Ride" won`t win any awards, but it`s one of those films that manages to present some stereotypical elements of the genre in a way that`s energetic and intense.

Another film where I had low expectations and was well suprised. This is an old style thriller that has the right blend of action and humour. All the leads are likeable and do an effective job.
The plot is engaging and the pace is good. The ending remains ambiguous. Joy Ride will entertain you for a night but will be forgotten about pretty soon. A good rental nonetheless.
The disc comes with interesting extras including an alternative ending that is 30 minutes long.