Road Games (1981)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Pierluigi P

  
  Richard Franklin, the same aussie who took over the fairly decent sequel of Psycho, Attempts to rehash 'Rear Window' as a road movie, bringing to mind another even more brilliant hitchcockian exercise, Steven Spielberg's Duel, which had a simpler but even more intense… More
  Richard Franklin, the same aussie who took over the fairly decent sequel of Psycho, Attempts to rehash 'Rear Window' as a road movie, bringing to mind another even more brilliant hitchcockian exercise, Steven Spielberg's Duel, which had a simpler but even more intense outcome. Franklin's narrative pulse is stylish, and careful in execution, but If the plot was tighter, without losing its north/credibility -especially around the finale- the film would had been a lot better. Underrated Stacy Keach brings a lot of charisma and bravado to his part.

• Ken S

  
  A total diamond in the rough. Stacy Keach is amazing. Direction and cinematography are both top notch. To quote a friend "It's like Hitchcock and Tarantino had an Australian film baby."

• AJ V

  
  A pretentious Hitchcockian thriller. I didn't care for it, but at least the actors were good.

• David L

  
  While driving a load of freight across the godforsaken Australian outback from Melbourne to Perth spacey loner American truck driver Pat Quid (an endearingly eccentric portrayal by Stacy Keach) begins to suspect that the man (scruffy top Aussie stuntman Grant Page) in a van he keeps… More
  While driving a load of freight across the godforsaken Australian outback from Melbourne to Perth spacey loner American truck driver Pat Quid (an endearingly eccentric portrayal by Stacy Keach) begins to suspect that the man (scruffy top Aussie stuntman Grant Page) in a van he keeps seeing on the highway might very well be the vicious Jack the Ripper-style psycho who's been murdering attractive lady hitchhikers and leaving their chopped up bodies on the side of the road. The only problem is that Quid can't convince anyone else that this could be the case. Pretty soon Quid finds his own life in considerable jeopardy. In her early 80's horror scream queen era, Jamie Lee Curtis pops up as a brassy runaway rich heiress who's along for the ride. Cunningly combining elements of "Duel," vintage Alfred Hitchcock pictures (chiefly "Rear Window"), 70's existential road movies and early 80's slasher fare, this spiffy, absorbing and suspenseful mystery thriller works very well. Richard Franklin (who next did the surprisingly acceptable "Psycho II" and later faltered with the abysmal killer monkey dud "Link") directs with tremendous skill and assurance while both Brian ("The Road Warrior") May's flavorful, harmonica-tinged score and Vincent ("Thirst") Morton's exquisitely expansive cinematography are definitely up to speed. Moreover, the dingy desert locations evoke a frightfully palpable feeling of all-encompassing dread, isolation and vulnerability, the tension steadily escalates to a nerve-wracking fever pitch, there are amusing touches of offbeat humor featured throughout and the final confrontation between Quid and the killer in a cramped back alley delivers one hell of a potent gut punch. The nifty tweaking of your standard average guy in danger scenario in particular is a nice inspired touch; this scenario is given a fresh and engaging workover by making Quid a likeably quirky oddball. An eerie, understated and above all intelligent stand-out scary sleeper.

• Steve B

  
  Hitchcock protégé Richard Franklin takes Rear Window and sets it in the cab of a semi-trailer cruising across the Nullarbor Plain in Australia. Fascinating on its own, but fun to pick out all the Hitchcock references and in-jokes.

• RJ M

  
  Essentially, this is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. However, instead of the voyeur being a photographer, watching his neighbors in his apartment complex, the action has been transplanted to the roads of the Australian outback. Stacy Keach gives one of his best,… More
  Essentially, this is a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window. However, instead of the voyeur being a photographer, watching his neighbors in his apartment complex, the action has been transplanted to the roads of the Australian outback. Stacy Keach gives one of his best, and quirkiest perfomances as a long haul trucker who begins to suspect that one of his fellow motorists is a serial killer. Keach has a ball in the role, sometimes talking out loud to himself, or to his pet dingo, as he makes observations about the various people he sees on the road. Jamie Lee Curtis again has the role as a potential victim, as a young hitchhiker rebelling against her politically powerful father. The movie was directed by Hitchock protoge Richard Franklin. Franklin would later go on to actually out do Hitchcock with Psycho II, a movie I find to be superior to the original in every way. Here he makes the most of the desolate Australian setting, sometimes hiding important information in the shot for only the sharpest viewer to pick up on. The problem this movie has, however, is that it's never able to maintain a certain feel. It wants to be tight psychological thrilller, but at other times, tries to be a romantic comedy where Keach and Curtis flirt, bicker, and crack wise with each other. It almost derails the movie at several points, but it manages to find it's way back on course. The is a cinematically well shot movie, with a good story, and a winning performance by Stacy Keach. A small gem, if you can find it.

• cody f

  
  It's Rear Window meets The Hitcher (the 80's version), except it's not near as good. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was 8, but I doubt it for the following reasons. The lack of blood, violence, tension, and nudity would have been a real problem for young… More
  It's Rear Window meets The Hitcher (the 80's version), except it's not near as good. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was 8, but I doubt it for the following reasons. The lack of blood, violence, tension, and nudity would have been a real problem for young Cody. Plot meant nothing to Young C,violence & nudity was everything, and this movie was more like a TV movie of the week than a slasher thriller. A star was added because of the WTF ending. Also watching anything like this with Scott and Keith in the same room makes anything fun and enjoyable.

• John M

  
  ¨Rear Window¨ on the road. Nice, quiet thriller with hitchcockian tones. There is also an early role for Jamie Lee Curtis. I would like to see a remake of this movie but with less dialogue and more action.

• Patrick D

  
  This film is quite peculiar in it's direction, but that actually just seems to throw you off and keep you on edge for the entire film. It takes place almost entirely on the isolated roads of Australia and establishes it very well. And while on the road you spend most of the time… More
  This film is quite peculiar in it's direction, but that actually just seems to throw you off and keep you on edge for the entire film. It takes place almost entirely on the isolated roads of Australia and establishes it very well. And while on the road you spend most of the time inside Stacy Keach's character Patrick Quid's truck, with him, and he does well to carry the film. The only flaw I found was the super scoff material that comes about when Stacy and Jamie are having a touching moment. But if you get past it you'll enjoy or won't enjoy a pretty different and even kind of Hitchcockian thriller.

• Christopher B

  
  Stacy Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis and a dingo are hunting down a vicious serial killer on the backroads of Australia. Richard Franklin obviously learned a lot from his mentor, Hitchcock, in making this fast paced, funny, intense and exciting road movie. Keach and the dingo's… More
  Stacy Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis and a dingo are hunting down a vicious serial killer on the backroads of Australia. Richard Franklin obviously learned a lot from his mentor, Hitchcock, in making this fast paced, funny, intense and exciting road movie. Keach and the dingo's conversations are hilarious, really showing the lonliness of truck driving.

Read all 10 featured audience ratings