Freeway (no 49)

(USA 1996 101m) DVD1

Look who got beat with the ugly stick!

p  Brad Wyman, Chris Hanley, Oliver Stone  d/w  Matthew Bright  ph  John Thomas  ed  Maysie Hoy  m  Danny Elfman, Tito Larriva  art  Pam Warner

Kiefer Sutherland (Bob Wolverton), Reese Witherspoon (Vanessa Lutz), Brooke Shields (Mimi), Dan Hedaya (Det.Wallace), Wolfgang Bodison (Det.Mike Breer), Amanda Plummer (Ramona Lutz), Bokeem Woodbine (Chopper), Brittany Murphy (Rhonda),

Those of a sensitive disposition, skip it; this is not for you.  This is one of those personal irrational selections, a guilty pleasure.  There is no other film like Freeway; not even its successor, Confessions of a Trick Baby, comes remotely close, and in many ways showcased the very reason why the first film worked and the second never came close.  Well, one main reason; the sequel had Natasha Lyonne, a perfectly capable but rather disposable talent.  The original, however, had something altogether more than capable and anything but disposable…at least then…

            Vanessa Lutz is the sixteen year old white-trash daughter of a crack whore mother and abusive stepfather on parole with a black boyfriend.  The same day her parents are both busted by the law, Vanessa makes the decision to escape to grandma’s to avoid falling into the clutches of social services.  She says goodbye to her boyfriend – who then proceeds to get himself shot in a drive-by – and sets off.  Problem is that her car breaks down on the freeway where the notorious I-5 killer prowls and the only help she gets is from a mysterious psychologist who offers her a lift.

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