Patrick 'Pat' Quid: I know you're looking for a little adventure.
Pamela 'Hitch' Rushworth: I could go to Disneyland for a little adventure. What I'm looking for is a little excitement.
I will start out and say that this is not to be confused or compared with the 2015 film of the same name. Ok that’s out of the way.
Hitchcock, one of the most well-known directors, influenced quite a few people not just overseas, but also here in Australia. The Australian Director Richard Franklin and writer Everett De Roche got inspired to bring the film in review to life after reading the script for Hitchcock’s 1954 hit Rear Window, but instead of being set in a block of units, this one would be from a truckers point of view, from a vehicle and it is quite an effective angle. Sure it’s not as good as Rear Window, but it is a solid Aussie film that has a Hitchcock feel to it.
The film takes place between Melbourne and Perth along the desolate sections of the Nullabor Plain which is a perfect setting for this type of mystery thriller film as there are no large populated areas along it which just enforces the idea of isolation. Pat Quid (Stacy Keech) is a truck driver currently in Melbourne who is required to deliver a load of butchered pigs to Perth. As the drive is long he keeps himself awake and amused by maintaining a conversation with his dog and himself, often in a theatrical way. During this time there is a killer who preys upon hitchhikers who just so happens to be on a similar route to Quid. Quid picks up hitchhiker Pamela “Hitch” Rushworth (Jamie Lee Curtis) and together they start playing with the idea of catching this murderer seeing he appears to be on the same route, but as with all games there is a winner and loser.
I really enjoyed the film and there were moments where there was some nail biting suspense, in a typical Hitchcock manner. You don’t always see things which supposed to provide suspense but rather it’s in the hearing, lighting and acting that provide the suspense as opposed to seeing someone killed in front of you. There isn’t really any gore and we have minimal swearing and one scene of concealed nudity (you don’t see anything as the actress is behind a guitar) which is a nice change from other Aussie films of this era where, sadly, it almost seemed like a mandatory addition to a film. There are some good driving stunts in the film as well which do not overpower the believable story.
To get some publicity, it was decided to bring in American actors as the two leads which was not completely unusual for the time and no doubt contributes to it being the most expensive Australian film to be made at the time ($1.8 million). It was filmed literally along the Nullabor so as the movie progresses so does the filming locations, though from what I understand the final scene was filmed in Melbourne, not Perth. Stacy Keech had to learn how to drive a 16 speed truck in order to pull off a convincing job and he does quite well in the film. Jamie Lee Curtis starred in several horror films prior to this so there was the idea that Road Games was more of a slasher film even though it wasn’t so it didn’t do too well at the American box office most likely because of that. It also didn’t do too good in Australia at the time but has since grown in popularity and holds up quite well to this day both in terms of filmmaking and acting.
Though I own the DVD version of the film, I jumped for the Bluray especially upon hearing it was going to be given the 4k restoration treatment. Is there a difference between the old Umbrella DVD release and the Bluray? Yes, a massive difference.
This is from the DVD…
And the Bluray…
Not just is the new scan giving us more of the image both top and bottom but more information is revealed on both the left and right. The increase in resolution, contrast and colour is also striking and is only amplified with today’s larger screens. The image is a bit darker than the DVD but that also suits the modern TV better with its ability to handle greater dynamic range. The image is shown in the 2.35:1 aspect ratio and as indicated above, is superior to the old DVD edition which is now out of print. The new DVD will also be somewhat better than the old DVD but naturally not as good as the Bluray. What is a little disappointing is the choice of audio which only comes to us in two flavours but both in a lossy format and not the uncompressed format that is standard with Bluray. We have a new Dolby Digital 5.1 (448kbs) and the original mono (224kbs) soundtrack to choose from. Perhaps they thought it would not give too much improvement, however leaving that choice up to the consumer would have been a better move. Nevertheless, the audio comes across quite good.
The Bluray also contains the following wealth of extras:
- Audio Commentary with Producer/Director Richard Franklin
- Kangaroo Hitchcock: The Making of “Road Games” featurette
- Uncut Not Quite Hollywood interviews with Jamie Lee Curtis, Stacy Keech, Grant Page, Richard Franklin, Everett De Roche, Vincent Monton and Tom Burstall
- Never before seen 1980 lecture on the Making of Road Games from Richard Franklin, Co-Producer Barbi Taylor & Composer Brian May
- 1981 Interview with Richard Franklin
- 2001 Audio Interview with Richard Franklin
- Exclusive New Audio Interview with Stacy Keech
- Exclusive New Audio Interview with Stunt Co-ordinator & Actor Grant Page
- 4K Scan & Restoration featurette by Roar Digital & Interview with Cinematographer Vincent Monton
- Exclusive Essay by Fangoria writer Lee Gambin
- Gallery of Stills, Production Shots, Storyboards, Newspaper Reviews, Promotional & Artwork Materials
- HD Theatrical Trailer
Overall, Road Games is a classic Australian thriller with a Hitchcock flavour that really deserves more attention than it has received. It stands up well against today’s movies despite the limited budget (comparably) and camera equipment used. It is acted well and has some great moments of suspense and we also have the great Aussie outback as a setting. If you like a good thriller or enjoy Hitchcock films, then this comes highly recommended. Check it out!
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I had never heard of Road Games but wanted to watch it after I read your interesting review, and I really enjoyed it! Somehow it reminded me of Duel by Steven Spielberg (that's a REALLY scary movie)... And yes, it is like Rear Window on a moving truck - in the Australian outback! I can see the Hitchcock influences & references throughout, eg. the suspense; the humour; Pamela's nickname Hitch; a book on Hitchcock in Pat's truck...I chuckled when Pat took out his binoculars! I wonder if Jimmy Stewart ever saw Road Games?
ReplyDeleteI especially like the scene where they were sitting around the campfire near an old telegraph station, apparently it's a true story when Pat tells Hitch about the town that was destroyed by a plague of rabbits.
Oh I also watched the "making of" featurette which is very interesting as well, the director said that Road Games is like a soufflé - this is a reference to Hitchcock's comment that his North by Northwest is a soufflé, whereas Vertigo and Psycho are meat & potatoes! :)
It is an enjoyable movie isnt it! The Aussie setting makes it unique and it didnt feel too out of place to have the foreign actor/actress. Yes I noticed those references as well.
DeleteLets not get started with Duel which is a real cracker of a movie. I watched that over and over along with a few others in my childhood. Fantastic movie.
Haha, like the comment about the soufflé and meat and potatoes. Quite true when you look at it that way :)