Roadgames — Roadgames(Blu Ray)
Appearing in 1981 Roadgames was an Australian production, and it was directed by Richard Franklin- whose next film after this was Psycho II (one of the best sequels made), and before it he helmed the Ozploitation classic killer telekinesis caper Patrick- so he certainly understood genre films. All in all Roadgames is very well-scoped film, that nicely captures the endless Australian roads, cosy-to-catastrophic lorry cabs & car interiors. With the whole thing been scored in a memorable & warming manner by respected Australian soundtrack composer Brian May.
The film focuses in on Pat Quid(Keach) as we follow him picking up his new load- a truck full of pig carcasses, and down the road across the country- where at first he observers & comments about other road users to his Dingo dog. Then latter picking-up up hitchers- first a bubbly housewife, and later down the line Jamie Lee Curtis. Along his journey he becomes convinced that a man in a green van is a serial killer- pick up & killing women, then dumping their body parts along the road. The film is decidedly PG in its content- so aside from the first almost Giallo like murder- killer wearing gloves, killing with a guitar string, with a red light backdrop, the whole thing is rather tame on the gory or sleaze side of things. What we do get is a blend of sly humour, with moments of low key threat & unease, and the occasional suspenseful/ tense moments. Director Franklin was a big Hitchcock fan, and that really is the key feel of the film- so in reality, it feels more like a late ’60s/ early 70’s thriller, than a edgy & provocative 80’s horror film- which it's poster & Curtis's addition may suggest.
Stacy Keach is a likeable lead, and when down the line a bit Jamie Lee Curtis appears the two work well together- the supporting cast is well selected, and as I mentioned a selection of character actors. One mistake I do think they make on the casting is the supposably killer- firstly you pretty much see his full face from the beginning, and he just seems a little too normal to be creepy or darkly convincing. While on the negatives- the pacing is not the greatest here, with moments dragging from time-to-time & we get the occasional corny dialogue. On the whole, as a Sunday afternoon thriller Roadgames is effective enough- just don’t go in expecting a slasher, or more edgy thriller- as that’s not what this is about.
Moving onto this Region B Blu Ray release- and we get a new 4K scan of the film, this brings out both the Australian landscapes barren rich-ness & the 1980’s colourings. On the extra side we get a good batch of stuff- the lion share of it is archived extras, but we do get a few new bits. First, we get a commentary track from writers and programmers Anna Bogutskaya and Olivia Howe, who run the Final Girls that discusses where horror & feminism Meet. Their track like the film is largely laid back, with the pair talking about how the film nods towards both Brian De Palma & Hitchcock. Moving on they briefly talk about the actors & their other roles, before going onto talk about character motivation, & on-screen action- it’s a good enough track with some interesting observations though I didn't learn much from it. The other new extra is Trouble Bound- this runs for thirteen minutes & sees the always worthy film historian Neil Sinyard discussing the directors career, the film to hand- actors selected, it’s blend of thriller & humour, and it’s rather misleading promotion. On the archive side of things, we get a ton of stuff- two more commentary tracks- one from the director, and one from a selection of the films crew. Next, a 2003 making of- this runs around twenty minutes, there’s a good selection of cast & crew interviews. Roadgames’: A Lecture is from 1981, this runs 131 mins, and has input from the director, the films producer & the films composer. There are a few more interviews & bits ‘n’ bobs too including one Franklin’s early shorts. And the finished release comes with an 80-page book- taking a new essay, interviews & more
In finishing you need to know what you getting into with Roadgames- it’s most certainly not a slasher nor a gruesome/ brutal road movie. What it is, is a PG 13 thriller with touches of dark comedy- it’s certainly charming, but never shocking, too tense, or edgy. Once again a very nice presentation from Powerhouse- with the neat new print, good selection of extras, and substantial in-set book.