Roadgames

1981 "The truck driver plays games. The hitchhiker plays games. And the killer is playing the deadliest game of all!"
6.6| 1h41m| PG| en| More Info
Released: 27 February 1981 Released
Producted By: AVCO Embassy Pictures
Country: Australia
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A truck driver plays a cat-and-mouse game with a mysterious serial killer in a van who lures young female hitchhiker victims on a desolate Australian highway.

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Director

Richard Franklin

Production Companies

AVCO Embassy Pictures

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Roadgames Audience Reviews

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.
Mjeteconer Just perfect...
Listonixio Fresh and Exciting
Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.
PimpinAinttEasy Dear people at Criterion/Arrow etc,I recently watched this Australian film called Road Games starring American actors like Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. Being an Indian, I do not understand the politics of the casting choices. But apparently there was an uproar about American actors acting in an Australian film.The film is very entertaining. It has this macho but creepy truck driver who has conversations with his dog and reads British poetry. He takes on a serial killer on the road. Stacy Keach plays the truck driver. Stacy was unlucky enough to be born in an era dominated by the likes of Brando, De Niro, Pacino and Nicholson. He is a very good actor. So much better than the likes of some of the chumps of the 90s and today.And there is Jamie Lee Curtis too. But she has a pretty small role.I watched the movie on Youtube and the daylight scenes had too much light in them. It is about time this movie got a Blu Ray treatment like Wake in Fright, another Aussie film which looks great on Blu Ray. Wont you guys at Criterion/Arrow help?The background score is by a guy called Brian May (not the guy who was in Queen). It is very good like in Hitchcock movies. But it does not elevate the film or anything.This is one of those movies that is almost entirely dependent upon the dialogs and the setting. The actors are solid. There are some interesting directorial flourishes which would be evident only if there is a good print of this film.Please release a Blu Ray of this film.Best Regards,Pimpin.
manicman84 Richard Franklin's potboiler "Road Games" is quite an accomplishment of Australian cinema. That's right Quentin. I know we agree. While transporting pork to Perth trough the whole Australia, American truck driver Pat Quid (Stacy Keach) traces a serial killer who tries to get rid of the body of the girl he's recently murdered. In the meantime, Pat meets Pamela (Jamie Lee Curtis) who decides to help him capture the dangerous psycho. Due to its tone, the movie feels like Hitchcock's "Rear Window" on the road. Screenwriter Everet De Roche presents travellers as some kind of integral community comprising of totally different people connected by accident. It's to director Franklin's credit though that the movie is so frantic and suspenseful throughout. There are moments of sheer genius when the movie gets almost unbearably tense in its crucial scenes including unique finale. All in all, "Road Games" is a cleverly scripted, refreshing thriller that just waits to be rediscovered and admired. 8/10 (B+)
Claudio Carvalho While driving alone through the Australia outback with his dingo, the truck driver Patrick Quid (Stacy Keach) becomes aware that a serial killer is attacking women and he suspects that the driver of a green van is the murderer and is getting rid of the bodies in pieces in plastic bags burying them in the desert. On his way to Perth with a load of pork meat, he gives a ride to the hitchhiker Pamela Rushworth (Jamie Lee Curtis) and tells his theory about the killer to her. When they park in a gas station, they see the van and Pamela decides to break in the car to investigate. When Pamela disappears, Pat pursuits the van while he becomes the prime suspect of the police."Roadgames" is a suspenseful black humor road movie, with a good and very tense story, great lines and excellent acting of Stacey Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis. The lead couple shows a fantastic chemistry in a plot that is a sort of combination of "Duel" and "The Hitchhiker". The sexy Jamie Lee Curtis is in the top of her beauty and Stacey Keach has one of his best performances in this attractive film. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Enigma na Estrada" ("Enigma on the Road")
The_Void Many films - from classics such as Dual and The Hitcher, to lesser known gems like Hitch-Hike and modern thrillers such as Roadkill - have shown cinema audiences that the road can be a great setting for a movie, but while Roadgames certainly has it's moments; it has to be said that isn't as good as some of those that have gone before and come after. Director Richard Franklin ('Psycho II') does a good job of implementing the loneliness of the road on the audience by way of keeping the focus on the main character - a weary trucker, and ensuring that we are drawn into his plight. The lead role is taken by Stacy Keach, who fits into the role of Pat Quid nicely. Quid is driving a truck across Australia, along with his pet dingo. He picks up various hitch-hikers along the way, and at one point stops at a hotel; where he witnesses a man take in a girl he saw on the road earlier. She soon disappears, and this coincides with reports on the radio of a serial killer stalking the same roads that Quid is driving. However, that isn't all Quid has to worry about; as the police are beginning to suspect him of the crimes...My main problem with this film is that it takes too long to get going, and once it does finally get itself into gear; the plot isn't overly interesting, and it all feels rather underdone. There are a number of small things that bring the overall rating of this film up; things such as the fact that the main character has a pet dingo gives Roadgames some extra character. The lead performances are good enough, with the previously mentioned Stacy Keach carrying the entire film on his shoulders for most of the duration. Keach is an underrated actor, and it's always nice to see him in films - even underdeveloped ones like this. Jamie Lee Curtis is his co-star and is decent enough in her relatively small role, while no one else is given the screen time to impress. The score is a little bit too playful and annoying for my liking, but it's not enough to spoil the movie. Roadgames does have a number of good set pieces and the way that the director builds the mystery is good - it's just disappointing compared to other similar films. I would, however, say that if you enjoy films of this nature; Roadgames is well worth a look.

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