Roadkill (Or Joy Ride as it was called in the US. Roadkill sounds better to me though) came as something of a pleasant surprise to me. I wasn’t really expecting much, but what I got was a superior, popcorn thriller filled to the brim with taught, well crafted set pieces and some charismatic performances.

The film is co-written by Alias creator JJ Abrams, and anyone familiar with that TV show will tell you that it is some of the best written television currently on the go. Roadkill carries on this form with well rounded characters and some truly nail biting, tension filled scenes. The film starts of innocent enough, but once we hit the road it’s a non-stop rollercoaster of edge of your seat excitement (how’s that for a movie poster quote?).

Director John Dahl has handled similarly remote settings in the past with Red Rock West. Here he gets to flex his action muscles a bit more, but still manages to keep the film taught enough to keep you guessing. He keeps the pace tight, never letting the film slow down and films some of the set pieces wonderfully. Parallels are obviously going to be drawn with Spielberg’s first film Duel, but Roadkill does enough new to justify it’s own place in cinema.

The stand out scene for me was an elongated chase through a corn field. Our three heroes find themselves being chased by Rusty Nails truck; he scans the corn with his searchlight as the trio hide, baited breath amongst the stalks. The final 20 minutes is a whirlwind, twist after turn, it certainly keeps you on your toes. I thought the film was going to end in a dreadful, cheesy Hollywood finish, but the final twist in the tale ensured I was happy once I hit eject.

What also helps the film enormously is the great work by the three young leads. You wouldn’t think that there would be room in this kind of taught thriller for any kind of comedy relief, but Steve Zahn works wonders. In-fact he brings a much needed light side to the deadly serious proceedings. He starts of quite manic and his recklessness actually places the group into their predicament, but as the film moves on he grows and becomes more serious and focused. I like Zahn a lot and this may be one of his finest pieces of work thus far.

Up until this movie I had seen Paul Walker as nothing more than a pretty face, devoid of talent. But, he shows a good bit of range here and impressed me no end. He and Zahn actually convince as brothers and share some excellent moments. Walker plays Lewis straight laced, but the influence of his brother means that he is just as much to blame for their predicament as Fuller.

Leelee Sobeski is a young actress I have been a fan of ever since I saw her in Deep Impact. She has a striking facial resemblance to Helen Hunt and if she keeps giving performances of this nature then she may well be in for the kind of success that Hunt has enjoyed. Venna enters the film fairly late on, but she is integral to the story. At times she is little more than the damsel in distress (One moment when she is saved by Fuller in a bar is classic!), but she shows enough strength to not be bogged down with that tag.

The final piece of the puzzle is the voice of Rusty Nails. We never fully see the mans face, so all we have to go on is the ominous voice. A voice which is deftly supplied by Ted Levine, whom you will probably know best as Buffalo Bill from The Silence of the Lambs. Levine’s voice is a bit of a mono drawl and it works brilliantly as the taunting voice coming over the CB.