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Freeway is an entertaining exploitation drama in its own league. Matthew Bright’s indie crime drama Freeway (1996) is equally dark comedy and bleak drama. Bright’s writing is biting in his witty dialogue with his blunt social commentary. The plot is simple, yet effective as Bright’s words are hypnotizing and thoughtful for such a funny comedy on the surface. Bright also holds the audience captive with his engaging direction full of striking close-ups and haunting wide shots. You’d think Freeway was trying to be The Silence of the Lambs with its brutal and sudden violence and unholy crimes against young girls. Bright calls on exploitation imagery of sexual openness and flips it into truly disturbing territory. Matthew Bright directed his best film with Freeway as it is a film I will be thinking about long after seeing it. I loved Freeway as Reese Witherspoon makes it a constantly funny movie despite the unbearably dark subject matter of pedophilia, abuse, prostitution, murder, rape, addiction, poverty, incarceration, injustice. Witherspoon is a tour de force of vicious energy and charming individualism. She is a fierce lead actress in Freeway as Vanessa Lutz. Reese Witherspoon proves she has always been one of the greatest actresses who ever lived with versatile, brave, and difficult roles like Freeway wherein she must be endearing, entertaining, shocking, and fearsome all in one little bundle of joy. Reese is just too much fun not to enjoy every firebrand role of hers. Kiefer Sutherland is unreal in his creepiest role as a serial killer named Bob Wolverton. Sutherland plays it cool and friendly until he reveals his inner sleaze. Brooke Shields is excellent as Sutherland’s outraged wife Mimi Wolverton. You just despise her instead of feeling sympathy for her. Brittany Murphy is wonderful in a character actress role as a lesbian addict in prison named Rhonda. She’s sweet and likable, but immediately sympathetic thanks to Murphy’s devastating performance in the middle of Freeway. Likewise, Alanna Ubach is amazing as Mesquita, a hard edge double murderer who befriends Reese. I like her heavy Latina accent and direct style. Dan Hedaya is amazing as a goodhearted officer named Detective Garnet Wallace, who is just trying to solve brutal serial killings in earnest. Wolfgang Bodison is interesting as he plays a hothead cop called Detective Mike Breer with an unusual method of interrogation. Amanda Plummer is perfectly cast as a pathetic prostitute mother to Reese named Ramona Lutz. Bokeem Woodbine is nice as Reese’s fiance Chopper Wood. Freeway is a way better version of Oliver Stone’s ridiculous crime thriller Natural Born Killers. Freeway is more funny, gritty, real, and clever than Stone’s over the top Natural Born Killers. Strange considering Freeway is literally just Little Red Riding Hood in a dark and gritty contemporary world. The naive innocent girl is made victim by the brutal big bad wolf who beats her to grandma’s house with terrifying results. Freeway is amusing, riveting, scary, uncomfortable, horrifying, creative, grounded, and brilliant through and through. Freeway has more in common with James Mangold’s Girl, Interrupted and Patty Jenkins’ Monster than Natural Born Killers though. Danny Elfman’s score is insane with unorthodox folk and world music blended into an alternative rock hybrid all its own in sound. Elfman throws sonic daggers into the cutthroat world of poverty for shocking stabs and clever backdrops. Freeway contains Elfman’s strangest score for any film by far. In all, Freeway is a must see hidden gem among Reese Witherspoon’s eclectic filmography. Masterful and creative indie film, genuinely funny comedy, unforgettable drama, and darkly disturbing material handled with care. Freeway is more mature than you’re going to be prepared for in all honesty.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Matthew Bright's (director & screenplay co-writer) twist on a contemporary "Little Red Riding Hood," is a crime drama & thriller with a surprisingly effective cast. It's been on TV; but, there are so many 'hidden-in-plain-sight' details to revisit, the DVD is worth owning. The plot goes like this: After her cracked-addicted, prostituting mother, Ramona Lutz (Amanda Plummer) & teen-molesting step-dad (who?) are arrested, 15yo Vanessa Lutz (Reese Witherspoon) decides, instead of being placed in a foster home (again), she's going to drive (under age) to find & live with the grandma (Kitty Fox) she's never met. As the "Red Riding Hood" fairy tale reads, "on the way to grandma's house..." the car Vanessa's driving breaks down. Bob Wolverton (Kieffer Sutherland), a counselor at a school for troubled boys, kindly stops & gives her a lift. Mr. Wolverton is slick & quick to win Vanessa's trust. During their talks in his pick-up truck, the experienced child counselor encourages the teenager to confide in him the details of being molested by her step-father. Vanessa's not the easy mark Wolverton takes her for. She realizes that he's 'excited' by her descriptions of being molested ("being used as a human urinal"). It's at that moment when the keen teen recognizes Wolverton as the fugitive "I-5 Killer," she's seen in news broadcasts. When Vanessa attempts to flee from Wolverton's truck, she can't because there's no inside passenger door handle! I won't spoil the rest of the movie, except to say Wolverton's more evil than the 'big bad wolf', making himself out to be a victim of the clever 'red riding hood'. This twisted tale's got a well earned R rating for brutal violence, sex scenes & talk, depicted illegal drug abuse & lots of blatantly obscene language. (That's why it's the adults-only version of the 'red riding hood' fairy tale). The full version is 110 mins/cut version is 102 mins. It's in (graphic!) English. In color (DeLuxe). Aspect ratio is 1.85x1 The sound is Dolby. It was filmed in Encino, Pt. Fermin, San Pedro & Twin Towers Correctional Facility, Los Angeles, California, USA. There's really only one clean enough (not trailer-trash mouthed) for eBay line from flick I can leave you with that gives you an idea about our 'red riding hood': Vanessa Lutz (Reese Witherspoon): You shoulda let me out of the car when I asked you to, Bob. You see what happens when ya got bad manners? Now it's up to you to see what 'Vanessa riding hood' does, "when ya got bad manners" . . . ~Read full review
A highly entertaining black comedy that, at it's core is based on the classic story Little Red Riding Hood. Witherspoon plays a foul mouthed teen, from an abusive family, once her mother & stepfather are taken away she decides she's going to go live with grandma. On her way to grandma's she encounters Sutherland, a seemingly inconspicous man who offers Witherspoon a ride. Sutherlands nice guy facade soon drops & our "Big Bad Wolf" is revealed. Freeways a often overlooked gem that has some truely great performances & some of the best dialog ever written, check it out for yourself.
This movie starts out as a typical "redneck girl on the run" (Reese Witherspoon) and, when she meets Kiefer Sutherland's character on a freeway when her car dies, the two actually seem to strike up what seems to be a spontaneous 'friendship." If she doesn't trust him, she hides it well. Not to give up too much more into their "relationship," the plot takes several twists and turns before each one begins to assume some of the other's identity. You'll enjoy the crossovers, and will keep you at the edge of your seat until the very end. A winner of an understated tale. - mike
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
As far as cult classics from the 90's go, Freeway is one of my favorites. It is a very different, violent, and humorous take on a classic tale. Although I am not a fan of either Reese Witherspoon or Keifer Sutherland, nobody could have played the roles better. There are also a bunch of other good actors and actresses playing minor parts. The twists and turns that occur are funny and unexpected, to the very unpredictable end. There wasn't much I DIDN'T like about the movie, maybe..... it was too short? Then again, the sequel was total crap, so maybe Freeway is perfect just the way it is. If you are a fan of tragic stories containing off color humor, unnecessary violence, and psychopathic characters, all in a perverted version of a folk tale, you probably already own this movie. If not, buy it like I'm doing.Read full review
