avril_shun

Freeway is one of the best exploitation films in recent years. It stands out as a quick reminder of why I became so fascinated with these films to begin with, and what intelligent, important work that can actually be achieved within the genre. Mark my words, In another five years it will considered one of the finest video cult-classics of the 90s.

The film is described as a retelling of that old molestation tale Little Red Riding Hood - and, great as the movie, that's pretty much all it does. What I liked about the movie though is that the filmmakers not only retold the story in a more adult way, but they also modernised it and changed the characters and plot to something that actually tells us something of our times and its problems. Something Hollywood would't touch. Little Red Riding Hood (wonderfully portrayed by Reese Witherspoon) is a "bad" girl trying to make it in a rotten world, and the wolf (Keither Sotherland in his only part i've liked - probably because he gets it so hard in the end) is a psycho serial killer with a taste for young girls. One thing that the film makes clear from the very first frame is that there is a sex-war going on between men and women. A war in which the freethinking, sexual and non-submissive young woman of the lower class are on the bottom of societys food chain. It could be argued that Freeway was intended as a morale-booster to these, often looked at as "bad", girls. If that was the case I would support it all the way - just thinking of how insane young girls are treated in our society (that whole virginity-thing for example, or the fact that rapist can get away with it if the victim wore short skirt!) makes it clear that more films like Freeway are needed. You don't have to take the film so serious though, it's a fun, campy and tough film any way you watch it.

Also check out Freeway II, which is like Freeway I on acid. It doesn't really work (that whole goat-thing sure came out of nowhere...), but is fun viewing anyway.

One thing I realised about carfilms, or whatever you might call them, is that a certain degree of monotony is always required (check out the wonderful Two Lane Blacktop too see what I mean). If you waste too much time with backgrounds, character development, story etc the really important stuff starts lacking (the car as an instrument of freedom, the road, the desert...). In this way Vanishing Point is the perfect carmovie: it's about the most monotonous, yet beautiful things i've ever seen! It's about:

1. The car

2. The road

3. The desert

4. The music

And nothing else! Some vague attempts are made to make a character out of Kowalski, but fortunely they're small in numbers. The car is the true main character of the film.

I recommend this film with all my heart.