Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Road Games

Original title: Roadgames
  • 1981
  • PG
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
10K
YOUR RATING
Road Games (1981)
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:03
1 Video
99+ Photos
MysteryThriller

A laid-back American truck driver in south Australia suspects a man with a green van of killing young women along his route, and becomes embroiled in a game of cat-and-mouse to catch him.A laid-back American truck driver in south Australia suspects a man with a green van of killing young women along his route, and becomes embroiled in a game of cat-and-mouse to catch him.A laid-back American truck driver in south Australia suspects a man with a green van of killing young women along his route, and becomes embroiled in a game of cat-and-mouse to catch him.

  • Director
    • Richard Franklin
  • Writers
    • Everett De Roche
    • Richard Franklin
  • Stars
    • Stacy Keach
    • Jamie Lee Curtis
    • Marion Edward
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    10K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Richard Franklin
    • Writers
      • Everett De Roche
      • Richard Franklin
    • Stars
      • Stacy Keach
      • Jamie Lee Curtis
      • Marion Edward
    • 88User reviews
    • 76Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 nominations total

    Videos1

    Road Games
    Trailer 2:03
    Road Games

    Photos109

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 104
    View Poster

    Top cast21

    Edit
    Stacy Keach
    Stacy Keach
    • Pat Quid
    Jamie Lee Curtis
    Jamie Lee Curtis
    • Hitch
    Marion Edward
    Marion Edward
    • Frita
    Grant Page
    Grant Page
    • Smith or Jones
    Thaddeus Smith
    • Police
    Steve Millichamp
    Steve Millichamp
    • Police
    • (as Stephen Millichamp)
    Alan Hopgood
    Alan Hopgood
    • Lester
    John Murphy
    John Murphy
    • Benny Balls
    Bill Stacey
    • Captain Careful
    Robert Thompson
    Robert Thompson
    • Sneezy Rider
    Ed Turley
    • Roadhouse Proprietor
    Angelica La Bozzetta
    Angelica La Bozzetta
    • Hitchhiker
    • (as Angie La Bozzetta)
    Colin Vancao
    • Fred Frugal
    Paul Harris
    • Frugal Child
    Rochelle Harris
    • Frugal Child
    Tony Bishop
    • Honeymooner
    Abbe Holmes
    • Honeymooner
    Carole-Ann Aylett
    • Cleaning Lady
    • (as Carol Ann Aylett)
    • Director
      • Richard Franklin
    • Writers
      • Everett De Roche
      • Richard Franklin
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews88

    6.610.3K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    7jeffronthi

    Better Than You Think

    I would not recommend you wait on this if you are a fan of suspense. There is also an early role for Jamie Lee Curtis, as well. There are decent performances all around, save for the horrible police officers. They must have been the real thing.

    Pros: High suspense, well-written characters, great use of a low budget, good plot twist, keeps you guessing, fine ending.

    Cons: Drags in spots, dialogue can be pretentious and unrealistic, a few continuity issues, with respect to sequencing.

    For a PG rated movie, this is rather adult themed and creepy, if not scary. I recommend this film to all.
    lrc81

    Quality movie

    Stacy Keach plays a truck driver, he and his best friend, a dingo, are taking meat to Perth, along the way he wonders about other drivers and their life, a way to keep himself distracted. A suspicious green van catches his attention, later on when he finds out that murders have been taking place, he immediately associates them with the van. After watching the van's driver bury a couple of bags in the middle of the desert he has no more doubts about the relation of it to the murders. Braking "truckers" rules he picks up a hitchhiker, Pam (Jamie Lee Curtis), they'll complement each other perfectly, sharing murder theories among other things. The police ends up suspecting Pat (Stacy Keach) so Pam believes that the only way for him to prove is innocence is to find the real killer but he finds them first and kidnaps her, or is it that she went by her own free will?

    Nice thriller, the acting as you can expect is pretty good. Keach and Curtis create a believable bond, a mutual crush develops but the age difference is a problem. The script is fairly intelligent and certainly effective. Keach's character is full of theories and anecdotes, which keeps the movie interesting at moments where all you see is the Australian outback. Well worth watching.
    Dethcharm

    There's A Killer On The Road...

    In ROAD GAMES, a long-haul trucker in Australia named Quid (Stacey Keach) is moving a load of pig carcasses. Along the way, he witnesses what could be a murder. The tension builds, as things start to add up to a serial killer on the loose scenario.

    Enter Jamie Lee Curtis as a hitchhiker who turns out to be very helpful in tracking down the murderer. Together, the pair get too close for the killer's comfort.

    ROAD GAMES is a cat and mouse film full of mystery and suspense. There are also heavy doses of dry humor. Mr. Keach and Ms. Curtis make a wonderful sleuthing team. Highly recommended for fans of both...
    7claudio_carvalho

    Suspenseful Black Humor At Best

    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")
    7pumaye

    Rear Window on the road

    Nice, quiet thriller with hitchcockian tones, with Stacy Keach as a truck driver would be Sherlock Holmes in the Australian wilderness, following a possible hitchiker murderer. With a young and pretty Jamie Lee Curtis and several curious cameos. Not to be missed if you like a strange, fascinating road movie.

    Best Emmys Moments

    Best Emmys Moments
    Discover nominees and winners, red carpet looks, and more from the Emmys!

    More like this

    The Hitcher
    7.2
    The Hitcher
    Patrick
    6.2
    Patrick
    Next of Kin
    6.2
    Next of Kin
    Alice, Sweet Alice
    6.4
    Alice, Sweet Alice
    Long Weekend
    6.5
    Long Weekend
    Terror Train
    5.8
    Terror Train
    Razorback
    6.0
    Razorback
    Rolling Thunder
    6.9
    Rolling Thunder
    The Stepfather
    6.7
    The Stepfather
    Road Games
    5.3
    Road Games
    Psycho II
    6.6
    Psycho II
    The Entity
    6.7
    The Entity

    Related interests

    Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway in Chinatown (1974)
    Mystery
    Cho Yeo-jeong in Parasite (2019)
    Thriller

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Stacy Keach learned to drive a 16-gear semi truck in just two days for the role of Quid. He drove the truck about 1,600 miles during the production.
    • Goofs
      Quid says dingoes don't bark which is not true. (As it turns out, his dog, Bosworth, isn't a dingo, so he's even wrong about that.)
    • Quotes

      Patrick 'Pat' Quid: Madam, just because I drive a truck does not make me a truck driver.

    • Crazy credits
      The closing credits roll over the image of the words 'tomorrow's bacon' written on the back of Quid's trailer.
    • Connections
      Featured in Roadgames: A Lecture by Richard Franklin, Barbi Taylor and Brian May (1981)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ17

    • How long is Road Games?Powered by Alexa
    • What poem is Quid quoting from whilst camping at the abandoned town?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 27, 1981 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • Australia
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Truck Driver
    • Filming locations
      • Nullabor Plain, Western Australia, Australia
    • Production companies
      • Essaness Pictures
      • The Australian Film Commission
      • Film Victoria
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • A$1,750,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $306
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 41m(101 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.