Watch Joy Ride

Joy Ride is a 2001 thriller movie directed by John Dahl. It features Steve Zahn, Paul Walker, and Leelee Sobieski in the lead roles. The movie follows the story of three young adults who set out on a road trip across the American West. But what starts as a fun adventure quickly turns into a terrifying ordeal when they cross paths with a mysterious truck driver known only as "Rusty Nail."

The movie opens with Lewis Thomas (Paul Walker) driving to Colorado to pick up his brother Fuller (Steve Zahn) from jail. Fuller is a wild, carefree guy who persuades Lewis to take a detour to Utah to pick up a girl he met online named Venna (Leelee Sobieski). Along the way, in a moment of boredom, Fuller decides to play a prank on a truck driver they encounter on the road by communicating with him using a CB radio. He pretends to be a beautiful woman whose car has broken down, and the trucker, who calls himself Rusty Nail, falls for the ruse. But when the prank goes wrong, Rusty Nail vows revenge, setting off a series of terrifying events that puts their lives in danger.

As they drive down the highway, they hear Rusty Nail's voice on the CB radio, seeking revenge for the cruel prank they played on him. At first, they laugh it off, but soon they realize that Rusty Nail is following them, and he is not content until he inflicts maximum pain on them. Rusty Nail turns out to be a cunning and brutal adversary, capable of orchestrating elaborate traps and deadly schemes to get what he wants. And what he wants is to punish the trio for their cruel prank, one way or another.

The tension and suspense in Joy Ride build steadily as Rusty Nail's attacks become more frequent and more deadly. The trio is pitted against a shadowy figure who seems to have unlimited resources and an unbreakable determination to cause them harm. At the same time, they must face their own weaknesses and fears if they hope to survive this ordeal. Paul Walker's character exhibits emotional depth as he tries to protect the girl he likes, while Steve Zahn's character provides the essential comic relief that makes the movie less dreary.

The movie is well-directed and keeps the audience engaged throughout the entire runtime. Dahl knows how to create tension and suspense, never letting the viewer off the hook until the very end. The cinematography is also worth noting, featuring some beautiful landscapes that contrast sharply with the darkness and violence of the story. The music by Marco Beltrami also adds to the movie's intense atmosphere.

Joy Ride is one of those movies that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. It's a harrowing story of three young adults who find themselves pitted against an unstoppable enemy, and it's a testament to the power of well-crafted suspense. The characters are not just helpless victims, they're multidimensional people with hopes, fears, and desires. The story keeps you guessing until the very last minute, and you never quite know how it's going to end. If you're a fan of thriller movies, Joy Ride is definitely worth watching.

Joy Ride is a 2001 mystery with a runtime of 1 hour and 38 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.6 and a MetaScore of 75.