“Duel” meets “Rear Window!”
Welcome to our final installment of Theatre of the Less Obvious for 2024! “Unlucky” 13 takes us back to Australia for the 2nd and final time (however I can assure you this Oz original is a far higher-quality and more “accessible” flick than our last one from The Land Down Under!) Interestingly, however, although this movie is a full Oz production-produced there, filmed there, and helmed by an Australian director-the 2 main leads are Americans! And what Americans they are: understated silent hero-type Stacy Keach, and everyone’s favorite “scream queen” Jamie Lee Curtis star in this excellent, underrated suspense film that takes place on the vast roads of the Outback.
If Hitchcock had ever decided to travel to Oz and trade the streets of London or New York for the open road, there’s little doubt the result would have been something like this, for Road Games is a criminally forgotten thriller than can hold a candle to the best suspense films you’ve seen; it utilizes the beauty and desolation of its surroundings to great affect, and it builds tension the way the best suspense films do: slowly, but steadily, leading up to a terrific climax that keeps you guessing until the last second of the reveal! It moves along like the acceleration of an immense diesel powered big rig…which is apropros, considering the film’s main “vehicle” is a RHD Mercedes-Benz NG-2224 pulling a refrigerated box filled with meat. How much meat, and what type, provides part of the suspense!
“Pig in a poke, better start shakin, yesterday’s pig is tomorrow’s bacon!”
The film follows Pat Quid (Keach), a philosophical and sharp-witted truck driver, as he embarks on a long haul through the desolate roads of Western Australia. Along the way, Quid starts to suspect a man driving a green Bedford CF van of killing young women along his route, and becomes entangled in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Quid is joined by Pamela “Hitch” Rushworth (Curtis), a spirited and adventurous hitchhiker who becomes his ally in unraveling the mystery. As Quid and Hitch dig deeper into the unsettling trail of evidence, the line between paranoia and reality blurs; Quid races to prove his theory while trying to prevent Hitch from becoming the next victim…or becoming a victim himself!
Or…is he? Is it possible that the alleged monster in the mysterious van is completely innocent, just another traveler on the road being scapegoated by the real killer, who is actually much closer to Hitch…perhaps even in the cab of Quid’s truck?
As Quid’s fear and fatigue build, the audience becomes part of the cat and mouse game, and everyone both on and off screen begins to question what’s real and what’s in Quid’s head! A pair of Outback cops (in a wicked looking Ford Falcon police cruiser which looks like a ride pulled right off the set of the original Mad Max) have their own ideas, and keep their eye on Quid’s truck as he makes his way to the coastal city. What they find there when the final confrontation comes provides the movie’s tense and nail-biting climax!
While its not a movie about cars or car racing per se, it most definitely is a movie about driving and the open road, and explores the freedom and excitement – and the potential danger – of the experience of driving long distances across a big country. For gearheads, it provides an interesting look at some of the vehicles unique to Australian roads, and Quid’s bright green and yellow rig, with its blade-like front hubs and audible turbo whine, is almost a character of its own.
I’m extremely fond of this type of movie, but then, a lot of people are; it contains little overt violence or gore, but the subject matter is extremely creepy, and the film’s pacing and cinematography are excellent. The idea of staging a suspense mystery out on the open road is brilliant! Road Games is a well-made film very much in the Hitchcockian mold; that it is so little known-at least here in the States-is a real shame, but seek it out and I promise you, you shan’t be disappointed!
SO…where can you see it?
Roadgames was of course released on VHS since it is a product of the VHS era, but it has been released on DVD and, more recently, was treated to a richly deserved semi-restoration and reissue on Blu-Ray. As of this moment, it is readily available to watch for free either on Tubi or on “FreeVee” if you have an Amazon Prime account, and it is also available with a subscription to either Peacock or Shudder! Remember, though, that these streaming services change their stripes often, so if you want to stream it, don’t delay! Whatever medium you choose, don’t miss this one!
Watch Road Games (1981) – Free Movies | Tubi
I’ll admit that I haven’t heard of this one and surprised it hasn’t come up in any of my searches! This sounds terrific with this story line and actors! Thanks for this recommendation!
this is another one that I thought you and I watched together almost 20 years ago, but if I’m wrong and you’ve never seen this, then you’ve got a definite add for your flick list! Might a be great add for “summer road flicks 2025!”