A lot of fun.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

"Road Games" features Stacy Keach as Pat Quid, an American truck driver working for a meat company in Australia. Meanwhile, a serial killer is kidnapping young women and dumping their dismembered body parts along desolate Australian highways. He picks up a young American hitchhiker, Pamela (Jamie Lee Curtis), and the two muse on the road over the killer's motives—that is until they come face to face with him.Unsung and relatively forgotten, "Road Games" is an effective road thriller that seems to have been inspiration for such films as "The Hitcher" and even elements of the post-millennial "Jeepers Creepers" (check out the body dumping scene at the beginning) and "Wolf Creek." The film has a slow-moving first act that demands patience—which, from my knowledge, seems to be an Australian filmic tradition—before ratcheting up the suspense as Quid and Pamela become embroiled within the killer's web. Richard Franklin, who would later direct the sequel to "Psycho," is very evidently inspired by Hitchcock on a visual level, though Everett De Roche's script is every bit as Hitchcockian. Many have remarked this feature of the film, but it also takes its cues from Aussie cinema, with the aforementioned slowburn approach, as well as an acute attention to the landscapes. In terms of scares, the film takes a more subtle approach, but is no less effective. Keach's scene in the truck freezer is among the most understated, terrifying scenes I've seen in a film.Stacy Keach is remarkably likable as the lonesome trucker, while Jamie Lee Curtis, just off her scream queen beginnings with "Halloween," "Terror Train," and "Prom Night," is fresh-faced and spunky as the snarky and insouciant hitchhiker. Of the post- "Halloween" horror and thriller films that she did, this is probably one of the classier, and not at all in the league of the slasher film. There is a lot of dialogue between the two, both handled very nicely, and in that sense the film is quite character-driven. Many have criticized the ending of the film as predictable, and I suppose they're right—but the truth is that it just works.Overall, I found "Road Games" to be a competent and unrelentingly entertaining thriller. As someone who enjoys road movies, coming across this film was a surprise and a pleasure. It's well-shot, well-acted, and has a solid second half that pays off the slow climb of the first. And, I mean, come on—Jamie Lee Curtis and Stacy Keach being stalked by a killer in the outback? There's nothing quite like that. 9/10.

His name is Quid. Patrick Anthony Quid. As in, British Sterling. He's an Aussie truckie, who whiles away long hours on the road by quoting poetry, talking to Boswell, and obsessively people-watching, which leads to the trail of a Jack The Ripper-like killer carving his way across the Nullarbor Plain. For such a verbose screenplay, Keach's sometimes lengthy monologues are quite witty and serve to move the plot forward without being overly self explanatory, while the addition of hitchhiker Sunny Day does also. JLC (basically in an extended cameo) turns up midway as Quid's next hitchhiker and potential target for Mr. Smith Or Jones.Film's plot is secondary to the characters, the majority of the screenplay is really an excuse for Keach to have fun with his philosophical, overly poetic character, and interact with JLC's likeminded character about the killer and his motives, while the actual killer is basically just a background player, only in a few minutes of the film, and his character has no lines of dialogue. Well photographed, largely in the confines of the truck's cab, and in the Australian Outback, with a dynamite 360-degree shot in a roadhouse bar; it, among other elements, give this the atmosphere and the feeling of a latter day noir/ Hitchcock film.

Creepy, atmospheric thriller concerning a lone trucker (Keach) on his way across the unforgiving central Australian outback en route to WA, when he learns of a possible serial killer responsible for the deaths and disappearances of several young women. His long, laborious journey gives him ample time to turn private investigator but his interest in the disappearances lead him into suspicion for the crimes.Rather grim and gruesome in parts, "Roadgames" is akin to "The Hitcher" in that it puts the protagonist on the open road, traversing the countryside, taking opportunistic victims as they come. Told from the "Rear Window" perspective, much like Howell's character in "The Hitcher", the added dimension of Keach also being a suspect is novel and keeps you guessing.The uniquely Australian landscape adds some modicum of originality, and Keach is always watchable, but the film fades in the second half. Chilling and unexpected as the conclusion is (and it should be said, quite graphic) it doesn't redeem the picture. Should satisfy those who like the serial killer sub-genre and it's always a pleasure to see the colours, tones and quirky characters of the outback, even if they are clichéd stereotypes.

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.