Freeway [VHS]

I absolutely loved this very, VERY dark and violent comedy, which by its general atmosphere and kind of humor reminded me strongly of "True Romance" and a little bit of "Pulp Fiction". Limited SPOILERS below.This is the story of Vanessa Lutz (Reese Witherspoon), a 16 years old girl living with her mother (a crack addict and a prostitute) and her stepfather (a crack addict and petty thief). She is half-illiterate but very resourceful and street-wise. In the beginning of the film, after a particularly horrible day, she decides to run away and go live with her grandmother. But on the way she meets a certain Bob Wolverton (Kieffer Sutherland), a charming, gentle, helpful man, with a wide smile and really big teeth... What follows, is for you to discover, but let me tell you - you are in for a wild ride!This film was made before Reese Witherspoon big break, so she really put everything she had or could borrow in her acting, and believe me, she is INCREDIBLE! Without the slightest doubt, this is her best role ever! Kieffer Sutherland is as good, even if his character is a little bit more typical and therefore more previsible. Brooke Shields plays a smaller but important role of Bob's wife. Amanda Plummer (famous for her role of Hunny Bunny in "Pulp Fiction") is absolutely amazing as Vanessa'a mum. And finally, there is Brittany Murphy, who plays a small role, but steals the show in every scene she appears in! Frankly, she completely impressed me in this film - it is such a pity that she left us so young...The major strength of this film is in the incredible, clever, frequently funny and sometimes surrealistic dialogs, which bear strong resemblance to those from "True Romance" and sometimes also from "Pulp Fiction". It is understandable as director and writer of "Freeway", Matthew Bright, made his life mostly as scenario writer before trying his luck in directing. Considering that "Freway" was his first film, it is a pity that for some reason his career didn't take off, as his next three films were complete failures and he didn't turn anything since 2003.Although dialogs are great, be advised that they are by moments shocking, pretty obscene and quasi pornographic - and therefore this is a film for adults only. Also, "Freeway" is very politically incorrect (an asset as far as I am concerned) and some more violent moments can be pretty disturbing. Finally, the whole climate of the movie as well as the main character (Vanessa) are moraly very... well, questionnable. It is good, solid entertainment - but not for all tastes.Botom line, this is an excellent, very surprising and by moments extremely funny film, with top level dialogs and a bunch of great actors. I absolutely keep my DVD to a re-watch. Enjoy - if you dare!

Freeway is written and directed by Matthew Bright. It stars Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Dan Hedaya, Wolfgang Bodison, Brooke Shields & Brittany Murphy. Plot is darkly based around the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale and sees young runaway Vanessa Lutz (Witherspoon) hit the road after her parents are arrested. Setting off to visit her grandmother she agrees to a lift from the kind and well spoken Bob Wolverton (Sutherland), only to find that he's not as nice as she first thought. He in turn is in for a big surprise himself since Vanessa is more than capable of looking after herself.Twisted and richly humorous, Matthew Bright's movie oozes originality and quite frankly deserves to be better appreciated: never mind better known! Going into it for a first time completely oblivious to its structure will arguably aid the experience. Suffice to say that the less known about it prior to viewing it the better. All I have to say is that it's violent, sweary and contains very sexually explicit dialogue, so if those things are likely to offend then perhaps stay away from it. But what if I offer up that those things are dealt with a satirical bent? That the tough scenes, and some of them are very tough, are basis to a caustic narrative about social hypocrisy and the often stupidity of the law? Interested? You should be, because once viewed you're unlikely to forget it. It's no surprise to see Oliver Stone's name etched onto the production credits, since this very much feels like a dirty second cousin to his Natural Born Killers. I'd argue that here we have the better acted film with Witherspoon and Sutherland giving virtuoso performances: with admirable support coming from the likes of Bodison, Shields and Murphy.One of the most undervalued film's of the 90s? You bet it is! 8.5/10

now that reese witherspoon is a mega hollywood actress commanding $20million a film now is the time to take a look at this quirky black comedy from earlier in her career. Set out like a modern day take on red riding hood follow vanessa lutz as she preaches her way from a an obussive home life through to her stint in prison and her visit to grandmas. This truly is the greatest black comedy you will ever see. Career best from the young mrs witherspoon (after watching this it makes you wonder why she settles for the rubbish rom-coms we see her in now) and keifer sutherland who is now on the comeback trail with his hit show 24. This truly is a film you can watch over and over again. not for the easily offended

Reese Witherspoon portrays a young woman from socially deprived (and depraved) America; it is edgy and disturbing but ultimately gratifying. It has moments of humour alongside moments of degeneracy but keeps you interested and always on the the side of Reese's character, Vanessa. The DVD would have got 5 stars had it been put together better (looks like its very budget) but the story is great. A must for all Reese fans!

A gritty & hard hitting teen tale that takes some watching.Stick with it & you won't be disappointed.

A very young "REESE WITHERSPOON" puts in a sterling performance in this film that is based on the theme of "RED RIDING HOOD" Worth a look but be aware that this DVD is sold in "GERMAN" only with no subtitles available in" ENGLISH" or any choices in alternative languages.So unless you speak "GERMAN" then you can only watch this film with the mute button on.If a silent film version is your choice then worth the purchase!!

This is an early Reece Witherspoon performance and she does not disappoint. The film begins reasonably predictably but thanks to a great character performance by Reece Witherspoon, the predictability soon ends and becomes more brutal than anticipated. An engaging thriller that keeps you wondering what will happen next.