Director
Matthew Bright
Cast
Kiefer Sutherland……….Bob Wolverton
Reese Witherspoon……….Vanessa Lutz
Wolfgang Bodison……….Detective Mike Breer
Dan Hedaya……….Detective Garnet Wallace
Amanda Plummer……….Ramona Lutz
Brooke Shields……….Mimi Wolverton
The Movie
For the bulk of his career, Kiefer Sutherland seemingly has been an actor who most think should be a much bigger star than he is. Much like Val Kilmer, Sutherland was a much bigger star as a younger actor than he was for the bulk of his career. Up until 24 seemingly reinvented him as the baddest man alive, Sutherland had a career of smaller roles in big films and big roles in smaller films to keep him busy. One of those small roles over the years was in the critically acclaimed but woefully under seen Freeway, a modern retelling of sorts of the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood.”
Sutherland stars as Bob Wolverton (Wolverton, get it?), a psycho with an eye for young women. Into his clutches comes Vanessa (Reese Witherspoon), whose parents have been arrested and sent to jail. Refusing to go into foster care, Vanessa escapes to the open road to find the grandmother she has never met. When her car breaks down, and Wolverton offers her a ride, what starts out as a road trip bonding experience between a counselor and a troubled teen turns into something completely different.
The film is a modern take on the fairy tale known to children and adults alike, obviously, so telling it in this manner is rather interesting. Vanessa doesn’t need anyone standing up to protect her and everyone around has a lot of secrets, which is interesting enough, but how the film tells the story makes it much the more fascinating. It’s offbeat and a little cynical about human nature from the beginning, which gives it a bit of a different vibe.
And Freeway wouldn’t work without a young Reese Witherspoon in its lead role. It might seem against type for her to play a white trash, foul mouthed hillbilly, especially in light of winning an Oscar for playing June Cash, but in hindsight it’s obvious to see just how talented she was even back then. She has a zest for the role that’s amusing on a number of levels. There’s a certain joy to be found as Vanessa smiles while making a prison shank or while mocking Wolverton after a major incident halfway through the film. Witherspoon’s charm is endearing, making us sympathize for the character despite some obvious character flaws.
Sutherland has a top-notch performance as well as the creepy Mr. Wolverton. Equal parts sadistic and menacing, it’s the type of performance needed to balance out the natural empathy towards Vanessa. The sort of sympathy a key event could give him is balanced out by what he says and, more importantly, by what he does nonverbally.
Getting a re-release of sorts by Lionsgate on DVD, Freeway is an interesting interpreation of a beloved fairy tale, and the sort of film worth a rental if only to see two stars of the last five years before they took on their better known roles.
The Audio
Presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 format, the film takes advantage of the format well enough but doesn’t perform adequately for large portions of the film. Sometimes the film sounds terrific, and other times it varies wildly as it goes from being overly loud to being overly quiet.
The Video
Presented in a widescreen format, the film’s visual format is strong. With bright colors and a wide variety of them, the film’s visuals are relatively strong.
The Extras
Not much is offered in the way of extras, as a Director’s Commentary and the Theatrical Trailer are the only things provided.
| The DVD Lounge’s Ratings for Freeway | |
