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Reviews
El rey de la montaña (2007)
Good movie!
Maria Valverde make for a sympathetic pairing, wisely the film doesn't stop to long to give them a relationship but they have a certain mild chemistry that makes their bond under adversity a compelling one. For around two thirds or so of its length King of The Hill is rather great, hardly earth shattering in its events or approach but sufficiently well handled that it really stands out, unfortunately it doesn't end the same way. Like most films of its mysterious ilk, there's a "big reveal" here, and it's deeply ill-advised, an attempt at sombre significance that flops hard. A turn in events that would be unlikely and fairly tricky to pull off even if it were a significant part of the film from the start, here the film expects us to just buy the plot turn and then continues in the same uncompromising vein as before. To say much about why it doesn't work would be going into spoiler territory and since other have enjoyed this much more than I and not been troubled by the finale I won't divulge events, but for me it was daft verging on laughable, it not only took all the wind out of the film's sails but also rather tainted what had gone before. A saddening turn of events, as I wanted to dig this one and it came close to being a winner, but I can only go by my final impression, which was one of disappointment. A 5/10 then, even though for a fair amount of the runtime this is more like a high 7.
Joy Ride (2001)
OK thriller
It would be very easy to overlook 'Roadkill' (the title 'Joy Ride' is known by here in Australia), especially considering the leads are mainly known for asinine teen movies. But dig a little deeper and you will see that it is directed by the underrated John Dahl, also responsible for the crackerjack thriller 'Red Rock West' a decade ago. Paul Walker ('The Skulls') is very effective as your average joe college kid, and Steve Zahn ('Out Of Sight') is even better as his smart ass older brother. Zahn is a talented comic often better than the movies he appears in, and he is in fine form here. The chemistry between the two is believable and amusing without becoming tired. Leelee Sobieski ('Eyes Wide Shut') has yet to make much of an impact on me, and there's very little to change that here. She is passable but little more than eye candy as Walker's potential love interest. The real star of the movie is the mysterious and frightening trucker Rusty Nail ('The Silence Of The Lambs' Ted Levine). Of course the whole scenario is hugely indebted to Spielberg's suspense classic 'Duel', but Dahl and co. manage to put a fresh and exiting spin on familiar material. 'Roadkill' won't change your life, but it is a genuinely exciting and effective thriller, a real rarity in Hollywood these days. Hitchcock it ain't but it's a very entertaining popcorn movie with plenty of thrills and twists.