Road Games

If there is one thing i learned from the 1986 cult classic film The Hitcher, never pick up a hitchhiker. This film is one of my favourite action thriller films of the 80´s, and Rutger Hauer did one of his best motion picture performances in his career. He have made many great films, but The Hitcher is a special film. Director Robert Harmon managed to do a very solid thriller, just based on a hitchhiker, who obviously is completely insane. If you have not seen this classic, you need to buy it on dvd, or blu ray. This is one of those films that you have to have in your collection. Speaking of hitchhikers, how many of you remember the film Into The Wild, directed by Sean Penn ? This film is also one of those classics where hitchhiking is included, the emotional story of a man, who is tired of living the ordinary day life. I still see this film to be one of the best films, that Sean Penn have directed, and the lead actor Emile Hirsch did a wonderful performance. In ordinary day life, i never pick up hitchhikers with my car, i suppose i don´t trust anyone who stands with a cardboard sign that says :- I will do anything to get to Oslo. As most of you know, i love checking out independent films, and there are plenty of them coming out every year. Only a few are seen in cinemas, while some of they either get a straight to dvd release, or go straight to VOD. No matter where these independent films make their final landing, i try and keep my eyes open. Over the years, after seeing so many Hollywood block busters, i appreciate the smaller films usually more than the million dollar projects. So i stumbled across an independent film on VOD called Road Games, a film i knew nothing about. And i have to say, that is the best way to be introduced to a film, so you have no idea what to expect. I did notice on the movie poster, that actor Andrew Simpson is in this film. He did a really good performance in the british drama film Notes On A Scandal, where both Judi Dench and Cate Blanchet both delivered top quality acting. He was very young at this time, so i am curious to see him in a lead role, what seems to be a completely different genre. Is the film Road Games a film that manage to deliver more than expected, or is this a film you might as well avoid ?

Jack ( Andrew Simpson ) have been out on a personal journey, as he needed to get away from his home country. He is hitchhiking out in the french countryside, but with no luck. As he walks on the highway, he encounters Véronique (  Joséphine De La Baume ), fighting with her boyfriend. She leaves in the company of Jack, as they hitchhike together. Finally a man named Grizard ( Frédéric Pierrot ) stops to offer them a ride. He will make sure that they have a good night sleep, and food, in his mansion, where he lives with his wife Mary ( Barbara Crampton ). At first, Jack and Véronique feel welcome into the mansion. But they see that both Grizard and Mary have personal issues in their marriage, or is there another reason to why they behave strange ? 

The good thing about smaller independent films, is that you have to use all the necessary tools you can, to make the film feel interesting. With the right locations, strong characters, and really good dialogue, you have a film that will deliver. Road Games may not have all of this, but somewhere along the way, i see a film that at least tries to go forward in the right direction. The story is very simple, and it is not hard to understand the plot. In fact, we have seen films like Road Games before, perhaps in other formats. One of the things i enjoy most about Road Games, is that it is so simple. Everything seems to start off as an ordinary french english drama, when the hitchhikers manage to get a lift. But after a while, the film take a completely different turn, and this is where things get interesting. I won´t spoil any details, just to make it more fun to watch the film.  Even if Road Games have some good ingredients, we do have some smaller problems also. The characters feel a bit too simple, you don´t really get to know them deep enough. And i would have liked to know more, especially Mary, played by legendary actor Barbara Crampton. You can tell that her character is not feeling well, that something is buried deep inside her. I would have wanted to know more on her background, and why she is in such pain. Even if Road Games does not bring anything unique, or something different to the viewers, i still feel this film manage to keep the plot interesting. Director Abner Pastoll may not be someone you heard of before, but he have directed 9 short films, and also the director of the tv series Action UK!. Road Games is his first full feature film, and i like what he is trying to pull together. There is a mix of different genres here, but i would probably call i a thriller drama. Lead actor Andrew Simpson, as the soul searching Jack, should have been more deep, from a character perspective. Joséphine De La Baume as Véronique, is so adorable that you want to see her in more films, she feels very natural. I still think she should have had more scenes, since i have a feeling she could have been even stronger. She does not get to shine, as much as you want her to do. Frédéric Pierrot does manage to give a performance, and he may be one of the stronger characters in this film. He is like a Jekyll and Hyde, 2 personalities, and you don´t really know who he is, and this is something difficult to do as an actor. Road Games shows us what happens, when you run into an unexpected turn in your life, and nothing is what you expected. Not a film you might remember for being original, but there is an interesting twist in here, and this is where Road Games manage to deliver. One thing is clear, be careful being picked up during hitchhiking in the french countryside, unless they have banjos, then you will be ok.

Rating: DDD