Almost Van Movies: Road Games, 1981.

Another late entry, this one is actually a horror film which would explain why it exists past the normal era of van-films. It stars Jamie Lee Curtis in one of her earlier film roles alongside Stacy Keach, the guy who played Mike Hammer. It’s an Australian film and I watched the first 3 minutes with my volume down because I was too lazy to reach over to the remote (remember having to actually walk up to the TV to change the volume? I do;) so between the volume and the accent I have no idea what anyone said in the first scene. Oi ya dingo mate dollerydoo chunder or something like that. Being an Australian film about cars, I should mention that it came out the same year as Mad Max 2 but I doubt that this could truly be called Ozploitation. That said, the first two Mad Max films and Road Games both have the same composer – Brian May (no not that one).

An interesting connection – our main truckin’ man Quid (Mr Keach) hauls pork. Mrs Curtis is known for her work in John Carpenter films. Mr Carpenter named the van in Big Trouble in Little China the Pork Chop Express. Coincidence? I think not.

this is an excellent poster

So Quid picks up Mrs Curtis and the two try and track down a serial killer. One problem with this though. Most of it takes place in the truck, not the van. Of course, Hitch (Mrs Curtis) eventually ends up with the van-driving murderer but because everything is told from Quid’s point of view, we don’t get to see much of the van. Very poor choice. What is the van? Apparently it’s a 1973 Bedford CF with a custom paintjob depicting a spider on some sand-dunes.

The movie is filmed well enough with an earlier scene depicting our killer murdering someone with a guitar string looking spectacular. His standing in the doorway made me want to watch the X-Files. The sound design is also pretty good. Music is used “diagetically” with characters turning on the radio or even performing the music (notably Quid and his harmonica). The volume of the music ranges from soft to loud which makes a significant impact on the mood of a scene. Check out Quid’s phone call in the roadside diner how the music begins over a jukebox. It really heightens the tension of Quid trying desperately to contact the police.

Not only are the technical aspects of this film fairly good, but it remains enjoyable (despite the lack of van) – there’s a very natural comedy that isn’t just people cracking a joke than looking at the camera to remind you that you’re supposed to laugh, there’s tension, there’s action and car chases, and the setting of the Australian outback is desolate which works to separate our characters from the safety of civilization, further heightening the potential for despair.

This movie annoys me for the lack of van but it’s actually a really good movie. If you’ve ever driven for a long time, and I mean a proper long time, 16+ hours in a day, you start to appreciate the road-madness that Quid gets. Good old highway hypnosis. Pull over every once in a while and grab a pepperoni stick and some powerade. You’ll thank me for it. Anyways there’s this sort of Ahabian obsession with hunting down the serial killer and his van. There’s a little roadside diner and the van isn’t really tricked out and there’s no bar fights. This movie fails to impress as a van movie and therefore must be case into the fires of Hell. That said it’s a decent thriller. One Disappointing Thumb Up Seal of Approval.

PS If you ever start to see roadlines going in different directions while you’re driving, be safe. Pull over. You’re not in that much of a rush. You can’t watch van movies if you’re dead.