Roadgames (1981)

Roadgames takes a gloriously simple premise—a lone trucker on an endless highway—and turns it into a lean, slyly funny nail-biter where the landscape itself feels like an accomplice. Richard Franklin directs with unmistakable Hitchcockian confidence, stretching suspense out of roadside glances, passing headlights, and the terrifying possibility that you’re the only one who sees what’s coming. Stacy Keach makes the hero’s obsession oddly charismatic and human, while Jamie Lee Curtis brings spark and skepticism that keeps the film playful even as the tension tightens. It’s not for everyone if you’re sensitive to serial-killer subject matter and grim implications, but if you like smart, stylish thrillers that earn their chills without drowning in gore, this is a terrific ride.

Roadgames is clearly trying to be a sun-baked Australian Hitchcock riff: a lonely highway, a possibly unreliable observer, and a serial-killer puzzle that plays like a moving rear-window. The problem is it can feel more pleased with its cleverness than actually suspenseful, with talky stretches and a pace that sometimes idles when you want the tension to tighten. If you’re expecting a hard-hitting horror film or a relentless thriller, you may find it oddly tame and a bit “adequate” in its payoffs, despite the grisly subject matter and persistent menace. That said, Stacy Keach and Jamie Lee Curtis have solid chemistry, the outback setting does a lot of atmospheric heavy lifting, and if you enjoy slow-burn cat-and-mouse with a stylish homage vibe, it’s an easy enough ride.