Joy Ride 3 - DVD

Content: Rusty Nail is back! For the third time, the killer trucker (Ken Kirzinger) is taking out anyone who gets in his way. After brutally killing a couple of junkies, he meets up with young race car driver Jordan (Jesse Hutch) on the infamous Highway 17. When Jordan's buddy Austin cuts Rusty Nail's truck during a passing maneuver, it's clear to the serial killer who his next victims will be. And so begins a bloody fight for survival for Jordan and his friends, where even the police and Jordan's racing skills can't help them...

Joy Ride by John Dahl from 2001 was not only a successful thriller, but was also the beginning of a very big career for two stars. Both the much too early deceased main actor Paul Walker, as well as screenwriter J.J. Abrams, in the meantime ascended to Star Wars director, could show after this thriller very well received by critics and audiences quite a few great successes. That this will also succeed the actors and makers of the second sequel, may rightly be doubted. Because neither the script reveals any special finesse, nor do the actors deliver great performances. And yet, Joy Ride 3 is a lot of fun, especially compared to its rather screwed-up predecessor.

Director Declan O`Brien had already snatched up a popular horror franchise with his direct-to-DVD sequels to the box-office surprise Wrong Turn. The result was at times very entertaining, at other times subterraneously bad. That's why O`Brien doesn't necessarily enjoy the best reputation, especially among genre fans. Certainly, Joy Ride 3, realized with a mini-budget in only twenty shooting days, doesn`t really revolutionize the genre and has some dramaturgical weaknesses. But O`Brien has directed his attempt to pimp classic slasher horror with light Fast 6 Furious elements with a lot of visible joy to macabre humor and passion for the genre. And that ensures that this third road trip with highway butcher Rusty Nail has become very entertaining despite some criticisms.

From a nasty opening sequence in which Rusty Nail already proves his creativity in turning his truck into a killing machine, to the explosive finale in a junkyard, the film offers pace, some suspense, a fair amount of black humor and a whole series of successful slasher moments - in fact, everything the inclined genre fan wants to see. Who needs a sophisticated character drawing or clever dialogues? If you don't take the whole thing too seriously and just want to see a solidly crafted, very entertaining horror thriller, you can safely go on this bloody road trip along Highway 17, also known as Death Road. Worth seeing!

Image + Sound: The DVD's image is absolutely clean and has very good overall sharpness, especially in the bright outdoor scenes, with little drop-off in quality even in the darker scenes. Colours are powerfully mixed and contrasts are also well matched. The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix seems a little lacking in power during the dialogue sequences. But this impression changes at the latest in the pleasantly lively action sequences, where not only roaring engines provide a good surround feeling. Good!

Extras: The DVD has plenty of decent and sometimes very entertaining extras to offer. Starting off is an audio commentary by director Declan O`Brien and Brett Levinsohn, who was involved in the making of the film. This commentary is a prime example of a successful audio commentary: entertaining, self-deprecating, informative and very charming, O`Brien reveals an obvious love for his work here, while also always being aware that he is not directing great cinematic art.

In addition to the good commentary, the DVD also has a nice making of (approx. 11:24 min.), as well as a four-part director's diary (approx. 8:59 min.) to offer. In the pre-visualization sequences (approx. 6:40 min.), which are usually created on the computer, O`Brien again shows his very special sense of humor and at the same time makes clear how elaborate the chases were for a low budget production like this. There are also three cut scenes (approx. 5:37 min.), as well as a message from Jewel (approx. 1:17 min.), which strictly speaking also belongs to the cut scenes. Finally, there's a short featurette on the casting of Large Marge (approx. 3:45 mins), the director's little reminiscence of Pe-Wee's madcap adventures. For a small production, a pleasantly comprehensive bonus package that really has some small highlights to offer. Good!

Conclusion:Joy Ride 3 shouldn`t really be that much fun as a direct-to-DVD sequel that was directed on a mini-budget in just twenty days of shooting. But director Declan O`Brien, who has not only made friends with horror fans with his Wrong Turn sequels, has staged a very entertaining genre contribution with his mix of horror and Fast & Furious action, which can convince with hefty slasher scenes, fast-paced chases and a pinch of self-mockery. No milestone of the modern horror film, but definitely a very entertaining home theater premiere, which presents itself in good picture and sound quality and also has some good extras to offer. For this there is a very clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp