Totally off the radar in 1997, Freeway is a depraved, futile and violent version of the famous fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, starring Reese Witherspoon, who found one of her best roles here.
Before unveiling himself to the general public in Pleasantville and continuing his upward trajectory with Cruel Intentions, the comedy Legally Blonde or, three years later, his Oscar-winning performance in the solid biopic dedicated to the singer Johnny Cash with Johnny & June, Reese Witherspoon already burst onto the screens in a film still banned for under 16, released in 1997: Freeway.
The plot? With a mother who works as a prostitute to support her crack addiction and a stepfather who molests her, Vanessa Lutz (Reese Witherspoon) is far from having the life of a princess. After her parents have been arrested and she doesn’t want to go back to a group home, she decides, like Little Red Riding Hood, to go and join her grandmother, who lives in a caravan a few hundred kilometers away. Along the way she meets Bob Wolverton, a child psychologist by day. But above all a nocturnal Bad Wolf, a serial killer, necrophile and paedophile. Right…
Penned by Matthew Bright, who has since fallen into near-complete anonymity, Freeway, a colossal box-office failure, deserves serious re-evaluation. The first reason is that Reese Witherspoon is very good and explodes in the role of Vanessa Lutz, fearless, enterprising and absolute mistress of her destiny, even if very busy.
And, of course, to Kiefer Sutherland, who delivers a delightful composition as a psycho wolf in sheep’s clothing to better lure his prey. If the Big Bad Wolf has big teeth, as the story’s tradition dictates, Vanessa Lutz will pull out his fangs…
A trashy and delicious reading of the famous story, to be discovered anyway, especially if we add a cast that remains intact, including Amanda Plummer (Pulp Fiction), Brooke Shields, the late Brittany Murphy, the eternal Dan Hedaya and Michael T. Weiss, who he came to make this film between two seasons of his series The Chameleon.
Unfortunately, Freeway is not available on any stream in Brazil. Despite this, as far as we know, the film circulated a lot in the days of VHS and DVD. It should be noted that the director made a mock sequel two years later, released live-to-video, which is, above all else, another trashy retelling of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.
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Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
