Part of Midnight Movies
Reese Witherspoon as potty-mouthed white trash Vanessa Lutz is among her most underrated roles. In this modern take on Little Red Riding Hood, Kiefer Sutherland plays the not subtly named Bob Wolverton, a serial killer who meets his match in Vanessa, a fifteen year old on her way to her grandmother’s after her parents are both arrested. Bob picks her up hitchhiking, gains her trust and then reveals himself – but Vanessa is sharp and quick, shooting him and leaving him for dead. Trouble is, he doesn’t die, and instead she finds herself on trial. Can this bad behaving juvenile delinquent win against a well-respected school counselor? You better believe she won’t go down without a fight! Written and directed by Matthew Bright, best known as the screenwriter for FORBIDDEN ZONE, FREEWAY is impressive and often hilarious with a great support cast including Brooke Shields, Amanda Plummer and Dan Hedaya.
“Director Matthew Bright made his debut with this brash little comedy-satire-drama, which he calls, appropriately, an ‘artsploitation’ movie. FREEWAY seemed brave, weird and brazenly refreshing when it was released in theaters in 1996. Bright, who also wrote the script, didn't seem to care whom he offended.” —Stephanie Zacharack, Salon
“Mix together one cup of NATURAL BORN KILLERS with a half-cup of LOS OLVIDADOS, sprinkle liberally with freeze-dried bile and bake for 98 minutes. What you get is Matthew Bright's dark teenage-revenge comedy FREEWAY… A hip, corrosive and often hilarious entertainment, the movie strikes another blow for the American independent film.” —Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner