Freeway (1996)

Freeway is a twisted retelling of the Little Red Riding Hood story with Reese Witherspoon playing the part of Vanessa Lutz, a potty-mouth piece of White trash who has to find her way to grandma’s house after the police arrest her mom and step dad for charges ranging from drug possession and prostitution to molestation.

On the way to grandma’s, Vanessa’s car breaks down and she is offered a ride by Bob Wolverton (a terrific Kiefer Sutherland), a seemingly mild-mannered social worker who may or may not be a psycho serial killer. Soon after they meet, Vanessa and Bob are at each other’s throats – literally. When the smoke clears and the blood finally settles, she, being a minor, ends up in reform school and he is left a deformed cripple bent on revenge.

And that’s just the first half of the movie.

Freeway is a twisted tale and may be too much for some people to sit through, let alone enjoy. If you get beyond the gore, though, and find its darkly enjoyable comedy center, you will be in for a treat.

Without taking anything away from Witherspoon’s more popular performances, the portrayal of Vanessa Lutz is one of her best. Maybe it’s because Lutz is everything Witherspoon isn’t in her other roles – foul-mouthed, angry, violent, slutty and, above all, totally believable. Sure, she made a great June Carter Cash in Walk the Line, but seeing her bring Vanessa Lutz to such vibrant life on the screen truly shows how good she is as an actress.

Starring Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland.

IMDB Site.