Exit Speed (2008)

Director:

Scott Ziehl

Writer (WGA):

Michael Stokes (written by)

Release Date:

26 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Plot:

On Christmas Eve, ten strangers board a bus traveling across Texas. Far out in the wilds they collide with a meth-addicted biker...

Plot Keywords:

Bus | Beautiful Woman | Murder

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Desmond Harrington	...	Sam Cutter
Lea Thompson	...	Maudie McMinn
Julie Mond	...	Merideth Cole
Alice Greczyn	...	Annabel Drake
Fred Ward	...	Sergeant Archie Sparks
Gregory Jbara	...	Jerry Yarbro
David Rees Snell	...	Danny Gunn
Kelli Dawn Hancock	...	Desiree
Nick Sowell	...	Duke
Everett Sifuentes	...	Mr. Vargas
Wally White	...	Walter Lindley
Danielle Beacham	...	Joey Ryan
Asante Jones	...	Sheriff Tom Jasper
Roy Samuelson	...	Vic Towbridge
Denise Lee	...	Louella Burton

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and drug use.

Runtime:

USA:91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | Singapore:M18 | Australia:MA (2009)

Filming Locations:

Dallas, Texas, USA

Company:

Sabbatical Pictures

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: The nomad with shades and helmet during the night shootout.

Movie Connections:

References Mad Max (1979)

Hidden gem despite name and box art

Let me start off by saying that it blew away all my expectations. The trailer looked good so I picked it up expecting yet another low budget, straight-to-DVD action flick with small appearances by a couple of semi-recognizable stars (Fred Ward, Tremors; Lea Thompson, Back to the Future). Big mistake; this movie was so much more.

This was not your standard action movie. The characters start out as one dimensional cardboard cut-outs that all find themselves on the same bus to El Paso (ex-GI chick with mysterious past, angry coach, horny teen, artsy chick, foreign guy, worried mom... you get the idea). But when the action picks up and situations start to arise, each character shows a second or third dimension. Seriously, even people who die early on become more than just cardboard cut-outs. Props to the screenwriter and director for creating such great characters.

Another great thing about this movie is its strong female characters. There are no damsels in distress who need to be saved here. Every woman, in her own way, is an absolute bad*ss. I'll even go as far as to say that there is a character in this movie who ranks among Ripley and Sarah Connor in the most bad*ss woman in cinema category.

If I have to nag about something, though, it's the pacing. There are a couple of long stretches in this movie where little to no action happens, but I guess that's where character development fills in nicely.

I'll end by saying I recommend this movie to anyone who loves a good action and that this movie deserves a much higher rating than its current 5.0/10.