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There's little doubt that Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead suffers from the absence of Ted Levine's voice this time around, as the actor's exceedingly menacing delivery certainly stands as one of the more overtly indelible horror-movie performances in recent years. The film follows four fun-loving youths (Nicki Aycox's Melissa, Laura Jordan's Kayla, Nick Zano's Bobby, and Kyle Schmid's Kyle) as they embark on a road trip to Las Vegas, with their ill-advised decision to steal a car from a seemingly abandoned garage placing them squarely within the sights of a vicious trucker known only as Rusty Nail (Mark Gibbon). In addition to Levine's chilling voice work as Rusty Nail, Joy Ride undoubtedly benefits from the inclusion of an unexpectedly enthralling climax - which proves instrumental in cementing the movie's place as an above-average contemporary thriller.Ī slight cut above its direct-to-video horror brethren, Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead nevertheless suffers from many of the same problems that one tends to associate with low-budget efforts of this ilk - including scarcely-developed characters, derivative storytelling, and a sporadic emphasis on needless elements. There's consequently little doubt that the tension level does tend to ebb and flow throughout the proceedings, which admittedly ensures that the three central figures are afforded plenty of character-building sequence (ie there reaches a point at which one can't help but root for their survival). Abrams prove fairly adept at confounding the viewer's expectations at virtually every turn - something that's particularly true of the mid-film stretch in which it seems as though the threat has been neutralized. It's worth noting that Joy Ride is never quite as predictable as one might've anticipated, as screenwriters Clay Tarver and J.J. Lewis' plans take a hit after his troublesome brother (Steve Zahn's Fuller) tags along for the journey, with the siblings' decision to taunt a psychotic trucker (Ted Levine's Rusty Nail) eventually resulting in an increasingly deadly game of cat and mouse. Paul Walker stars as Lewis Thomas, a straight-laced college student who agrees to a cross-country trip after a friend (Leelee Sobieski's Venna) reveals that she doesn't have a ride home. Though hardly in the same league as filmmaker John Dahl's previous jaunts into thriller territory - ie 1992's Red Rock West, 1994's The Last Seduction, etc - Joy Ride ultimately comes off as a sporadically uneven yet thoroughly entertaining B-movie that boasts a number of genuinely exhilarating sequences and set-pieces.