Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Road Games Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 24, 2016

Richard Franklin's "Road Games" (1981) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Australian label Umbrella Entertainment. The supplemental features on the disc include an original restored trailer for the film; new video piece with cinematographer Vincent Monton; exclusive new audio interviews with Stacey Keach and stunt coordinator and actor Grant Page; archival making of featurette; archival filmed lecture with director Richard Franklin, coproducer Barbi Taylor, and composer Brian May; promotional materials and new video essay by writer Lee Gambin; and a lot more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

The truckie

The film can be genuinely trippy at times, though it actually channels more of the qualities that defined the classic noir pictures than the atmospheric slashers from the 1980s. It is directed by Australian helmer Richard Franklin, whose credits include such horror hits as Patrick and Psycho II.

Stacey Keach plays the veteran truckie Pat Quid, who is contracted to transport a large load of meat across the Outback during a nationwide strike. On the day before he heads to Perth, Quid parks his truck in front of a cheap motel and sees a man (Grant Page, The Tracker) and a woman book the last available room. Visibly annoyed, he spends the night in his truck and on the following morning witnesses how the garbage collectors pick up an oversized black bag from the dumpster in front of the motel. Despite sensing that something isn’t right, he cleans up and goes to work.

Soon after he exits Melbourne, Quid and the man from the motel engage in a bizarre cat-and-mouse game. Initially the game brings some refreshing excitement to Quid’s journey, but when reports start coming in that there is a maniac on the loose that has been raping and killing young hitchhikers he decides to tell the police about the suspicious black bag. Much to his displeasure, however, after he contacts the authorities he becomes a suspect. Around the same time, Quid also impulsively picks up a beautiful hitchhiker (Jamie Lee Curtis, Halloween), who begins flirting with him and slows down his journey.

While Quid keeps guessing what his opponent’s next move might be, it seems like there is serious potential for a number of special twists in this film. The entire first act and a small portion of the second act, for instance, play by the rules many of Hitchcock’s best films follow and give one plenty of good reasons to analyze the action from a variety of different angles. At one point it even makes sense to question Quid’s sanity.

After the long buildup, however, the film heads in a familiar direction and settles down for a fairly conventional resolution which culminates with an intense clash between Quid and the man from the motel. Admittedly, the action is quite well done – according to cinematographer Vincent Monton there were no fancy special effects and the big chase sequences were as risky as they appear in the film -- and it has the type of raw energy that nowadays is completely missing from big-budget action films, but at the end it does feel like an opportunity was wasted to deliver something unique.

Keach’s performance is predictably excellent. Some of the monologues are quite tricky, but his delivery is so good that they actually end up defining the film’s identity. Frankly, without the eccentric humor that they carry the end result almost certainly would have been disappointing. Curtis is a good match for Keach, but there isn’t enough good material for her to impress.

Arguably the biggest surprise in this film is the terrific soundtrack from the legendary Australian composer Brian May (Mad Max, Race for the Yankee Zephyr). It is a wonderfully rich and diverse collection of moody and suspenseful music themes that make the film look like a much more ambitious project than it was.

Road Games Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Richard Franklin's Road Games arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Umbrella Entertainment.

The release is sourced from a brand new 4K master which was created from a release print (not the original camera negative). Virtually the entire film looks very healthy. Stability is also good, though there are a few segments where some minor optimizations could have been made. Density is good, but it is quite easy to tell that it is not optimal. I would like to make it clear that I do not refer to native density fluctuations -- of which there are quite a few -- but to the fact that it is quite clear that there are limitations on the master (see screencapture #9). Depth also isn't optimal, though it is still quite pleasing. There are no traces of problematic degraining corrections, but ideally grain should be better exposed and resolved. There are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Colors are natural and healthy, but the overall dynamic range does fluctuate a bit. In fact, there are a couple of different segments where it appears that brightness levels are elevated and as a result the primaries and some of the nuances lack proper balance (see the motel sequence and the flashing sign in the every beginning of the film). Finally, there some minor compression artifacts that sneak in, though they never become overly distracting). All in all, this is a fine presentation of Road Games, but ideally the film should have an even more convincing appearance on Blu-ray. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Road Games Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English Dolby Digital 1.0 and English Dolby Digital 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

I viewed the film with the original Mono track. While a lossless track would have been preferable, the lossy track actually handles the the bulk of the dynamic action sequences very well. There is surprisingly good depth and the mid/high registers are very well balanced. Some fluctuations exist, but they are part of the original sound design. The dialog and Brian May's score never appear flat or misplaced. (The type of awkward spikes or drops in dynamic activity and clarity that exist on older unremastered films are not present here). Finally, there is no distracting background hiss, crackle, pops, audio dropouts, or purely digital distortions to report in our review.

Road Games Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original restored trailer for Road Games. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Image Gallery and Essay - presented here is a very large collection of original promotional and archival materials (stills, posters, photographs, newspapers clips, production stills), as well as an exclusive visual essay by Fangoria writer Lee Gambin. Without sound. (33 min).

• Audio Interview with Grant Page - in this new audio interview, stunt coordinator and actor Grant Page (the killer) explains how he became involved with Road Games and discusses his contribution to the film. The interview was conducted exclusively for Umbrella Entertainment in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (33 min).

• Audio Interview with Stacy Keach - in this new audio interview, actor Stacy Keach (Pat Quid) mentions that Road Games is one of his favorite films and discusses his work with Richard Franklin, some of the unique qualities of his character, the tone and style of the film, his interactions with Jamie Lee Curtis, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Umbrella Entertainment in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (10 min).

• Audio Interview with Richard Franklin - in this archival audio interview, director Richard Franklin discusses the early stages of his career, his interactions and work with various prominent figures from the film business, the production history of Road Games (with some very interesting comments about the script), etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Umbrella Entertainment in 2001. In English, not subtitled. (24 min).

• Interview with Richard Franklin - in this archival featurette, director Richard Franklin discusses his early work and some of his stylistic preferences. The featurette also includes raw footage from the shooting of different films. The featurette was produced in 1981. In English, not subtitled. (26 min).

• Not Quite Hollywood Interviews - presented here are excerpts from interviews conducted by director Mark Hartley for his documentary Not Quite Hollywood (2008). Jamie Lee Curtis, Stacy Keach, director/producer Richard Franklin, Grant Page, and screenwriter Everett De Roche talk about their involvement with Road Games and discuss some of the film's unique qualities. In English, not subtitled. (64 min).

• 4K Featurette with Vincent Monton - in this new featurette, cinematographer Vincent Monton discusses the visual style and atmosphere of Road Games and the new digital restoration of the film. The featurette was produced exclusively for Umbrella Entertainment in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (11 min).

• Road Games Lecture - presented here is a filmed lecture with director Richard Franklin, coproducer Barbi Taylor, and composer Brian May. The three guests answer a wide variety of questions about Road Games, its characters, and style and structure. The lecture was filmed on November 20, 1980. VHS quality. In English, not subtitled. (131 min).

• Kangaroo Hitchcock: The Making of Road Games - in this archival featurette, director Richard Franklin discusses his association with Hitchcock, early work and the production history of Road Games (the original intent was to have Sean Connery play the main protagonist). Stacey Keach also recalls how he was approached with an offer to play Pat Quid and some of the interesting work he had to do during the shooting of the film. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Audio Commentary - this archival audio commentary initially appeared on Anchor Bay's out of print DVD release of Road Games. Director Richard Franklin explains in great detail how Road Games was shot, and discusses some unique lensing choices, some interesting changes in the original story, the atmosphere of the film, etc.

• Cover - reversible cover.

Road Games Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Stacy Keach plays an eccentric truck driver who gets in a lot of trouble after he heads to Perth to deliver a large load of meat in this noirish thriller from the late Australian director Richard Franklin. I think that the story has some flaws that could have been avoided, but I have a soft spot for road pictures shot in the Outback and really enjoyed revisiting Road Games. Umbrella Entertainment's new Blu-ray release offers a massive amount of supplemental features. In fact, I think that at least some of them should have been placed on a separate disc so that the technical presentation of the main feature is even more convincing. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.