Assassinos da Estrada

Every now and again when I am drunk I stumble upon this film again. It is pretty fun. I like it. It is not great by any means but it is fun. A good Saturday afternoon movie.

The other reviews are correct that this movie bears some resemblance to 'The Hitcher' or other movies that take place on the highway and involve brutality and murder. But I think what a lot of the reviews fail to acknowledge is the humor, dark comedy, and other virtues this film has to offer. I think it's a movie that improves with time because stylistically it now feels classically dated and rugged in an early 1990's sort of way that is mostly lost in modern films, although 'No Country for Old Men' touches on a similar style, as do Robert Rodriguez films. It's a satisfying movie because the pacing is good, the acting is good with at times excellent characterization, and there is a fair amount of drama that is actually quite compelling. It leads to a certain amount of excitement that isn't ever boring, and it makes for a good "guy" movie; the sort of film that if you don't take it too seriously, offers a certain likability of the joking villains and a general lightness, recklessness, and irreverence. Overall it can be a quite enjoyable experience to watch.

From the ridiculous IMDb rating of less than 5.0, I had zero expectations for "The Road Killers". This movie is definitely one of the most underrated films I have reviewed. Craig Sheffer's psycho, Charles Manson-like performance, rivals some of the best bad guy actors out there, and instantly brings to mind several of Don Stroud's villainous characters. Christopher Lambert fans will no doubt be disappointed, as Sheffer completely dominates film. There are moments of dark humor throughout, some unexpected developments, and a bang up conclusion on the train tracks. The supporting cast is a real mixed bag, with the late Adrienne Shelly most memorable. I am definitely pounding the table for this unknown gem. - MERK

After a young boy is almost run over by a maniac on a highway, a re-encounter and confrontation by the boy's father with the driver sets off conflicts with a car full of maniacs.

Okay, so the opening credits are just a tad too long. And the Netflix version is full screen, despite the fact it is known the film was shot in widescreen (like most films). But let us look past these nitpicks.

What we get is a fun film with a solid cast: Christopher Lambert, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Arquette, Josh Brolin, Christopher McDonald. Some (like Arquette) part of the 90s zeitgeist, and some (like Brolin and Gordon-Levitt) who had yet to fully bloom. In retrospect, from 2015, this not only exemplifies the sort of videos that were fun to rent in the 90s, but provides a nice glimpse of some talented folks early in their careers.

STAR RATING:*****Unmissable****Very Good***Okay**You Could Go Out For A Meal Instead*Avoid At All Costs

It's a shame,'cos another collaboration between Christopher Lambert and director Deran Sarafian by the name of Gunmen was one I found to be very enjoyable.I've heard one or two people criticize Chris's acting ability.This is unjustified.He's okay,it's just,like all actors,he picks bad scripts sometimes.This being one of them.

In fact,the majority (if not all) of the film's faults can be found in the script,because it's so badly written,not least because we find it so hard to offer any empathy to Christopher McDonald's duh-duh father character,who's such a caring dad he lets his son wonder out into the road unsupervised in the first place,never mind the 'bad guys' who,though kind of going a little too fast,were on an open road with not much traffic visibly in front of them.Just to stare at a bloody flower as well!You're gonna be seeing a lot more of them in your life kid,believe me.And what was with that girl bad guy,wondering around with an umbrella like she was in a Legal & General advert or something?

One to disappear without a trace into the confines of DTV hell,me thinks.*