Highwaymen (2003)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Robert Harmon

Writers (WGA):

Craig Mitchell (written by) &
Hans Bauer (written by)

Release Date:

19 February 2004 (Puerto Rico)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror hits the road

Plot:

Rennie Cray (Caviezel) embarks on a bloodthirsty rampage to avenge the death of his wife who was struck down by a serial killer - a man who hunts and kills women using his '72 El Dorado.

Plot Keywords:

Headlights | Murder | Serial Killer | Death | Hit And Run

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

James Caviezel	...	James 'Rennie' Cray (as Jim Caviezel)
Rhona Mitra	...	Molly Poole
Frankie Faison	...	Will Macklin
Colm Feore	...	Fargo
Gordon Currie	...	Ray Boone
Andrea Roth	...	Alexandra Farrow
Noam Jenkins	...	Kelt
Toby Proctor	...	Rookie
James Kee	...	Trauma Counselor
Guylaine St-Onge	...	Olivia Cray (as Guylaine St. Onge)
Joe Pingue	...	Long Hair Mechanic
Martin Roach	...	Detective
Ron Bell	...	Semi Driver
Paul Rutledge	...	Pickup Driver
Kelly Jones	...	Pickup Passenger

Also Known As:

Pourchassé (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, some gore and brief language.

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18SG | Netherlands:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Germany:16 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:18 | USA:R | Finland:K-15

Filming Locations:

Bakersfield, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Goofs:

Continuity: As the car flips at the climax of the movie, the left rear wheel entirely comes off the axle, yet, when the car finally settles back onto the ground, the wheel is back on.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Fargo: Who are you supposed to be?
Will Macklin: Will Macklin. State traffic investigator.

Movie Connections:

Edited into Feast (2005)

Fantastic Car Film

It is great to finally get a film that doesn't run to the safety of digital video, computer special effects, and loud music.

"Highwaymen" finally gives us a thriller, that avoids all the crutches of the mainstream film-making that we have seen in the last few years. The stunts are all metal cars crashing into each other - no fancy effects (i.e. Nic Cage jumping a bridge in a digital mustang during the cheesy "Gone in 60 seconds" remake). Here we have car doors getting ripped off and then actually being replaced with second-hand parts by the characters in the film - a realistic car chase film. Finally.

The music, by Mark Isham, is very simple and very scary. It brings back memories of "Halloween" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" - when filmmakers knew how to use frequencies to build tension. There is no Brittany Spears or Metallica singles on the soundtrack, indicating that at least one filmmaker still can hold his own, and not fall to the popular vote when designing a film's soundtrack.

The acting is excellent - Jim Caviezel is great.

The cinematography is first class - and on film, which is refreshing when much of the movie takes place at night and many filmmakers get scared and run to video nowadays (Michael Mann "Collateral"). Great land scapes and long empty roads are brilliantly photographed by cinematographer Rene Ohashi.

By far the best are the sound effects. All the car engine sounds are greatly accurate - from the Barricuda's Hemi to El Dorado's big block - all sounds are accurately placed and brilliantly timed. This, and all the great car-talk within the dialogue makes for a true car film that anyone who loved the old car chase films of the late 60's to the late 70's, would greatly enjoy this one as well.