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Freeway (1988) - Blu-ray Review

2 beersTalk about blonde ambition.  It’s the lead female who does all the hard work in this thriller.  Well, that might not be so shocking for anyone living out on the west coast.

There ain’t nothin’ free about the freeway, loves.  That’s the lesson learned in 1988’s Freeway.  And when a defrocked priest gets behind the wheel, well, all hell is going to break loose.  Bang, bang, shoot, shoot.  Everybody duck!  This guy’s on a mission but is it from high above or deep down below?  You get to decide in director Francis Delia’s ode to Southern California’s drive-by shooting dilemma. 

The freewheeling movie offers B-movie enthusiasts a different side of actor Richard Belzer, who has been a regular on Law & Order for many, many years.  Here he stars as Dr. Lazarus, a radio show psychiatrist who the freeway-killing priest calls on a regular basis.  Talk about a ratings win!  But, of course, he has to find this out for himself.

Enter actress Darlanne Fluegel as Sunny, who has previously lost her husband to the highway killer.  She’s pissed that the cops are taking forever and ignoring her intuition about the maniac killer.  And they – portrayed by Michael Callan and Joey Palese – are having none of her whacked out ideas.  The problem is that she’s right. 

And so James Russo as the ex-cop who falls all over Sunny (in more ways than one) finds himself teaming up with her in order to bring one sick motorin’ psycho killer down, played by Billy Drago. 

Written by Darrell Fetty and Delia, Freeway is more concerned with Sunny’s independent investigation than it is with making sense of the religious babble of the killer.  Certainly, all that noise is just verbiage to make this tale seem like it is about something bigger than itself.  It’s not, though.  The vehicular carnage and New Testament wrappings in this one are just more examples of LA angst dressed up in biblical robes for the wandering passersby.

It’s a pretty tight film when it comes to its action beats, though.  Some of those kills are quite effective.  Even if it remains unremarkable in almost every other way (including the silly soft core elements), the film never drives off the road.  The acting, while slight, has its standouts.  For my tastes, Belzer and Drago, who never share the screen, are easily up at the top.  Drago, one murder after another, builds a rather creepy vibe with this one.  It’s effective in detonating the whole made-for-television vibe that everything else largely gives out.

Kino Lorber Studio Classics offers this fun cult film a whole new audience with its release on HD.  Entertaining, but never quite full-throttled enough to of significance, this Freeway is a lane best used by cult completists.

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Freeway (1988) - Blu-ray Review

MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime:
91 mins
Director
: Francis Delia
Writer:
Francis Delia
Cast:
Darlanne Fluegel, James Russo, Billy Drago
Genre
: Thriller
Tagline:
There's a killer on the road ... And on the radio!.
Memorable Movie Quote: "I am the end."
Theatrical Distributor:
New World Pictures
Official Site:
Release Date:
September 2, 1988
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
July 18, 2017
Synopsis: There are 600 miles of freeway in Los Angeles. Every night, millions of angry motorists speed through its asphalt maze. Some of them have guns. One of them enjoys killing people. Now a traumatized ER nurse (Darlanne Fluegel, Tough Guys, Running Scared), an acerbic talk-radio host (Richard Belzer, Law & Order: SVU) and a stranger with a dark secret (James Russo, Beverly Hills Cop) must join to stop the bible-quoting madman (Billy Drago, Delta Force 2) who has promised the panicked city one final fast lane massacre.

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Freeway (1988) - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Kino Lorber
Available on Blu-ray
- July 18, 2017
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles
: None
Audio:
DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Single disc
Region Encoding: Region A

Courtesy of Kino Lorber Studio Classics presents Freeway on a newly minted transfer presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. While not a complete restoration, the transfer is pretty detailed. There is a nice layer of grain to much of the Los Angeles scenery.  Much of this film is at night and, thankfully, those night sequences are boldly detailed.  The 1080p transfer is an upgrade from previous DVD versions. Colors are saturated and skin tones are strong. Black levels are detailed. The contrast is high. The release is offered in a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track.

Supplements:

Commentary:

  • None

Special Features:

Interestingly enough, we get a good interview with the film’s director.  HE has quite a good memory and talks about how he came on board with the project, the actors, and the overall vibe.

  • Frances Delia Interview (13 min)
  • Theatrical Trailer

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Freeway (1988) - Blu-ray Review

 

 

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