There is a creative, original concept at work here. A young kid and his girlfriend (Chad Lowe, Kristy Swanson) are going to Vegas to get hitched. An older, lonely gas station owner (Richard Farnsworth) warns the couple about one of the Joshua trees on the highway to Vegas. Somehow the couple drives too fast, alerts someone named Hellcop, a scarred cop with facial tattoos from literally Hell, who wants the kid's girlfriend (she's virginal, aren't they always in these movies). A portal opens up which can only be opened by driving fast from one Joshua tree to the other. So far, there is much potential here for a hell-on-wheels demonic ride of a movie that aims to be a horror comedy version of the Orpheus legend. Maybe we should all read Orpheus instead.
Once we arrive in Hell, it looks like a dusty ride through John Ford country. Or maybe more like a Mad Max variation complete with biker gangs. There is also a diner frequented by lost souls (some of whom are played by the Stiller family, including Ben himself who fries meat on the volcanically hot cement). The Lowe kid chases Hellcop who has his girlfriend handcuffed by actual hands! Car chases ensue, one after another, though they are barely exciting or staged well.
So what else happens in this movie? Not much I am afraid. Lowe's car can't get started and he calls for help at an emergency phone! I am glad to know Hell comes equipped with emergency phones. Patrick Bergin shows up as a mechanic named Beezel (need I say more?) There are some funny sight gags like the image of a giant restaurant mascot of a man holding a rifle. I also like the Good Intentions Road Paver company, essentially a conveyor belt which chops up the bodies of people who did immoral things on Earth. After a while, those bits stand out more than the characters who are colorless at best (Patrick Bergin is fantastic, though, in easily the only noteworthy performance in the movie).
"Highway to Hell" bares the slightest resemblance to the Greek tragedy of Orpheus on the surface level. Most of the movie is meant to be a horror comedy but there isn't much horror (other than the Devil, and a succubus with sagging breasts) and the humor only works sporadically. Hellcop and the couple are a bore to watch and the movie becomes increasingly intolerable to sit through. The hell with this stinky movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment