Sun, April 27, 2025
Is it a cheap Mad Max knockoff? Oh my, yes. But its creativity helps it stand out: bucolic New Zealand countryside littered with wasteland rubble gives it a unique backdrop; the Clearwater compound is brimming with clever details; and Kai Hawkins’s vehicle designs are remarkable. The titular truck is menacing without being over the top, and (while clearly assembled on a budget) it never looks flimsy. None of this makes up for the acting, of course. Ratzenberger is quite good, giving a glimpse at the range we might have seen if he hadn’t lobbied Cliff Clavin into existence for a decade, and Beck is pretty decent (I’d say it’s curious he didn’t get more roles but I guess even in the ’80s there were only so many parts for quiet guys with a stern look and a hard punch)—everyone else is abysmal. Wainwright is the least menacing villain in cinema history. He’s a viciously murderous warlord, but continually gives off the energy of a guest star playing a rich uncle with a mean streak on an episode of Simon & Simon.
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