Freeway (1996)

★ 6.5 1h 42m 420 votes IMDb
Sign in to rate this film

Following the arrest of her mother, Ramona, young Vanessa Lutz decides to go in search of her estranged grandmother. On the way, she is given a ride by school counselor Bob Wolverton. During the journey, Lutz begins to realize that Bob is the notorious I-5 Killer and manages to escape by shooting him several times. Wounded but still very much alive, Bob pursues Lutz across the state in this modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.

Freeway

Where to Watch

Netflix Netflix Watch
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video Watch
Disney Plus Disney Plus Watch
Max Max Watch
Hulu Hulu Watch
Paramount Plus Paramount Plus Watch
Apple TV Plus Apple TV Plus Watch
Peacock Peacock Watch
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll Watch
Tubi TV Tubi TV Free
Pluto TV Pluto TV Free
Plex Plex Free

Rent / Buy

Rent

Apple TV Apple TV Rent
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies Rent
Amazon Video Amazon Video Rent
YouTube YouTube Rent
Vudu Vudu Rent
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home Rent

Buy

Apple TV Apple TV Buy
Google Play Movies Google Play Movies Buy
Amazon Video Amazon Video Buy
YouTube YouTube Buy
Vudu Vudu Buy
Fandango at Home Fandango at Home Buy

Cast

Kiefer Sutherland
Kiefer Sutherland as Bob Wolverton Age 59 · Paddington, London, England, UK Kiefer Sutherland (born December 21, 1966) is a British-Canadian actor, producer and director, best known for his portrayal of Jack Bauer on the Fox thriller drama series 24. Sutherland first achieved...
Reese Witherspoon
Reese Witherspoon as Vanessa Lutz Age 50 · New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon (born March 22, 1976) is an American actress and producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and two Golden...
Wolfgang Bodison
Wolfgang Bodison as Detective Breer Age 59 · Washington, District of Columbia, USA Brian Wolfgang Bodison (born November 19, 1966) is an American actor and creative director best known for playing Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson in the 1992 drama film A Few Good Men..
Dan Hedaya
Dan Hedaya as Detective Wallace Age 85 · Brooklyn, New York, USA Dan Hedaya (born July 24, 1940) is an American actor. While a student at Tufts University, he began performing at the campus theater. He often plays sleazy villains or uptight, wisecracking individual...
Amanda Plummer
Amanda Plummer as Ramona Lutz Age 69 · New York City, New York, USA Amanda Michael Plummer (born March 23, 1957) is an American actress. Plummer was born in New York City, New York, the daughter of actors Tammy Grimes and Christopher Plummer. Plummer attended Middlebu...
Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields as Mrs. Wolverton Age 60 · New City, New York, USA Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress, author and model. Some of her better known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan...

Audience Reviews

Wuchak 2/10 Mar 04, 2026
**_Vulgar, violent, darkly satirical updating of Lil’ Red Riding Hood_**

I’ve seen two of writer/director Matthew Bright’s movies before seeing this: The enlightening and moving “Dark Angel: The Ascent” from two years earlier and the well-done “Ted Bundy” from six years later. (He wrote the former and wrote/directed the latter). With “Freeway” he had way more money in which to work and it could’ve been his ticket to a bigtime filmmaker, yet it bombed at the box office. However, critics tended to laud it (Siskel & Ebert, for instance, gave it a ‘thumbs up’); and it went on to develop a cult following.

It’s a crime thriller meshed with hard-edged dark comedy. Despite the title, it’s not a road movie and the second half becomes a women-in-prison flick for the most part. If you can roll with its wild audaciousness and sexually explicit verbiage, it can be fun and amusing, but I was disappointed after seeing Bright’s aforementioned “Dark Angel,” which had nine-times LESS the budget.

“Freeway” is technically proficient and the actors do a fine job; it just wallows in foulness to the point of being an unpleasant experience. I’m sure Mark Bright was aiming for a Tarantino film, but he forgot to include meaty themes, as well as interesting characters and dialogues. Don’t get me wrong, there are some interesting bits here and there, they’re just overshadowed by an unrelenting spirit of filth.

Reese Witherspoon was 20 years-old during shooting while Kiefer Sutherland was 29. For a similar film involving the latter that’s superior, check out “Desert Saints.”

It runs 1h 44m and was shot in the heart of summer 1995 in Los Angeles, as well as just north of there in Sylmar (Vanessa’s house) and Castaic (the interrogation).

GRADE: D+

Similar Movies