There's always been something strangely intriguing about taking a road trip across the country. Being from the U.S., this is something that many people have the pleasure of accomplishing and what many dream of doing. A car full of your friends, the open road and random rest stops are all that stand in the way of your final destination. That and perhaps some wandering psychopaths, desert cannibals or highway vigilantes who all have a thirst for blood. Quite frankly, this is why I've never had a real desire to explore the countryside. Being on the east coast, instant gratification from a plethora of metropolitan areas is probably what has prevented some escaped mental patient from wearing my face as a diaper. Even still, curiosity still may get the best of me some day. Until then, I'll have to settle and live vicariously through movies such as Michael Bafaro's Wrecker.

Two best friends Emily and Lesley have decided to go on a road trip through the desert. While taking a short cut (because that's never a bad idea), they're cut off and nearly killed by a seemingly reckless tow truck driver. In the middle of nowhere and without any cell phone reception, the two women are relentlessly pursued by the deadly driver in a game of cat and mouse. On the brink of insanity and with no one to help them, they must overcome the unthinkable before they become just another victim of the truck driver's deadly ways.

Wrecker follows a similar formula that many have come to know and love about road trip horror and suspense films. The protagonists are helpless against a force of evil that attempts to destroy everything in its path. With great production value and acting that is well above par, Wrecker is a fun film that makes you wonder what exactly you would do if a crazed driver was waiting around every bend to run you off the road to your death. The film has a strong start that caries it well through the first half, leaving the audience wondering what the driver's insane motives could possibly be. Unfortunately that is something where Wrecker is lacking. Usually with a minimalist cast, the plot and story can begin to dry out. This isn't quite the case but the film feels incomplete. Maybe putting a face to the carnage instead of just a truck (the way Wolf Creek did) would create a more compelling narrative that doesn't lull in the last third of the film.

Wrecker has a great start that takes itself seriously for am independent suspense but it doesn't have the finish that it deserves. The two strong female roles show that not every no name actor is a bumbling idiot, just rehearsing lines that they can't care less about. The film just needs a bit more of an ending that satisfies it's strong beginning and middle. Nothing hurts a good start to a compelling film than a weak payoff that makes an audience feel like they wasted their time. I'm far from writing off Michael Bafaro and I look forward to the next film that I know will be a step up from this.