Joy Ride (known as Road Kill in the UK and Roadkill in Australia) is a 2001 American neo-noir thriller film directed by John Dahl and written by Clay Tarver and J. J. Abrams. It stars Steve Zahn Paul Walker and Leelee Sobieski. It follows three young people on a road trip who talk to a trucker on their CB radio then must escape when he turns out to be a psychopathic killer. The film had its world premiere at the 26th Toronto International Film Festival on September 9 2001 and was theatrically released in the United States on October 5 2001 by 20th Century Fox. It grossed over $36.6 million worldwide against a $23 million budget. It received positive reviews from critics who praised Dahl's direction the screenplay and performances of the cast (particularly Zahn) and was nominated for Best Action Adventure or Thriller Film at the 28th Saturn Awards. The film has since become a cult classic and spawned two direct-to-video sequels Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead (2008) and Joy Ride 3: Roadkill (2014).