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"Wrong Turn” (20th Century Fox)

"Wrong Turn” is a forgettable horror movie, except for the performance of Eliza Dushku. In all other respects it is predictable, humorless, and unimpressive. It does have some gory scenes of violence and some surprise actions that will make your heart race, but that is not enough to make it something you will want to see before it comes out on video.

The film starts with a young man named Chris (Desmond Harrington) traveling on a highway in West Virginia. An accident backs up traffic so Chris decides to try to find a shortcut. He needs to be in Raleigh by seven o’clock so he can’t wait for the accident to clear.

On a back road he literally runs into a group of five who are having car trouble. With both cars undrivable, he joins up with them to try to find a main road. He immediately is drawn to Jess (Dushku) as they start looking for help. Unknown to them they are being watched by a trio of West Virginia hillbillies. These three men are the product of inbreeding and are deranged.

The rest of the film involves the group trying to escape the three men who are savage killers. They kill off members of the group one by one, and you can basically predict in which order they will fall. You don’t worry about Harrington and Dushku until the end, as they are the “stars” of the film.

Dushku first gained attention in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film “”True Lies.” She played Arnold’s daughter. Later she stole the movie “Bring It On” away from Kristin Dunst. She also had a role in the TV version of “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.”

In everything she does, Dushku stands out. That is true of this film too. She is easy to look at while also incorporating a survival sense into her being. You know that as Jess, she will do everything possible to stay alive and that those hillbillies better watch their step.

In every way that Dushku excels, Harrington doesn’t. He has a moody, broody attitude in this film that doesn’t fit the character at all. He isn’t heroic, and he isn’t energetic. He just mopes along, staying alive as long as he can. The problem is he seems deader than the dead actors on screen.

The film is rated R for violence and profanity.

Any turn to see Dushku is a right turn, but in every other way "Wrong Turn” is a barricade to entertainment.

I scored "Wrong Turn” a one way 3 out of 10.

©2003 Jackie K. Cooper

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