Wrecker is essentially Duel. IMDB says Wrecker is a Duel remake, but I’m not so sure IMDB should be trusted. Wrecker certainly feels like Duel, with a nearly identical plot and even some look-a-like shots. It’s very possible this movie was intended as a remake.
Emily and Lesley are on their way to a super fun party with boys, booze, and marijuana somewhere down a very long stretch of desolate, two-lane highway. Emily’s driving her very nice, very sexy red Mustang GT. They end up behind a slow-moving tow truck, chugging up an incline. The sexy Mustang passes the truck quite easily, and the ladies are again on their way at well over the speed limit.
But it seems they passed a very touchy trucker. The truck shows up over and over again to harass our young women, who don’t handle it well. Wrecker is a string of tense cat and mouse scenes. It’s a bit unbelievable that an old, heavy tow truck somehow seems to keep up with – and at times overtakes – a brand new Mustang GT along a twisty highway. While that defies logic, the movie does mostly maintain a sense of dread throughout. If you’ve ever been on a road trip, traveling through corn and cow country, you’ll appreciate the predicament Emily and Lesley have found themselves in.
Wrecker takes place almost entirely on the road, with a few brief pit stops for gas and food. The extended road visuals are really nice, with very effective use of the light at sunset and sunrise. And Anna Hutchinson and Andrea Whitburn, as Emily and Rachel respectively, have friendly chemistry. I’d say overall Wrecker is a fun watch, with minor instances of plot drag, and offers great car porn, if you’re into that sort of thing.
***/*****
If You're Reading This, I Must Be Dead 