Her life is no fairy tale.
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 (1996) is a comedy, crime, thriller and drama film directed by Matthew Bright, released on August 23, 1996 with a runtime of 1h 44m. It stars Kiefer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon, Wolfgang Bodison and Dan Hedaya. Viewers rate it 6.5 out of 10 across 449 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Freeway before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Freeway.
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer
Featurette
Kiefer Sutherland
as Bob Wolverton
Reese Witherspoon
as Vanessa Lutz
Wolfgang Bodison
as Detective Breer
Dan Hedaya
as Detective Wallace
Amanda Plummer
as Ramona Lutz
Brooke Shields
as Mrs. Wolverton
Michael T. Weiss
as Larry
Bokeem Woodbine
as Chopper
Guillermo Díaz
as Flacco
Brittany Murphy
as Rhonda
Alanna Ubach
as Mesquita
Susan Barnes
as Mrs. Cullins
Directed by Matthew Bright, written by Matthew Bright, produced by Chris Hanley and Brad Wyman.
Average viewer score of 6.5/10 from 449 ratings.
**_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…
Reviewed on March 4, 2026
1988
1991
1976
1996
2021
2011
2013
2025
1992
1985
2017
1993
1998
1986
2021
2018
2014
2006
1999
2019
2024
2018
2019
2024
1938
1995
1995
1984
1995
1993
2002
1973
1985
2004
1966
1996
1990
2006
1982
1973
Freeway (1996) is available to stream on Night Flight Plus, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Freeway (1996) includes Kiefer Sutherland, Reese Witherspoon, Wolfgang Bodison, Dan Hedaya and Amanda Plummer. The film was directed by Matthew Bright. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Freeway was released on August 23, 1996 and runs for 1h 44m.
Freeway (1996) holds an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 from 449 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy comedy, crime and thriller films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Freeway trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
