When the film premiered, critics were merciless. called it “a long, tedious exercise in false suspense.” Variety noted that the film “confuses cruelty with drama.”
On the way, she picks up a mysterious, rugged drifter named (played by director John Derek himself, under the pseudonym “Derek” for acting credits). Paul claims to be a geologist but is clearly a man with a dark, predatory past. What begins as a tense cat-and-mouse game on the highways turns into a brutal survival saga when Julia wrecks her car in a remote desert canyon.
“This isn’t a good movie. But it is an interesting one. Locke gives 150% while Derek gives 10%. Watch it for her and that incredible final shot.”
However, modern audiences searching find a polarized reaction in the user reviews. Here is a breakdown of the consensus: