Bellamy Brothers gone Ballistic

Rating: 6/10 (11 March 2007)

Who would have thought the Australian outback would one day become the One True West, where undead horsemen roam the plains in pursuit of the lost souls of greedy gauchos? This is one cool customer of a movie. It's hard to place in terms of genre. Mostly action, some suspense, minor chills, a little romance thrown in for good measure. Maybe that's a weakness, trying to cram in something for everyone, but "Ghost Rider" never tries to be more than the fairground attraction that it is. Small town bike-riding daredevil Johnny Blaze sells his soul to the devil (Peter Fonda) in return for his father's health. Much to his surprise, Johnny finds himself double-dealt by the prince of darkness. Ah, the moviegoer saw it coming. Johnny is now a middle aged has-been by day and the skull-faced Ghost Rider by night, throwing flames and wreaking havoc on the guilty. Nicholas Cage is in the shape of his life and obviously enjoying himself. Sam Elliott reprises his role of the Stranger from "The Big Lebowski". Recommended as a dating movie. Fun for the boys, sufficiently creepy for cuddling, but not rough enough to scare the ladies too much. My personal favorite is the way Roxy Simpson (Eva Mendes), stood up by the Rider at a fancy restaurant, clutches her sizable wine glass like a mug of hot chocolate. Thumbs down though for the tit-squeezing outfits she keeps wearing. I didn't like them in "Hitch", and I don't like them here.