 In 1993 , Lundgren starred opposite Kristian Alfonso and George Segal in Joshua Tree , directed by Academy Award and BAFTA @-@ winning stunt coordinator Vic Armstrong . Lundgren plays Wellman Anthony Santee , a former racecar driver who has turned to hauling exotic stolen cars with his friend Eddie Turner ( Ken Foree ) . One day he is framed by police officer Frank Severance ( Segal ) for the murder of a highway patrolman , also killing his friend Eddie . Santee is sent to prison after recovering in a prison hospital , but escapes during transfer and takes a female hostage named Rita <unk> ( Alfonso ) at a gas station , not suspecting that she 's a cop . On the run from the law , involving exotic cars and desert scenery , Santee must prove his innocence and prove Severance guilty of being involved in the car ring and for murder . Much of the film was filmed in the Alabama Hills of the Sierra Nevada and the desert of the Joshua Tree National Park of southeast California . 
