The Hitcher (1986)

Directed by  : Robert Harmon
Written by    : Eric Red
Starring       : C. Thomas Howell, Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jeffrey DeMunn
Also starring : John M. Jackson, Armin Shimerman, Jack Thibeau, Billy Green Bush
Sequel         : The Hitcher 2 : I've Been Waiting (2003)

Rutger Hauer has a long career of appearing in low budget action films and cameo appearances that are generally a waste of his acting talents. His primary claim to fame is from two excellent performances given in the 1980s before he slid into B-movie land, in the science fiction classic “Blade Runner”, and this movie.

Admittedly, the plot could easily have come from the B-movie realms Rutger seems destined to perpetually inhabit. Jim Halsey (C.Thomas Howell) is driving along a seemingly endless highway on his way to California when he picks up a hitchhiker (Rutger Hauer). He soon realises his mistake, and that he has in fact picked up a psychotic mass murderer. Jim manages to leave his passenger lying on the road but finds it difficult to fully escape. Everywhere he runs the Hitcher seems to follow, killing as he goes, and Jim’s predicament gets even worse after the Hitcher starts to frame him for the murders. Eventually he finds himself on the run from both the police and the enigmatic murderer whose motives remain shrouded in mystery. His only help comes from a local waitress (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who takes pity on Jim who is by now seriously out of his depth.

The plot may be fairly standard horror fare but the film ends up being more tense than most examples of the genre. This is mainly due to Hauer’s sinister performance as the menacing killer and a couple of effectively shocking scenes. Other than that the direction is a bit average and some of the acting is quite mediocre – espeially Howell’s bland performance as the main character. At times it seems implausibly contrived, although the decision not to explain the Hitcher’s motivation is probably a lot better than producing an unconvincing explanation.

In summary, a decent thriller that owes most of its effectiveness to Hauer’s excellent performance.

Rating : 7 / 10

Click here to buy the DVD at Amazon.co.uk

Click here to buy the DVD of The Hitcher 2 at Amazon.co.uk

All content ©2003 William Marnoch.

Comments? Agree/Disagree with the Reviews? Suggestions? Random Ramblings? Whatever you might want to say, feel free to e-mail me at william@wmarnoch.freeserve.co.uk .