The Hitcher
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Movie Reviews of The Hitcher
Movie Review: The kind of movie that keeps people coming back to the horror genre
Summary: 5 Stars
"My mother told me never to do this"
So begins the horrific plot of the film The Hitcher, in which a young man travelling from Chicago to California (going through Texas for some reason) picks up a hitchhiker and ends up being terrorized for the next 95 minutes.
The plot picks up almost immediately, with little to no exposition, and never lets up from then on. Rutger Hauer, who I'd honestly never heard of before creates one of the most menacing, intelligent, and completely psychotic villains portrayed on screen. As John Ryder, he proceeds to catch rides with cars passing by and then murder them.
The interesting thing is that the murder victims are never really shown. The gore level isn't high in this film. It's mostly left to the viewer to imagine and this leaves the psychological effect of wondering how such a man would kill.
Jennifer Jason Leigh steps in mid-way through and does a good job, but she's mainly a plot device and a side character. Overall, The Hitcher will not leave you saying "I knew that would happen next". It's a thrill-ride cross between action and horror with neither genre losing anything in order to accommodate the other. The stunts are amazing (especially for the 80s, including a crashing helicopter).
The DVD has no extras, but really the presentation of the film is extra enough compared with the horror schlock that's coming out these days. Check out The Hitcher for background on why horror movies are popular.
Movie Review: An 80's thriller masterpiece!
Summary: 5 Stars
One dark rainy night, a Driver named Jim (C. Thomas Howell) is on his way to San Diego until he picks up a very mysterious stranger (Rutger Hauer). It turns out that the hitcher is nothing more than a cold blooded maniac that killed a few people earlier and threatens Jim, however he throws the stranger out of his car and now the hitcher goes after him even if he has to kill whoever gets in his way.
A phenomenal and exceptional horror thriller in the tradition of alfred Hithcock and "Duel" that entertains and thrills the audience, the film co-stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Billy Green Bush (from "Critters"). Ruter Hauer is perfect playing the title bad guy, the film is quite violent and has great tension all wrapped in one excellent horror thriller that will knock your socks off.
The DVD has good picture and sound with only 2 extras like cast and crew bios and Theatrical Trailer, it's worth the purchase for fans of thrillers and horror.
Also recommended: "The Devil's Rejects", "Grindhouse: Death Proof", "Duel", "Psycho (1960)", "Psycho II", "Thelma and Louise", "From Dusk Till Dawn", "High Tension", "North By Northwest", "The Hills Have Eyes (1977 and 2006)", "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Series & 2003 remake with The Beginning", "Wolf Creek", "House of 1000 Corpses", "Vertigo", "Rear Window", "Perfect Blue", "Saw Series", "Near Dark", "Hostel 1 & 2", "Joy Ride", "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" and "Wrong Turn".
Movie Review: Essential Horror Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the greatest and most misunderstood horror movies ever, The Hitcher represents a high point in the careers of the majority of the cast and crew--Robert Harmon never directed this well again, Eric Red never wrote a better screenplay, the score by Mark Isham is superb. Most people seem to think that the killer, played by Rutger Hauer, has no motive, even the people who LIKE the movie. Those who don't like the movie frequently harp on it's lack of realism. To really appreciate The Hitcher, you have to realize that it's a coming of age FABLE disguised as a psycho killer movie. You heard me right--a COMING OF AGE FABLE. When Rutger Hauer gets shoved out of the car at the beginning of the story, he recognizes potential in C. Thomas Howell (note the loving and amused glint in Rutger's eye) and becomes his self-appointed mentor, spending the rest of the movie educating him, passing the psycho torch as it were. This idea is consistently and brilliantly developed, climaxing (pun fully intended) in Rutger Hauer's sacrifice at the end of the movie, followed by C. Thomas Howell's obligatory "post-coital" cigarette. Frankly, it amazes me that so many so-called critics, who are paid good money to deliver a cogent and intelligent analysis, could have so completely missed the point of this movie. If you would like to read more reviews like this, check out TrashCinemaClub.com.Movie Review: Rutger is the Hitcher!
Summary: 5 Stars
Sorry Sean Bean your a fine actor but, your no Rutger Hauer. Hauer nailed that role as "John Ryder" no one else can play that part. Rutger Hauer performance is so amazing as soon as he gets in that car he steals the show he plays the villain very well. Hauer and Howell were so good together it was so real. The car seen between the two in the beginning of the movie was so well done they have very good chemisrty together. In the new movie they added a third person makes no sense at all. It's about a young man driving a drive away car to California, he get's tired so he sees a guy hitching a ride on the side of the road he looks normal and picks him up all he wanted was some one to talk to and keep him a wake. The guy gets in the car and he just happens to be a crazy psycho killer. Having the third person (Remake) in the car took away from the movie. The guy is driving scared out of his mind because, he has a knife in his face the hitcher (Hauer) is crazy your sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to see if this poor guy makes it or not. No need for a third person very bad move. Why make a remake of this classic? They should of played it in the theaters again like they did "Jaws" for it's 20th Anniversary. Don't mess with perfection especially if Rutger Hauer is in the movie.Movie Review: Loved it and hated it
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a taut thriller, fueled by raw adrenaline, with just enough character development to keep you emotionally involved.
C. Thomas Howell and Jennifer Jason Leigh turn in strong performances, but Rutger Hauer steals the picture.
Hauer is phenomenal as the almost-supernatural villian. Hauer was probably handsome enough to play leading men, but his memorable bad guys in "Blade Runner," "Nighthawks" and this film sealed his fate.
The man can play his face like a finely-tuned instrument. His subtlest expressions telegraph the existence of an unseen ocean of menace. And, when he opens the flood gates, there is no stopping him.
While I loved the movie, I hated this lousy product. The bonus material is paper-thin and the transfer is awful. It seems like for about one reel's worth of footage, there's actually a big scratch down the middle of the frame. Unbelievably shoddy craftsmanship.
However, it is nice to see the film in widescreen, as the compositions are far more striking than in the pan and scan VHS version. One hopes the studio will re-issue this picture in a nice special edition disc, if for no other reason than to cash in on the upcoming remake.