Rent The Hitcher (1986)

Nice if a little dated - The Hitcher review by CP Customer

On reflection the story line of this 1980's thriller is very thin but it actually clips along at a decent pace and only drags in the last 15 minutes or so. Decent performances by all parties and although somewhat dated provides an acceptable hour or so of entertainment.

Not the uncut version - The Hitcher review by LC

This is not the uncut version About 4 minutes have been taken off

and edited The uncut version is now available and is a German

release but has an optional English soundtrack (but only German

subtitles)

Stylish Horror/Thriller - The Hitcher review by GI

This horror/thriller has gained some cult status over the years probably due to Rutger Hauer as the malevolent and enigmatic killer and certainly his performance, slightly reminiscent of his Roy Batty in Blade Runner (1982), is what makes the film so enjoyable. A nod here, a sideways glance there and that charismatic smile that portrays so much. Often derided for it's violence but this is deceptive because while the murders are all horrific, whole families are massacred and a young woman is torn in two, they are all off screen and we never get to see much of the aftermath of them either. But it is a disturbing film in any case and this is because of its subtleties, for instance the revving of the truck engine in Jennifer Jason Leigh's death scene. Hauer plays John Ryder, a hitch hiker picked up by young Jim (C. Thomas Howell), he's a strange man who quickly tells Jim he intends to kill him. But by a quirk of luck Jim escapes and then finds that Ryder stalks him along the desert highways killing as he goes and eventually managing to have Jim suspected of all the crimes. Much has been made of Ryder, is he a ghost or the devil for example, mainly because he pops up out of apparent nowhere and can escape just as mysteriously. This is partly what makes the film enjoyable because of the way the character is portrayed in the narrative. For a debut feature from director Robert Harmon it's really an achievement and a notable film of the 80s.