The Hitcher - Reviewed by Thomas Rosie

Overview

The Hitcher is a 1986 road movie starring the great Rutger Hauer (as John Ryder) and C. Thomas Howell (as Jim Halsey). Jim picks up John who is stranded on a desolate highway late at night in the desert during a heavy storm. "My mother told me never to do this", Jim should have listened to his mother, as John Ryder turns out to be the maniac of nightmares who then relentlessly pursues Jim with no known motive. This is one of the first films of this genre and tells the tales of the sort of trouble you can run into on large open roads in the middle of nowhere. During my year's travelling in Australia, I watched this film before travelling the full length of the Stuart Highway through the South Australian outback and Northern Territory to remind myself why not to help strangers and what to do in case I do happen to get chased by a maniac. I made it and am alive to tell the tale, so it is definitely an educational viewing.

Favourite Quote

"You want to know what happens to an eye when it gets punctured? Do you have any idea how much blood jets out when your throat gets slit?" - not the sort of thing you'd hear asked in a pub quiz, but I'm intrigued to know the answers. Jim then asks "what do you want" to which John replies "I want you to stop me, and crying isn't going to help". After Jim notices the door ajar light is on, he manages to shove John out of the car sending him rolling down the highway and then we see the exciting, actioned packed game of cat and mouse begin.

Favourite Scene

When Jim manages to reach a roadhouse after encountering Ryder's terror, he is happy to see a friendly face and gets himself a hot shower and a meal whilst he is recovering from his ordeal and intends on notifying the local authorities of the maniac running loose on the highway. But oh no, its not over yet, as Jim enjoys his burger, he pulls out a severed finger in his side of fries! Big fuck you, love John Ryder! The game is just beginning!

The Lowdown

This movie has everything I love, I've seen it time and time again and it never gets old. No fancy special effects, no silly over the top acting. Just action and deadly violent encounters all the way through. John Ryder is my favourite movie character of all time, I love him so much, the ultimate horrible bastard who loves what he does, and he does it well. I was saddened when I heard of Rutger Hauers death a few years ago, he did make a lot of cheesy films, some of them quite bad, but The Hitcher, Blade Runner and Blind Fury are must sees of his. RIP John Ryder.

I score this film 5 bloody severed fingers in your fries out of 5