Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #25903 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-04-24
• Rating: Suitable for 18 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Dubbed, PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish
• Dubbed in: German, Italian, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 93 minutes

Synopsis
Jim Halsey offers a lift to a gaunt figure at the roadside. But this kindly gesture is to change his life because when he lets the hitcher into his car, death, bloody mayhem and destruction come along for the ride...

Customer Reviews

An undoubted classic
I only saw 'The Hitcher' for the first time last week and I wish I had discovered it sooner. It's a suspenseful, intriguing and (in the best possible way) frustrating masterpiece of the stalker/ slasher genre. When a young man (C. Thomas Howell) stops to offer Rutger Hauer's unhinged drifter a lift, he is drawn into a fateful game of cat and mouse that the audience feels every step of the way.

There's so much to admire about this film. The acting is top notch, with Hauer particularly engaging as he goes straight for the crazy jugular from the off. Howell is also outstanding, superbly conveying an innocent breaking under the mental and physical rigours he is constantly subjected too. There were also several mythical undertones to the film that really gripped me, such as when Hauer places two coins on Howell's eyes, that hinted at a metaphor for life and death. This added to the poignancy of the characters' experience and gave weight to the brilliantly judged understatement of the ending.

Of course, if you just want a good old fashioned thriller, that's right here too! The direction is excellent and keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout and the film is shot in a decidedly raw indie style, which adds a certain grimness to the proceedings. The film is also not afraid to show some less palatable moments of horror that are timed to perfection.

Trust me, you'll think twice about ordering chips with your next burger...

Unmissable
The Hitcher is one of the best films ever made and ultimately one of most overlooked as well. The premise of the film is very simple: Jim Halsey is driving a car cross country with plans of dropping it off at his destination when he comes across hitchhiker John Ryder, who seems suspicious from the start. It is incredibly tense and atmospheric and centres around a terrifying performance from Rutger Hauer as John Ryder, a mysterious drifter intent on following C. Thomas Howell's Jim Halsey and making his road trip one that he'll never forget. Most of the film's atmosphere radiates from Hauer as he scares both Howell and the audience with a simple glance which could mean anything and everything. Jennifer Jason Leigh makes an early appearance as a waitress dragged along for the ride after Howell stumbles upon the diner she works at. The performances of the three main actors are involving and it is very easy to feel sympathy for Howell, who has done nothing to deserve the torture he receives at the hands of Hauer, who makes for a terrific villain. A hidden gem and a great cult film, The Hitcher is fantastic.

YOU WILL NEVER STOP FOR A HITCHER AGAIN
The Hitcher (1986) was a directing debut for Robert Harmon, who had previously worked as a cameraman. The film is written by Eric Red whose other credits as a writer include brilliant Near Dark by Kathryn Bigelow. The Hitcher tells the story of an ordinary young man, who is taking his friend's car to other state/destination through the empty and deserted roads of America. He is very tired and almost collides with a huge truck. It rains hard. Soon he notices a figure standing by the side of the road raising his thumb..Our youngster unwisely stops and says the legendary line: "My mom always told not to do this." And then, the incredible and surrealistic nightmare begins...

This film is unbelievably beautifully shot and it is easy to see that Harmon was cinematographer before this directing debut. Camera flows and moves so smoothly and gently that the atmosphere is guaranteed to last throughout the film. The music by Mark Isham is also extremely important element and with the exceptional camerawork, these are the greatest elements in this piece of difficult art. The scenes are very similar in mood to Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark which has the unforgettable music by Tangerine Dream, and both films are scripted by Eric Red, as mentioned earlier. The Hitcher is one of the most beautiful terror films I've ever witnessed.

The Hitcher is not a realistic film and the hitcher character played by Rutger Hauer is not a realistic human being as he can follow the young protagonist (C.J Howell) anywhere and always knows where he is. He will kill the youngster no matter what and no one can tell why. Even the hitcher himself doesn't give a clear answer when he is asked why he kills and does these horrific things. My opinion is that the hitcher is a double side of Howell's personality (everyman's personality) and he is the bad and evil side of human beings' nature. The hitcher is pure evil and no one can change his thoughts and mind, because evil cannot be changed or turned into "good." It is about which side, evil or good, is one's primary personality. There are always both sides, but the both cannot influence at the same time..Howell has to destroy the hitcher/his bad and evil side in order to continue his life and recognize and accept his and others' "dual personality" in the future. There are no good persons in the world, there are only persons who can control their bad/evil side and keep it "un-active", and so they can be considered "good."

Couple of scenes are totally outstanding in their virtuosity such as the scene where two police cars are destroyed by a shotgun blast and they fly and crash in a slow motion. That kind of thing would never happen in real world, but those unrealistic scenes make this film even more nightmarish and effective. Also, the end scene between these two protagonists, Hauer and Howell, is memorable and gorgeously shot. I will definitely not spoil how this one ends, but at the end, the main character is much more wiser and knows that human beings and thus himself are not as simple as one might think..

There is no point in describing the greatest scenes in the film because the whole film is so great. It is unmatchable nightmare that has no equal in history of cinema. It handles the theme of wickedness in a form of road movie and horror movie and the result is perfect piece of art. When I said earlier "difficult art" I meant that due to the film's violence (there is not plenty, but that what is on screen is brutal and disturbing) this may be too hard to take and understand for most of the viewers. So this cannot be recommended for everybody like some mainstream movie, but people with open minds and hunger for intelligent and symbolic cinema should love this film, even though it is pretty difficult to "love" !

I have seen this three times now and it unfolds more and more with each viewing time. 10 out of 10 masterpiece.