The Hitcher

Thumbs up... and down.

By:stacilayne
Updated: 01-19-2007

I only have vague memories of the original The Hitcher; I don't think I have seen it since it was released in the late 80s. I do recall a few things: Rutger Hauer's quietly menacing, preternatural performance; Jennifer Jason Leigh as the human wishbone tied between two big-rigs; and C. Thomas Howell getting a severed finger along with his French fries long before Wendy's popularized that sick side-dish.

You'll notice I remembered the actors and/or things that happened to their characters. In this version of The Hitcher, it's more about action and "gotcha!" moments than it is about unforgettable portrayals. I doubt that 21 years from now anyone will remember who played who — not unlike the pommes frites in Hitcher '86, Hitcher '07 is fast food from a roadside minimart.

Not that there's anything wrong with that. I think that anyone who buys a ticket for The Hitcher, having seen the trailer, will know exactly what to expect and as such should not be disappointed with the ride: there are pretty young leads with strategically disheveled hair; a diehard, diabolical opponent who says little but kills a lot; cars that go crash!; some gory murders; and big explosions. No surprises, but no backfires either.

Presented in a standard, straightforward way that goes from point A to point B with no detours away from our protagonists, The Hitcher tells the harrowing story of Jim Halsey (Zachary Knighton) and his girlfriend Grace Andrews (Sophia Bush), who are headed for a Spring Break vacation when they encounter the hitcher (Sean Bean), a twisted villain who not only wants to kill the cute couple, he also tries to pin his murderous crimes on them. Of course, everything falls into place far too easily, but to stop and explain things would only slow the story down and one thing I did really like about The Hitcher remake is that it's action-packed and never boring.

Although first-time feature director Dave Meyers has a background in music videos, he doesn't indulge it too much (there are a couple of sappy scenes with vocal ballads shoehorned in, and one car-crash scene using that tired, overused Nine-Inch Nails song — you know the one!).

The Hitcher is reasonably refreshing for its longer, uncut scenes, its lack of the shaky-cam, and there is a forthrightness to the tale that's seldom seen in horror remakes these days (no back-stories, no subtext, no supernatural elements). The cinematography is excellent, without being overly showy.

Given the simple, certainly implausible story (Eric Red's original screenplay is credited), this new Hitcher — dare I say it? — comes off without a hitch.

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Review by Staci Layne Wilson