Director: Robert Harmon
Screenplay: Eric Red
Starring: Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jeffrey DeMunn, John M. Jackson, Billy Green Bush, Jack Thibeau
Country: USA
Running Time: 97 min
Year: 1986
BBFC Certificate: 18
It’s been over three years since Second Sight announced they’d be releasing The Hitcher on Blu-ray. Various discoveries and setbacks made it a long process but allowed them to be able to release the film on 4K UHD too. Any even semi-serious ‘boutique Blu-ray’ collector will know to trust Second Sight to do things properly, so fans of the film have been waiting patiently all this time.
Well, finally, that wait has come to an end, as Second Sight have both Limited and Standard Editions of the film on both formats coming to retailers at the end of September. I’ve foolishly passed a lot of recent Second Sight screeners on to others to review, but I couldn’t say no to covering The Hitcher for Blueprint: Review. It’s a film I enjoyed a great deal in my teenage years and it’d been far too long since I’d seen it.
Does it still stand up? Read on to find out.
The Hitcher is a thriller about a young man named Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) who picks up a mysterious hitchhiker (Rutger Hauer) whilst taking a driveaway car from Chicago to San Diego. The hitchhiker, who calls himself John Ryder, turns out to be a sadistic serial killer who threatens Halsey’s life.
Halsey initially manages to avoid becoming one of Ryder’s victims, pushing the killer from his car en route but, as Jim drives deeper into the desert, Ryder manipulates events to frame Halsey for his series of gruesome murders. Ryder’s psychological games and relentless pursuit of Halsey force him to fight for his life and prove his innocence. Though Halsey gains the trust and support of waitress Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh), the film’s tension builds as Halsey is hunted by both the police and the elusive killer, leading to a terrifying climax.
The Hitcher was the feature debut for both director Robert Harmon and writer Eric Red. Harmon had started out as a stills photographer and second unit DOP but a short film he’d shot and directed previously, China Lake, was notably similar to Red’s script for The Hitcher, which helped sell the idea to executives.
It’s a good job they took that chance as the ‘green’ writer and director pair ended up making a bold, remarkably assured film. It may have performed poorly at the box office on release and got slated by most critics back then (Siskel and Ebert both famously gave it 0 stars) but the film’s reputation vastly improved over time, aided by its VHS release and TV screenings. It’s now a beloved title among genre movie fans, myself included.
The film still works remarkably well. The story is stripped back and simple. This, particularly the way in which characters are given minimal background (none in the case of Ryder) and the antagonist’s intentions are never clear, might have been what irked a number of critics back when the film was released. However, I feel this keeps The Hitcher lean and focused and, perhaps more importantly, provides space for Harmon and Red to inject multiple readings into the film, below the surface.
* The following paragraph may be considered a mild spoiler, so take caution if you’re particularly riled about that sort of thing.
The clearest reading of the film, for me, is that Ryder is grooming Halsey to replace him or become him, through rinsing out his humanity and creating a cold-blooded killer. Another straightforward take would be that Ryder is simply trying to make Halsey a ‘man’.
Linked to this latter reading, there are numerous homoerotic touches here and there in how Ryder toys with Halsey when they share any quieter times together. Whilst Red and Harmon deny intentionally adding any homosexual subtexts in the film, it’s valid to think that this might be another aspect to the central relationship.
There’s a supernatural element seemingly present too, in how Ryder continually appears out of nowhere and can achieve near-impossible feats in places. This is heightened by the film’s eerie, often melancholic tone, of which Mark Isham’s electronic score contributes a great deal.
Away from the subtext behind The Hitcher, the film works a treat as a straight-up thriller. The film is relentless. When Halsey has a rare moment to stop and drift off he always wakes to find his situation worse. He’s trapped in a neverending nightmare. There are some truly disturbing scenes in the film too. Most of the nastier moments are kept out of shot but this only makes them more unsettling.
There are a few bombastic splashes of action which might feel out of place in this otherwise grim and sombre film but I find they add to the nightmarish quality of Halsey’s journey. Plus, being an action movie fan, particularly of car chases and stunts, I love these scenes, so appreciate their inclusion and superb execution.
What I’d forgotten, prior to this rewatch of The Hitcher, was how good it looks (aided by this fantastic new restoration). It’s shot by the Australian DOP John Seale, who would go on to win an Oscar for his cinematography on The English Patient as well as get nominated for films like Mad Max: Fury Road and Witness (released a year prior to The Hitcher). The landscape, sky and elements are put to stunning use in the film, as well as light and shadow. Seale’s experience shooting action movies in Australia likely helped him get the most out of the set pieces here too.
I can’t tie things up without mentioning the cast. Hauer is always reliable and this stands alongside his portrayal of Batty in Blade Runner as his best work. He’s cool, calm and terrifying from the moment he’s first picked up by Halsey in the middle of a storm. Hauer adds his own strange little touches to his mannerisms that make his character all the more unpredictable. It’s a masterclass in ‘villain’ acting.
Hauer usually gets all the praise in discussing The Hitcher, which is understandable, given the strength of his performance, but I feel C. Thomas Howell deserves more of a mention. He fully commits to showing Halsey’s journey to the end of his tether and eventual rise out of the depths. A key scene where he contemplates suicide is particularly powerful.
Jennifer Jason Leigh isn’t given quite as much to work with but she uses her considerable skills to make Nash a memorable and vital element to the story. I’m glad Harmon decided to minimise the suggestion of her character and Howell’s being romantically intertwined by removing an originally scripted sex scene.
Overall then, The Hitcher is a bleak, intense film that impresses on a surface level whilst also being open to various interpretations. It’s as gripping to watch as it was in 1986, begging the question of why so many critics were switched off by it back then.
Film:
The Hitcher is being released on Limited Edition Dual 4K UHD and Blu-ray on 30 September 2024 alongside Standard Editions on 4K UHD and Blu-ray. All discs are region-free. I watched the Blu-ray version and the transfer looks stunning. There’s a heavy grain in darker scenes but this is likely as intended and looks natural in the digital conversion. Colours look rich and natural too and the print is clean and detailed. Blacks are quite heavy but this is likely intentional and it works well to heighten the mood. I’ve used screengrabs throughout to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed.
As for audio, this is very impressive too, with a rich and well-balanced sound. I watched with the stereo mix.
Special Features
– A new 4K restoration by Second Sight Films from the original camera negative supervised and approved by director Robert Harmon
– UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision
– Features Dolby Atmos and original stereo audio mixes
– New audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
– Audio commentary with Robert Harmon and writer Eric Red
– Scene-specific audio commentary with Robert Harmon, Eric Red, Executive Producer Edward S Feldman, Composer Mark Isham, Director of Photography John Seale and Actors Rutger Hauer and C Thomas Howell
– The Projection Booth Podcast: featuring Robert Harmon and Rutger Hauer
– Bullseye: a new interview with Robert Harmon
– Penning the Ripper: a new interview with Eric Red
– Doomed to Live: a new interview with C Thomas Howell
– The Man from Oz: a new interview with John Seale
– A Very Formative Score: a new interview with Mark Isham
– Duel Runner: Leigh Singer on the evolution of The Hitcher and Rutger Hauer
– China Lake: a short film by Robert Harmon newly restored
– The Calling Card: Robert Harmon on China Lake
– Telephone: a short film by Eric Red
– The Hitcher: How do these movies get made?
– Trailers
Limited Edition Contents
– Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Adam Stothard
– 200-page hardback book with exclusive Robert Harmon interview by Lou Thomas, exclusive Eric Red interview by Matt Thrift, new essays by Heather Drain, David Kittredge, Craig Ian Mann, Rebecca McCallum, Meagan Navarro and Jon Towlson
– Eric Red’s original screenplay book
– Six collectors’ art cards
Alexandra Heller-Nicholas provides a new commentary that analyses the film in depth, particularly in terms of gender. It’s an academic track but one that’s quite captivating.
Harmon and writer Eric Red talk together on another commentary included on the disc. They tend to stick to discussing the technical aspects of how the film was put together. It’s a decent track for those interested in the production itself.
The Projection Booth commentary offers further analysis but the team have different takes to Heller-Nicholas. Plus there are a couple of interviews with Hauer and Harmon in the middle, making for another valuable track.
There’s also a selected scene commentary which runs for a little over 50 minutes when edited down (I did this so that I could listen to it on a long car journey). This is also strong, though it offers similar content to the interviews, feeling like they were culled from archival discussions rather than following what’s occurring on-screen.
Speaking of interviews, there are a handful of newly recorded conversations with some of the key figures involved in the film. Some of the stories get repeated but this is nevertheless a fantastic collection of interviews. Red’s and Harmon’s are the lengthiest and offer some of the more in-depth thoughts, though I enjoyed DOP John Seale’s and composer Mark Isham’s interviews a great deal too.
Leigh Singer provides an essay about the film, looking at what makes The Hitcher unique and what might have inspired it. He also discusses Hauer and what he brought to the role.
‘The Hitcher: How do these movies get made?’ is an archival making of. This is an excellent piece that distils the best anecdotes from elsewhere into a digestible half-hour documentary.
The two shorts are excellent additions to the set too. China Lake (which gets a handy intro from Harmon) is stylishly shot and expertly directed. Charles Napier makes a deliciously frightening yet charismatic villain. William Sanderson has a small role too. It has a similar mix of menace and melancholy to The Hitcher, as well as sharing similar desolate desert road locations. I wasn’t sure about the voiceover that suddenly appears halfway through though.
Telephone has an interesting central conceit of a suicidal woman calling a random number so someone can hear her final moments but the guy on the line tries to talk her out of it. The execution isn’t as successful as that of China Lake though. The acting is overbaked in places and the direction is a little flat. It’s an engaging watch though.
I didn’t get a copy of the book or other physical extras to comment on those, I’m afraid.
So, Second Sight have, as usual, pulled out all the stops to produce the definitive release of The Hitcher. It packages a superb film alongside a wealth of supplements that I never grew tired of. It was a long time coming but the disc gets our highest recommendation and it’s likely to end up as my favourite single-title release of the year.
Disc/Package:
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