The Hitcher (1986) – Film Review

Director: Robert Harmon
Cast: Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, Jennifer Jason Leigh
Certificate: 18

By Sarah Morgan

Is it a slasher film, a psychological thriller, an action movie or a chase film?

Well, actually, The Hitcher could fit into any of the genres, or all of them at the same time. And weirdly, despite being a fan of all of them, I’d never seen it until a swanky 4K restored version dropped onto my doormat recently.

I remember the film being released, but was too young to see it at the cinema. In the period since, it’s somehow passed me by but, frankly, it was worth waiting almost 40 years to view the movie.

“Plan to kill”

The story begins innocently enough, with young Jim Halsey driving across the US in a car he’s supposed to deliver to California, where he hopes to start a new life. However, the long trip through the desert is taking its toll so, to avoid falling asleep at the wheel, he picks up a man seemingly stranded at the roadside. The stranger’s antics will certainly keep Jim awake over the coming nightmarish hours…

The man claims his name is John Ryder and makes known his plan to kill Jim early on. Jim initially escapes from his clutches, but their paths cross again and again – Ryder isn’t going to allow Jim to be the one who got away.

Instead, he will hunt him down, mercilessly killing anyone who may get in his way of achieving his goal. Ryder also seems to have a death wish; it’s as if he’s taunting his victims into fighting back – one, or perhaps even both of them, will end up dead.

A fresh-faced C Thomas Howell plays Jim, whose happy-go-lucky approach to life is shattered by his chance encounter with the psychopath. He will have to draw on all his reserves if he’s to survive.

“Calmness personified”

Jennifer Jason Leigh also appears as a young woman he meets during his nightmare, and who attempts to help him as both Ryder and the police close in.

However, it is, of course, the unforgettable Rutger Hauer who dominates the film as Ryder – even, somehow, when he’s not on screen, His performance is actually understated – in a weird way, he’s calmness personified, with everyone else running around him. It’s this stillness that makes him such an evil, terrifying presence. It’s also hard to imagine anyone else doing the character justice.

Directed with style by Robert Harmon from screenwriter Eric Red’s screenplay, the film owes a lot to Steven Spielberg’s Duel, with the relentless Ryder standing in for the mysterious truck. Nevertheless, it adds plenty of thrilling set pieces of its own – including a particularly grisly murder towards the end of the film that is genuinely horrific, so thank goodness it mostly takes place off-screen – to allow it to stand on its own two feet.

Although neither a commercial or critical hit on its initial release, The Hitcher now has a cult following and deserves its standing as one of the most terrifying rides in 1980s cinema.

There are special features aplenty to enjoy too, including interviews with the cast and crew, and short films by both Harmon and Red.