Review of The Hitcher (1986) by Eduardo C — 14 Apr 2010

This is a difficult film to sit through because it is at once great and maddening. There is as much to like here as there is to dislike. It is absolutely and completely arbitrary in nature. It quickly becomes apparent that the titular Hitcher is all knowing, and does not need to abide by the rules of geography. He can teleport himself, at will, to the spot where he will be most effective at any given time. Once you realize this, and understand that he will, invariably, always show up within seconds, even if you left him on foot 50 miles behind, any and all suspense disappears. It is not a question of will he catch up, but when will he show.

The film is, thus, nothing even approaching a plausible thriller, but interestingly enough it wasn't necessarily meant to be one. It functions on dream-logic, I suppose (like a poor man's Suspiria...well, like a starving broke man's Suspiria), as a series of escalating nightmares: seemingly tranquil sequences are interrupted by random, illogical acts of violence, scenes (like the famous finger-fries, or the dog eating from his owner's neck) are built around nightmarish images which have little to no bearing on waking life, culminating in the highway car chase. When I bought into this, the film became much more enjoyable.

The photography is beautiful (even more so for a genre film), and the direction very strong. The performances (shockingly, for a film with C. Thomas Howell in it) are quite good, especially Rutger Hauer's as the title character. Hauer has always been an unconventional actor, and his eccentricity serves him well here. His rugged masculinity, particularly when paired with the boyish frightened little creature that is Howell, is absolutely intimidating, but he brings complexity to a role where it was not necessarily written, and where it is decidedly most welcome. There is a sadness in his eyes, a longing, and his entire demeanor is tired, exhausted. He is not someone who is cackling mad, enjoying what he is doing. His connection to Howell is never explained, though they play out a sado-massochistic relationship for the majority of the film. Either The Hitcher is in love with our boy, he IS our boy, or he wants our boy to kill him. Not all of the above are mutually exclusive, and none of them are explored with any depth.

I can see why this is a cult classic, but I for one did not love it. As an excercise it is very accomplished, but not particularly involving. Still, I am not angry I saw it.