Review of The Hitcher (1986) by Jason G — 02 Mar 2009
Great, great film from the 80's.
It's a "horror" film, to be sure... but it's made in such a classy way and on such an elevated level technically, that it stands the "test of time"... (very few horror films from the 80's stand up as well as The Hitcher still does).
Much of the credit coes to Rutger Hauer who's always been a very capable and extremely subtle actor. Even amidst the blood and death and explosive carnage of The Hitcher... Hauer manages to keep his character in complete restraint, conveying emotion and creating fear and unease among the viewers with the sly arch of an eyebrow or slightest hint of a sneer where other, lesser actors would telegraph their performances, chew up the scenery...
Rutger Hauer was a criminally underused 80's actor who was better than most of the scripts he ended up with. The Hitcher would be worth watching for his presence alone but Director Robert Harmon puts together a visually stunning piece with edge-of-your-seat pacing to keep you, well... at the edge-of-you-seat.
One of my favourites of the genre...
Highly recommended!
This review of The Hitcher (1986) was written by Jason G on 02 Mar 2009.
The Hitcher has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
