The Hitcher is a tale of torment and frustration. Jim Halsey, played by C. Thomas Howell, is driving a car across the country to California. En route through the desert, he decides to pick up a hitchhiker in a rainstorm. Well, the hitchhiker is a crazy, off the hook psycho killer, played convincingly by Rutger Hauer, who tries to kill him. Jim manages to elude the killer, but then the rest of the movie is a series of mindfucks, murders, and setups that either leaves you feeling entertained or frustrated. Throw in a side love interest and you have The Hitcher.

The storyline is fairly simple. Our main character is tormented by a guy who pops in and out of places, appears, reappears, shoots helicopters from the sky with a pistol, drives through the desert without the use of roads, kills whole police squadrons and frames the murders on this poor SOB, and more!

It wasn’t boring, but it got a bit predictable. Whenever there was a scene where Jim was going to get to explain himself to authorities, you knew that the Hitcher was going to fly into the scene, kill everybody involved, then fly back out and frame him for it. This did lead to some pretty tense moments though.

It was interesting how the relationship between the two characters developed. The Hitcher came in with no motive for his killings. Halfway through the movie though, I felt like there was some pre-existing dark secret that the two had in common. That theory never evolved. The two almost had this weird symbiotic relationship going. I got the impression that one never really wanted to kill the other. Interesting.

The acting was great. Howell, Hauer, and Jennifer Jason Leigh were all compelling in their roles. I really felt for Howell’s character. While there were many things I would have done differently if I were him, I certainly respect the authenticity of it all. The action was good. There were some great car chase scenes. There were ample killings. Gore and blood was adequate but not ample. I’m not sure if I witnessed the classic “quartering” scene uncut or not. It was unique and brutal nonetheless, if not graphic.

This movie is considered a classic by many. I’m not going to say I didn’t like it, but it was frustrating at times. Some of the situations were a little too unbelievable. The acting was great and there was an abundance of tension to draw you in. Anyway, if you are looking for a solid psychological thriller/action film/slasher that was direct inspiration for Joyride in my opinion, give the Hitcher a try. I give it 7 out of 10 psycho killers that teleport into a diner kitchen, drop a finger into the french fry plate, then teleports back out.

This review was fueled by lemonade and Pantera 101 Proof.