Post by The Butcher on Feb 21, 2006 23:04:23 GMT -5
WARNING - This review may contain spoilors!!
Here we are yet again, revisiting a film from my demented youth. These nostalgic journeys always end up being difficult for me. Not emotionally difficult, like when I think about when my uncle locked me in the sub basement on my eleventh birthday, naked and alone without a piece of cake. Bastard. All because I jumped on his bed in the middle of the night wearing only my homemade Freddy Krueger glove and threw hot coffee in his face as I screamed, "Come on mother fucker!" Actually, take away the basement and the nudity and it was the best birthday ever. But I digress slightly… The reason it`s hard to watch these older, more prominent films from way back is because it`s hard to look at them with fresh eyes. The Hitcher is a film that I have seen over five times throughout the years and I just recently got a sixth viewing under my belt. Was it good? Yeah, it was pretty damn good.
I think that almost everyone already knows what this film is about but we`ll do the usual summary for the little tikes. Picture, if you will, one Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) driving cross-country to deliver a car to California. After almost killing himself by falling asleep, he reluctantly decides to pull over and pick up a hitchhiker by the name of John Ryder (Rutger Hauer). Oops… hitting on a transvestite with syphilis in a dimly lit bar would have been a safer choice… Anyway, as they hack their way through some uncomfortable dialogue, Jimmy begins to wonder what the hell is wrong with this guy who oddly, looks just like Roy Batty from Bladerunner. Before the topic of weather comes up, Jimmy’s new buddy pulls a knife… like my ex-girlfriend. Even though Jimmy is crying like a lost seven-year old at Chucky Cheese, he manages to push John out of the car and drive off. I would imagine it was about the time of John’s sixteenth roll that he decides to stalk and terrorize Jimmy for the remainder of the day.
There are a few key elements that make this film work as well as it does, the first being the pacing. The Hitcher is interesting from the first frame and kicks into high gear about ten minutes in. Then, it doesn`t stop kicking ass (and balls) until the end credits roll and let me tell you, the finale is great in this one. We hang with Jimmy from one scene to the next and, just when you think that he has eluded the hitching maniac, if only long enough to take a piss, bam, finger in the french fries. Check please! The events just keep escalating; first it’s a finger and then a penis… no wait… that was a different film. What`s great though is how John Ryder can easily end Jimmy’s life at any point but he just gets off by terrorizing him… like my ex-girlfriend. What is also awesome is that the entire film takes place over a twenty-four hour time frame. Talk about one bad fucking day. The condensed time period really keeps the level of tension locked in.
The second element that works like a hooker during Mardi Gras is the character of John Ryder. Rutger Hauer is the man in this film and is truly terrifying. It`s not that his appearance is scary because that`s not what this guy is about. Rather, he is the true embodiment of a maniac. For example, Mr. Ryder would kill your wife, your kids, your mailman, his mother, hopefully my ex-girlfriend and the kid down the street. Then he’d go get a shake from McDonald’s and kill the guy who made it. You get the impression that this guy would do anything as he hitches around the west fucking with people simply because he has nothing better to do. So, when you combine Ryder’s savage tendencies and inexhaustible commitment to destroying Jimmy’s life with the open, isolated landscape, it`s beautiful. This crazed, thumb-wielding psycho is out to get you and there is nowhere to go. That`s the best combo since a number six, large coke and extra seasoned curly fries. I guess you could go to Jennifer Jason Leigh’s diner but they serve fingers in their food.
The only aspect of The Hitcher that left me with a small case of road rash was the suspension of disbelief in the film. A story this realistic and intense relies very heavily, in my opinion, on believability. There are moments that happen to work in John Ryder’s favor just because the script needs them to. For instance, Jimmy is being chased by the cops and, as Ryder sees this, he decides to shoot down a chopper with a hand gun (huh?). The chopper conveniently falls on the two police cars that are in pursuit of Jimmy. However, although there are a few moments like this, the next scene always managed to bring me back.
Overall, The Hitcher is a kick ass movie, better than most released today, even twenty years later. I am very much looking forward to the remake, although it will be nearly impossible to top Rutger`s performance. I feel comfortable in recommending this film to horror fans of all ages and, if you do end up renting the DVD, take notice of the police struggle that ensues about thirty minutes in. C. Thomas Howell manages to kick a police officer in the head with the heel of his foot. It was clearly unintentional but they kept it in the film. Honest to God, it`s the most awkward kick I have ever seen but, as they say in the commercials… priceless.
Here we are yet again, revisiting a film from my demented youth. These nostalgic journeys always end up being difficult for me. Not emotionally difficult, like when I think about when my uncle locked me in the sub basement on my eleventh birthday, naked and alone without a piece of cake. Bastard. All because I jumped on his bed in the middle of the night wearing only my homemade Freddy Krueger glove and threw hot coffee in his face as I screamed, "Come on mother fucker!" Actually, take away the basement and the nudity and it was the best birthday ever. But I digress slightly… The reason it`s hard to watch these older, more prominent films from way back is because it`s hard to look at them with fresh eyes. The Hitcher is a film that I have seen over five times throughout the years and I just recently got a sixth viewing under my belt. Was it good? Yeah, it was pretty damn good.
I think that almost everyone already knows what this film is about but we`ll do the usual summary for the little tikes. Picture, if you will, one Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) driving cross-country to deliver a car to California. After almost killing himself by falling asleep, he reluctantly decides to pull over and pick up a hitchhiker by the name of John Ryder (Rutger Hauer). Oops… hitting on a transvestite with syphilis in a dimly lit bar would have been a safer choice… Anyway, as they hack their way through some uncomfortable dialogue, Jimmy begins to wonder what the hell is wrong with this guy who oddly, looks just like Roy Batty from Bladerunner. Before the topic of weather comes up, Jimmy’s new buddy pulls a knife… like my ex-girlfriend. Even though Jimmy is crying like a lost seven-year old at Chucky Cheese, he manages to push John out of the car and drive off. I would imagine it was about the time of John’s sixteenth roll that he decides to stalk and terrorize Jimmy for the remainder of the day.
There are a few key elements that make this film work as well as it does, the first being the pacing. The Hitcher is interesting from the first frame and kicks into high gear about ten minutes in. Then, it doesn`t stop kicking ass (and balls) until the end credits roll and let me tell you, the finale is great in this one. We hang with Jimmy from one scene to the next and, just when you think that he has eluded the hitching maniac, if only long enough to take a piss, bam, finger in the french fries. Check please! The events just keep escalating; first it’s a finger and then a penis… no wait… that was a different film. What`s great though is how John Ryder can easily end Jimmy’s life at any point but he just gets off by terrorizing him… like my ex-girlfriend. What is also awesome is that the entire film takes place over a twenty-four hour time frame. Talk about one bad fucking day. The condensed time period really keeps the level of tension locked in.
The second element that works like a hooker during Mardi Gras is the character of John Ryder. Rutger Hauer is the man in this film and is truly terrifying. It`s not that his appearance is scary because that`s not what this guy is about. Rather, he is the true embodiment of a maniac. For example, Mr. Ryder would kill your wife, your kids, your mailman, his mother, hopefully my ex-girlfriend and the kid down the street. Then he’d go get a shake from McDonald’s and kill the guy who made it. You get the impression that this guy would do anything as he hitches around the west fucking with people simply because he has nothing better to do. So, when you combine Ryder’s savage tendencies and inexhaustible commitment to destroying Jimmy’s life with the open, isolated landscape, it`s beautiful. This crazed, thumb-wielding psycho is out to get you and there is nowhere to go. That`s the best combo since a number six, large coke and extra seasoned curly fries. I guess you could go to Jennifer Jason Leigh’s diner but they serve fingers in their food.
The only aspect of The Hitcher that left me with a small case of road rash was the suspension of disbelief in the film. A story this realistic and intense relies very heavily, in my opinion, on believability. There are moments that happen to work in John Ryder’s favor just because the script needs them to. For instance, Jimmy is being chased by the cops and, as Ryder sees this, he decides to shoot down a chopper with a hand gun (huh?). The chopper conveniently falls on the two police cars that are in pursuit of Jimmy. However, although there are a few moments like this, the next scene always managed to bring me back.
Overall, The Hitcher is a kick ass movie, better than most released today, even twenty years later. I am very much looking forward to the remake, although it will be nearly impossible to top Rutger`s performance. I feel comfortable in recommending this film to horror fans of all ages and, if you do end up renting the DVD, take notice of the police struggle that ensues about thirty minutes in. C. Thomas Howell manages to kick a police officer in the head with the heel of his foot. It was clearly unintentional but they kept it in the film. Honest to God, it`s the most awkward kick I have ever seen but, as they say in the commercials… priceless.
