I was 19 when I saw The Hitcher, at a small theater downtown, proudly driving in my first car (used car but still, much appreciated, Dad…). Even though some of the scenes were ludicrous and needed a leap of faith on the part of the viewer, it left an impression on me in terms of hitchhikers and the wonderfully intense and unnerving performance of Rutger Hauer. I cringed, I cheered, and laughed out loud and still appreciate the menace of Hauer to this day.
Critics hated this film when it came out, with Roger Ebert from Siskel and Ebert calling it “diseased and corrupt” and “reprehensible.” It is actually all of those things and more, but not the way Ebert saw it. As John Ryder, Hauer is not simply trying to kill or stalk poor Jim Halsey, played by C. Thomas Howell, but to twist, turn, and transform Halsey into the horrible, soulless empty shell of a man he is. He methodically strips him of his identity, from the obvious including possessions and identification to the real challenge, her personal identity, and soul. It is fascinating to watch as the movie progresses and Hauer plays it with both measured and abandoned glee.
RELATED: Review: ‘Willy’s Wonderland’ is Wonderfully Bonkers
Indeed, the movie begins as a familiar thriller/action movie, with Halsey picking up Ryder and quickly realizing the error of his ways. From there, it transforms into something else, and the terror on Halsey’s face seems very real, as events unfold and he sees Ryder as something more than a simple psychopath. There is almost a supernatural element to Ryder at times, a kind of Four Horsemen feel to him, as he moves from car to car like, galloping down the road with nothing but death and destruction in his wake.
Playing evil is always a good gig and here, Hauer delivers and then some. He has scenes with little or no dialogue, where he commands the camera with his eyes and facial expressions. The madness comes to a head when Ryder delivers this line of dialogue to Halsey: “I want you to stop me.” This is where the character of Halsey, and the audience, begin to realize there is more to this man and film than simply a psycho running wild on desolate stretches of highway. He wants to turn Halsey into him, pushing every one of his buttons to get him to do things he never would have thought he was capable of before now.
Ryder continues to push Halsey to the brink and eventually, I begin to question what the end game was here. If Halsey did break and get pushed over the edge, what would happen to Ryder? Did the man have a death wish or was this simply his time, in whatever world he was living in? Perhaps the message here from Ryder was that there is no going back, that the road only goes one way, forward, wherever that may lead. Clunky dialogue and some token action shots aside, this is more about a man with nothing behind him in terms of a past and nothing more left ahead of him. Maybe all he had left was to twist and turn someone like Halsey into a mirror image of himself before he left this plane to move on to who knows what.
RELATED: ‘TerrorVision’ is Still Turn Off Your Brain Fun 35 Years Later
I’m reminded of the quote by Michael Caine as Alfred in The Dark Knight: “….some men aren’t looking for anything logical, like money. They can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” This is John Ryder, only instead, his view is more focused, that being on poor Jim Halsey. Ryder never stops, never loses focus, and is always like a glacial tide of dread, covering everything he touches like a blanket of death.
A wonderfully odd and demented psychological thrill ride, The Hitcher remains a disturbing yet great ride into the dark abyss of the soulless Ryder. R.I.P. to Rutger Hauer, always a force on screen and here, a menace of almost biblical proportions. Hitchhiking was always a risky deal, both by the hitcher and the prospective ride. One has to wonder how many people were left with their thumb in the air after watching this film.
RELATED: Zack Snyder’s ‘Army of the Dead’ Gets May Release Date