The Hitcher

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The Hitcher

R

1986

1h 37m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

64%

Tomatometer

42 Reviews

74%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer), who claims to be a serial killer. After a daring escape, Jim hopes to never see Ryder again. But when he witnesses the hitchhiker murdering an entire family, Jim pursues Ryder with the help of truck-stop waitress Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh), pitting the rivals against each other in a deadly series of car chases and brutal murders.

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Critics Consensus

Its journey is never quite as revelatory as it could be, but The Hitcher stands as a white-knuckle vision of horror, bolstered by Rutger Hauer's menacing performance.

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

This set-up is intriguing, and you wish director Robert Harmon had made more of it.

Jan 4, 2018

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Simon Abrams

House Next Door

That kind of nonstop self-seriousness should wear thin after a while but director Robert Harmon makes the screenplay's unabashed cruelty more potent than churlish.

Mar 29, 2011

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Variety Staff

Variety

A highly unimaginative slasher that keeps the tension going with a massacre about every 15 minutes.

Mar 26, 2009

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

As a straightforward thriller, The Hitcher is idiotic and illogical; as an allegorical piece about the power of Evil to wilt the foundation of Good, it becomes more interesting.

Rated: 2.5/4

Nov 9, 2024

Full Review

Nick Rogers

Midwest Film Journal

Although hardly the totemic terror it's made out to be by contemporary cult-classic enthusiasts, "The Hitcher" is best appreciated as an analog showreel of exceptional explosions and car stunts.

Rated: 3/5

Oct 30, 2024

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Christian Jones

Starburst

Harmon’s tightly controlled direction generates an increasingly taut atmosphere as the body count rises, and Halsey futilely tries to extricate himself from the madness.

Rated: 4/5

Sep 24, 2024

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To F

Es bastante tensa y tiene algo escenas muy obvias y hasta absurdas oír así decirlo. Pero su historia y los personajes están muy bien hechos, hay algunas escenas que si destacan mucho y hace que estés pegado a la pantalla en todo momento.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/08/24

Full Review

nick s

Slick thriller with good cinematography, lighting and car stunts. My only issue with it is that it's a bit overcooked and improbable, especially near the end. I also thought the characters could have had a better connection. But overall it's a nice, brooding horror/thriller.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/08/24

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Craig B

Absolute classic... Rutger Hauer and C. Thomas Howell are exceptional. A remake was made... of course... but it is not a patch on the original.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/30/24

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Michel T

I could watch that movie over and over again. To see Rutger Hauer do a perfect job is amazing. I loved it since i first saw it got an upgrade (4K) i re-watched the remake. Love Sean Bean but he doesn't have the presence that RH had. This one has great work all around.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/04/24

Full Review

IrateTyrant C

Barely okay for about 90% of the runtime This is a cut and clear case of one of those movies that starts out as a horror and devolves into action. It's marginally entertaining as it begins, and gains traction with the appearance of Jennifer Jason Leigh, before it falls apart because of Rutger Hauer. Hauer is basically a b-level actor, and he isn't bringing the Robert Englund level of authenticity that this movie needs. C Thomas Howell is kind of interesting and doesn't fall apart until the script does, much later than you'd think. Then, Leigh is used for some plot devices but is generally underappreciated. Some of the action is tense, but other parts are bogus. The way the movie ends is basically stupid. I wouldn't call it a horrible movie, at all, and it held my attention, but it could have been so much better in so many ways.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/23/24

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Tim M

The Hitcher is completely ludicrous and often without purpose, but it remains a stylish ride all the same.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/12/24

Full Review

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Robert Harmon

Director

Rutger Hauer

John Ryder

C. Thomas Howell

Jim Halsey

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Nash

Jeffrey DeMunn

Captain Esteridge

John M. Jackson

Sergeant Starr

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Synopsis

While transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego, Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder (Rutger Hauer), who claims to be a serial killer. After a daring escape, Jim hopes to never see Ryder again. But when he witnesses the hitchhiker murdering an entire family, Jim pursues Ryder with the help of truck-stop waitress Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh), pitting the rivals against each other in a deadly series of car chases and brutal murders.

Director: Robert Harmon
Producer: David Bombyk, Kip Ohman
Screenwriter: Eric Red
Production Co: HBO Films, Silver Screen Partners IV
Rating: R
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 30, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.1M
Runtime: 1h 37m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Surround

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