A Must-have
Summary
The Hitcher is one of Rutger Hauer’s best movies with plenty of action and tension to keep things moving. This 4K set looks stunning and the features will keep you engaged for days. Essential.
Plot: A would-be Samaritan picks up a hitchhiker and soon discovers the man is a relentless serial killer. Framed by the cold-blooded murderer for a string of slayings, his only help comes from a caring waitress as they attempt to flee from both the law and the hitcher.
Review: I just bought the rather incredible 4K box set of The Hitcher from Second Sight and as always they did not disappoint; I don’t mind saying every 4K I’ve got over this past month has been fantastic and worth every penny.
The Hitcher is arguably Rutger Hauer’s best role alongside Blade Runner and it’s easy to see why as he is menacing as soon as he appears on screen and his icy cold stare is what made him so perfect for the role of John Ryder. In one of the many special features included in this set there is an interview with director Robert Harmon who describes how he found it hard to picture anyone else in the role as Hauer just has something otherworldly about him. That’s what I feel whenever I watch this film is that John Ryder is almost like a demonic entity who is somehow always one step ahead of everyone. Poor Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) is Ryder’s target for terror as he threatens to kill him, but really he just keeps pushing Halsey in the hopes that he will kill him. We don’t know anything about Ryder other than he’s a sick guy with a death wish and Ryder is just trying to deliver his car to San Diego.
What’s interesting is that most of the violence happens off screen and left to your imagination which can be a lot scarier then seeing it; this is especially true for the horrific “truck” scene where we don’t actually see it happen. To this day it remains one of the most disturbing scenes as you are waiting for someone to save Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh) but she is doomed as soon as she gets in the car with Halsey.
At 97 minutes The Hitcher is perfectly paced with a pervading sense of dread while also looking stunning; as I always say I love any movie that takes place in the desert and despite the isolation Halsey must feel there is still something appealing about it.
On the action front we got some spectacular vehicular carnage, shoot-outs and explosions with one of the best helicopter takedowns I’ve seen.
In terms of special features, The Hitcher has a ridiculous amount:
- Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
- A new 4k restoration by Second Sight Films from the original camera negative supervised and approved by Director Robert Harmon
- UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision
- Features Dolby Atmos and original stereo audio mixes
- New audio commentary by Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
- Audio commentary with Robert Harmon and Writer Eric Red
- Scene specific audio commentary with Robert Harmon, Eric Red, Executive Producer Edward S Feldman, Composer Mark Isham, Director of Photography John Seale and Actors Rutger Hauer and C Thomas Howell
- The Projection Booth Podcast: featuring Robert Harmon and Rutger Hauer
- Bullseye: a new interview with Robert Harmon
- Penning the Ripper: a new interview with Eric Red
- Doomed to Live: a new interview with C Thomas Howell
- The Man from Oz: a new interview with John Seale
- A Very Formative Score: a new interview with Mark Isham
- Duel Runner: Leigh Singer on the evolution of The Hitcher and Rutger Hauer
- China Lake: a short film by Robert Harmon newly restored
- The Calling Card: Robert Harmon on China Lake
- Telephone: a short film by Eric Red
- The Hitcher: How Do These Movies Get Made?
- Trailers
Limited Edition Contents:
- Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Adam Stothard
- 200-page hardback book with exclusive Robert Harmon interview by Lou Thomas, exclusive Eric Red interview by Matt Thrift, new essays by Heather Drain, David Kittredge, Craig Ian Mann, Rebecca McCallum, Meagan Navarro and Jon Towlson, archival Fangoria article and Behind-the-Scenes photo gallery
- Soft cover book of Eric Reds original screenplay for The Hitcher
- 6 collectors’ art cards
The fact you actually get the screenplay as well as the hardback book featuring various essays about the movie, that alone makes this worth picking up, but the interviews and commentaries are also insightful and I love how honest Robert Harmon is about his nerves directing his first picture. Interestingly Matthew Modine and Terence Stamp were considered for this movie and they would have been great but I think it’s hard to top Rutger Hauer and C. Thomas Howell who made this movie iconic.
The film looks flawless with perfect picture and sound; I’m amazed I got this for 45 British Pounds which feels like great value considering everything you get with it.
Overall, The Hitcher is a classic with Rutger Hauer at his menacing best and C. Thomas Howell barely hanging on by a thread trying to escape from Ryder’s clutches. There is plenty of action and tension to chew on with a plethora of special features to keep you glued for hours.