The Hitcher - 4K UHD Review

Never pick up a hitch hiker is the advice given to young Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) when he finds John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) walking in the rain along a desolate highway. He should have listened to her. From the moment he gets in the car, you know Jim is in for a bad time from this mysterious and charismatic stranger, and it's not long before he's threatening to cut him into pieces. What follows is a trail of death and mayhem as Jim and a diner cook named Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh) are hunted by both Ryder and a gaggle of Texas cops, leading to what can only be described as an orgy of carnage. In a good way.

"The Hitcher," now on a great 4K UHD release by Second Sight, is a beautifully uncomfortable watch, a ticking timebomb of a film that will have you shuffling in your seat every five minutes because of how intense it is. It shares a lot of basic bones with James Cameron's "The Terminator"; the seemingly unstoppable antagonist, a ferocious score, even an assault on a police station. The difference is how director Robert Harmon stages the never-ending chase, the action, and the villain. It's a lot more one-sided here, with Howell's Jim a terrified kid for most of the running time. Even when he gets a gun he doesn't shoot back until the end. And the massacre at the cop shop here is shown in the aftermath, where Jim awakens in his unlocked jail cell to an eerily quiet station full of dead cops, which Harmon toned down from Eric Red's manic and uber-violent script.

And it's Hauer's head games that he plays. It's such a vital, alive performance that reminds you of one of the other psychos he played: That of Roy in "Blade Runner," with the little facial twitches and smiles to himself, plus the sheer magnetism. Oddly, that doesn't cause issues, instead it makes him even more interesting, along with the fact we know absolutely nothing about him. He's a blank slate for Hauer to project his mania on, and it's great. Howell is impressive, especially at such a young age - this was only a few years after "The Outsiders"and "E.T." and Jennifer Jason Leigh makes a huge impression in what could have been a throwaway part. She's sexy and fierce and it's almost a shame what happens to her, but refreshing at the same time. Another display of how psychotic Hauer's Ryder is.

The film is shot beautifully by John Seale, who shot "Witness" and "Mad Max: Fury Road," and the loneliness and desolation plays a huge part, emphasizing Jim's absolute isolation. Seale shot it in places like the Mojave desert and other California locations, and it stands in well for Texas. Seale's photography goes well with Mark Isham's haunting score, and the dynamite editing by Frank J. Urioste, who went on to cut some of the best action films of the 20th century, including "RoboCop," "Die Hard," and "Road House." No doubt his work here got him some of those jobs.

Audio/Visual

For "The Hitcher," Second Sight scanned the original negative, which was then restored in 4K. HDR and Dolby Vision are present, and it's an impressive image. Seale's work is fantastically atmospheric from the word go, and when Jim lights the cigarette in absolute blackness, the picture looks amazing. A fine layer of grain is present but not always consistent, and the blues and yellows of the desert have a beautifully dreamy feel. There are two audio options, the original stereo track and a Dolby Atmos, and they're both great. I prefer the stereo, but that's really my personal bias for original mixes. It's a dynamic track, with Isham's eerie chorus of bowing congas to the booms of Ryder's numerous guns and the obligatory exploding helicopter. It feels similar to Red's next film, Kathryn Bigelow's "Near Dark," with the mayhem of vampiric gunfights and the ethereal Tangerine Dream score.

The Extras

This disc is absolutely packed to the brim. First up, there are several commentaries, including a fascinating track by writer Alexandra Heller-Nicholas that focuses on the gender themes of the film, a commentary with Harmon and Red, a cast and crew track, and a Projection Booth podcast that includes Harmon and Hauer. Then there are lengthy interviews with Harmon, Red, and Howell, and a couple of shorter ones with Seale, and Isham, although Jennifer Jason Leigh is conspicious by her absence. There's a video piece on Hauer and the film, an archival documentary, and two short films by Harmon and Red. Finally there are the great trailers. There is new writing included in the set, but I was not provided this for review.

Final Thoughts

"The Hitcher" is a genre-bending classic a great action-slasher with a superior central performance by Hauer and fantastic cinematography and score. The new restoration looks and sounds beautiful, and the set is full of interesting extras and points of view. Essential.

The Hitcher is released by Second Sight on September 30. It's a UK only release but the UHD is region free.