Movies - The Hitcher

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	Movies - The Hitcher

The Hitcher is a 1986 Hollywood horror/thriller movie, directed by Robert Harmon, and written by Eric Red. The film stars Rutger Hauer, C. Thomas Howell, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

In addition to scenes shot in the studio, filming locations include Amboy, California, USA, Barstow, California, Death Valley National Park in California, Imperial County, California, and Lake Mead in Nevada.

Story

The story begins as the protagonist, Jim (played by C. Thomas Howell), decides to pickup a hitchhiker (Rutger Hauer) while driving in the desert. But the hitchhiker turns out to be a serial murderer who wants to kill Jim. The hitchhiker leads Jim into a series of potentially deadly events. Jim is also framed and wanted by the police.

Jim soon meets Nash, a woman working at a dinner who decides to help him. They escape from the hitchhiker and end up in a motel. The Hitchhiker abducts Nash and ties her between two trucks. Realising that Jim was innocent, the police now employ Jim to negotiate with the hitchhiker. In the truck's cab, the hitchhiker tries to make Jim kill him with a gunshot to the forehead. But Jim refuses to shoot because the hitchhiker's foot is on the truck's clutch, and killing him would make him pop the clutch, because the truck would move and tear Nash in half. But the Hitcher decides that Jim is unworthy and decides to move his truck anyway, killing Nash.

Jim ends up at a police station and gets examined by medics there. But on his way to prison, the hitchhiker overpowers the guards in the prison transport and kills them with a shotgun. Jim, who is being driven to another location by a police captain, decides to finish the hitchhiker. He takes the captain's gun, kicks him out of the police car and sets off after the hitchhiker. Jim catches up to the prison transport, and the Hitcher jumps out of it from the back and through the police car's front windshield. Jim slams the car's brakes, which sends the Hitchhiker flying forward of the car. After running the hitchhiker over with the police car, Jim gets out to see if he's dead. But the hitchhiker gets up and throws his prison shackles at Jim's feet. Jim shoots the hitchhiker three times with the shotgun, finally killing him.

Remake

A remake is planned and scheduled for release in 2007; the director (Dave Meyers) is planning to change the main character into a woman.

Cast

C. Thomas Howell
- Jim Halsey
Rutger Hauer
- John Ryder
Jennifer Jason Leigh
- Nash
Jeffrey DeMunn
- Captain Esteridge
John M. Jackson - Sergeant Starr

Trivia

The opening scene was inspired by the song Riders on the Storm by The Doors. On set, C. Thomas Howell was actually afraid of Rutger Hauer as his menancing persona continued off camera. The original cut of the film ran over three hours long and the first drafts of the script ambled on for over 200 pages.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Hitcher ]

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