I'm sorry to have to say this folks, but Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) has to be about the dumbest person ever to get behind the wheel of an automobile. When he quite improbably pushed John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) out of the moving vehicle the very first time, that should have been the last time they ever crossed paths. A logical person would have sought out authorities right then and there, but instead, Halsey insinuates himself into situations that you know as the viewer are going to get him deeper and deeper into trouble. Ryder for his part kept popping up in places as if by magic without any semblance of credibility, which made the story more bizarre than it already was. Now if you can put all those points aside, you can probably have a neat old time with this cat and mouse thriller, but it does require a lot of dumbing down to make it all the way through. Young Jennifer Jason Leigh was attractive as the diner waitress Nash, I'll give you that, but that's all I'll give you.

This unstoppable psycho on the loose film has strong links to two other classic thrillers which came before it: Rutger Hauer, as the indestructible maniac on the loose, has some of Schwarzenegger's menace as THE TERMINATOR; and the chase through the deserts is a lot like DUEL, except with Hauer replacing the mysterious truck. THE HITCHER has a great pace which just doesn't let up until the very end of the film, and all the time you can feel events building towards a showdown as more and more violence erupts on to the screen.

Written by Eric Red (BODY PARTS),the plot is both intelligent and intriguing, so you just sit back and marvel at the way Hauer manages to implicate Howell more and more in the various crimes he commits, the most memorable moment being the shooting of the two policemen (just after Howell says he will give himself up),for which of course Howell gets the blame. The feeling of helplessness against this psycho is done well, and Howell is believable as the boy caught up in all the violence. He's no Bruce Willis hero type, but just an everyday person who screams and sweats a lot and barely manages to survive against Hauer's relentless onslaught of knifings, shootings, massacres, and brutality.

It is Hauer's performance which sticks in the mind however, and it is a career-best role. Hauer is perfectly cast as the maniac, a sadistic psychopath who coldly kills with no remorse; his is a superb, text-book example of what a true psychopath is like, with the bulging eyes, maniacally grinning face, and heartless jokes. Hauer does his job so well that you almost begin to wish that he does win out against Howell's snivelling, wimpish hero at the end, as he has a lot of charisma in this film.

The pair are joined by an accomplished supporting cast, including a young turn from Jennifer Jason Leigh, who brings a touch of warmth to the story. The sheriff from THE BLOB also turns up as, yes, you guessed it, a sheriff, and Armin Shimerman, best known to sci-fi fans for his role in STAR TREK, has a tiny role as an interrogator. There are lots and lots of cool action scenes to move things along, with cars bouncing, rolling and exploding, lots of shooting, and scenes of carnage where the blood does flow quite thickly (the moment where Howell discovers a dog, licking the blood from a corpse, is truly horrific).

There are many moments to savour in the film and which stay in the memory long after viewing. The bit where Hauer nonchalantly shoots a helicopter out of the sky to even the odds; when Howell finds a severed finger in his burger and chips; the abandoned car, with blood dripping out of the door (a sudden moment of subtlety here which is far more gut-churning than more visceral images would have been); the bloody carnage in a police station; and the set-piece at the end. These moments of inspired originality are what help to propel THE HITCHER into classic status. And it'll certainly make you think twice the next time to see someone thumbing a lift along the highway...

Jim Halsey (C. Thomas Howell) is driving from Chicago to San Diego to deliver a car. He picks up hitchhiker John Ryder (Rutger Hauer) in a rainy night. He tries to kick him out but he refuses. John tells of dismembering the previous driver and threatens to do the same to him. He manages to kick John out of the car. A young family picks up John and they're massacred. Jim is hounded by a rampaging John Ryder. Waitress Nash (Jennifer Jason Leigh) lets him in to call the cops. They arrest him after finding evidence planted by John. He wakes up to find his cell unlocked and everybody dead.

It's violent. Rutger Hauer is great as the almost-supernatural crazy hitchhiker. My biggest question is how does Rutger Hauer looking like Rutger Hauer keeps getting rides. There are a couple of questionable turns that keeps this movie from being great. It has good car chases. Howell and Leigh are good. It's a pretty OK B-movie overall.