Roy and Gilbert's fishing trip takes a terrifying turn when the hitchhiker they pick up turns out to be a sociopath on the run from the law. He's killed before, and he lets the two know that as soon as they're no longer useful, he'll kill again. The two friends plot an escape, but the hitchhiker's peculiar physical affliction, an eye that never closes even when he sleeps, makes it impossible for them to tell when they can make a break for it.
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Two buddies played by Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy pick up a hitch hiker who happens to be a psychopath on the run in this tense, no-nonsense thriller from director Ida Lupino.This is the kind of film noir without an ounce of fat on it. It's about the two men trying to get away, and that's it. At one point, the killer tells them that he's going to do away with them, it's just a matter of when, so there's a ticking clock quality that adds suspense on top of that already created by the scenario of two average guys who find themselves in a bad situation.Lupino proves herself to be a fantastic director, and the film's best asset is its fluid movement from one nail biting scene to another. She keeps things humming along, and the film, already pretty short to begin with, feels far shorter than it actually is.Grade: A-
Two fishing buddies unwittingly give a lift to a serial killer who forces them to drive across the border at gunpoint in this compact thriller directed by Ida Lupino. A former film noir star, Lupino brings several interesting directing touches to the film such as the initial obscuring of the hitchhiker's face until he produces his gun, but it is William Talman's unhinged performance as the hitcher that really makes the film. He has a creepy calmness to him as he holds the two men hostage like something that he has done millions of times before, and his face more than his gun oozes menace. Edmond O'Brien and Frank Lovejoy are, on the other hand, dull as his two victims; the film momentarily brings up something about them lying to their wives about their trip, but the most part, their function in the script is simply to (unsuccessfully) attempt to escape and evade again and again. The film grows a tad repetitive as it goes on, and with constant cutaways to the US and Mexican police investigating the matter, it never really maintains any tension that it builds. The film is also a less thrilling experience since we constantly know that the police are on top of things and have a plan of what to do, and the despair of the fishing buddies never really resonates since the movie provides a strong sense that everything will work out. Still, the film is certainly worth a look for Talman's performance. His big screen career was curiously short, spending most of his years in television; one can only wonder what may have been had 'The Hitch-Hiker' been more widely seen in its day.
Seeing SEVEN MEN FROM NOW was a revelation to me and I immediately hunted down everything I could find by Budd Boetticher. THE HITCH-HIKER, directed brilliantly by Ida Lupino, was an even greater revelation. THE HITCH-HIKER manages, in just over an hour, and with an economy of motion that Boetticher himself probably appreciated, to tell a terrifying tale of kidnapping and murder. The stage is set early on, with the serial killer Meyers (William Talman, in an outstanding performance) murdering half a dozen people before hitching a ride with O'Brien and Lovejoy. It's clear from the moment they pick him up that their days are numbered, and in a GREAT dramatic scene late in the going, O'Brien beseeches a search plane with arms uplifted, pleading for them to land and save himself and Lovejoy. It's an unusual scene in that it shows a man in fear for his life doing what I've actually seen people in life-threatening situations DO: he begs for his life; loudly, and unashamedly. Another fascinating aspect of this movie is Talman as the killer, whose right eye never closes: his defective eye makes for some tense and even genuinely funny moments. My favorite is the scene where the two victims stare at him for quite some time trying to determine if he's actually watching them or not before eventually trying to make a run for it- only to have him open his other eye and grin as he watches them run. THE HITCH-HIKER has been ripped off a thousand times over the years, but nobody ever- EVER- did it as well as director Ida Lupino.
I never understand the whole concept of hitch hiking. If you are the hitcher, you run the risk of getting some crazy driver.Or, like this movie, if you are the driver, you run the risk of getting some crazy hitcher.This is a classic case of terror at the wheel.It's a relatively tight and well done movie that has been re made though out the years.Yes, part of it are not believable but overall it's a very very satisfying film.The Plot. Two friends on a fishing trip pick up a stranded motorist who turns out to be a psychotic escaped convict. This sociopath has already murdered other good Samaritans in his efforts to evade authorities. He sadistically taunts and threatens the two men and perversely delights in telling them that he has them both marked for death sometime before the end of the trip. His destination is a ferryboat in Baja, California, which he hopes will help him get to the mainland. The hostages hope to stay alive long enough to escape or be rescued by Mexican authorities.
